A Protector's Pride
by NeoRyu777
Summary: What if Ichigo had handled his Inner Hollow problem like he had everything else thrown his way? Instead of running from it, he faced it head-on? Rated M for future graphic scenes.
1. Discovery

Hey everyone, NeoRyu777 here.

Before anyone else asks... NO! I am NOT abandoning my Harry Potter "World" series. There will be an update, and soon I hope. Still trying to get the chapter the way I like - been very busy, and trying to get this chapter is like pulling my own teeth without anaesthetic. Painful, long, tedious, and full of attempts and failures.

Anyway, I had some inspiration lately for a Bleach fic, and figured, "Hey, why not? Might provide some inspiration for the Harry Potter fic series." That said, let's begin.

This is a Bleach AU – Takes place after the Bounto Arc, and before the Vizard approach Ichigo. No Arrancar have appeared yet.

Note: I will be using the Japanese way of using names: Family Name first, then Given Name. Where applicable, I will be using honorifics as well.

For those who are unfamiliar with honorifics, they usually signify the relationship between the user and subject. For instance, Inoue Orihime calls Kurosaki Ichigo "Kurosaki-kun". The use of the family name name suggests Orihime doesn't feel privileged enough to use Ichigo's given name. However, the "-kun" on the end signified that she feels like she is close enough to consider him a very good friend.

A list of the more common honorifics, and their meanings

"-kun" – signifies close friendship or affection, typically used in regards to a boy

"-chan" – signifies close friendship or affection, typically used in regards to a girl – exception regarding use within family

"-san" – signifies a rather impersonal relationship, usually used as "Mr." or "Mrs."

"-sama" – signifies that the subject is higher on the "pecking order" or is quite simply better than the user of the phrase; used as a form of respect

"-nii" – "Brother"; can be combined with other honorifics

"-nee" – "Sister"; can be combined with other honorifics

"-tou-" – "Father"; can be combined with other honorifics

"-kaa-" – "Mother"; can be combined with other honorifics

-"jii" – "Old Man" or "Grandpa"

"-sensei" – "Teacher"

"-taicho" – "Captain"

"-fukutaicho" – "Lieutenant" or more literally, "Vice-Captain."

Using a family name by itself usually signifies dislike, or disrespect. Further, using a given name by itself is tantamount to saying that your relationship is very, very close. It's typically done only by engaged or married couples, and from parents to children.

Japanese/Special words I'll be using:

**Shinigami** – Death God, Soul Reaper

**Reiatsu** – Spiritual energy. Not to be confused with Reiki, which is a spiritual practice

**Zanpakuto** – Basically, the sword every Shinigami uses. It has a spirit that communicates with its user, and when evolved can use specialized attacks.

**Kido** – Shinigami magical arts, divided into Bakudo (restraining magic), Hado (destruction magic), and general Healing Kido. Each Kido, with the exception of Healing, is known by what type of Kido it is, followed by a number which determines its difficulty, and then its name. The higher the number it is, the more difficult it is. They all have a different incantation in order to cast. When someone is extremely skilled at a particular Kido, the incantation is unnecessary, but using it increases the Kido's power.

**Shikai** – "First Release"; Every Zanpukto has an initial release, Shikai, which is gained through a Shinigami learning the Zanpukto's name, and release phrase. For instance, Kuchiki Rukia's Shikai release is "Dance, Sode no Shiraiyuki!" In Shikai form, many Zanpuktos change form, and gain special abilities. Rukia's Shikai gives her "dances" which release ice-type attacks.

**Bankai** – "Great Release"; Every Zanpukto has a second release, Bankai. Bankai is achieved in stages. The first stage is manifestation of the Zanpukto spirit in the physical world. The second stage is passing the spirit's test. It is said that while Shikai involves working with the spirit, Bankai means dominion over the spirit, and gaining its full power. Often, a Shinigami's outfit will change to symbolize this in Bankai mode. For instance, when Kurosaki Ichigo uses Bankai, his Shinigami robes transform into Zangetsu's clothes. Also, Bankai is said to be easily ten times more powerful than Shikai.

**Gigai – **False body, used by Shinigami to pose as regular humans for missions in the human world.

**Hollow – **A dead soul that has degenerated, turning into a monster. In the process, it loses its heart, and instead has a hole somewhere on its body, typically its chest, though it is known to have appeared elsewhere. It also has a mask, used to disguise itself from the world. The mask is a Hollow's weak point.

**Menos – **Based in Spanish, meaning "Minus" – a reference to souls that have not degenerated, known as "Plus" souls – After a Hollow has eaten enough souls, it undergoes a transformation into a Menos. There are three different classes. Gillian is the weakest, but one is as tall as a skyscraper. Most Gillians have no sense of individuality. Gillians tend to eat each other. Once a Gillian that has retained its individuality has eaten enough of its own kind, it evolves into an Adjuchas. Once there, the Adjuchas must continue to eat other Hollows in order to maintain its form, else risk becoming a Gillian once more and never returning to Adjuchas level. After eating enough, an Adjuchas may evolve into the final class, a Vasto Lorde, the most powerful form of Hollow without undergoing the process of becoming an Arrancar. 10 Vasto Lorde working together are said to be able to destroy all of Soul Society, though thankfully they are rather reclusive.

**Arrancar – **Based in Spanish, meaning "To Tear"; A specialized form of Hollow that has taken off its mask and gained Shinigami-like powers. They too have a Zanpukto, which seals away the majority of their Hollow powers. In the process, the Arrancar now takes a human form.

**Resurreccion – **Based in Spanish, meaning "Resurrection"; the process by which an Arrancar activates its Zanpukto, similarly to Shikai. In Resurreccion, the Arrancar releases its power and regains the abilities he or she had as a normal Hollow.

**Hueco Mundo – **Based in Spanish, meaning "Empty/Hollow World"; the alternate world that Hollows live in. Fitting, as it is mostly composed of sand and Hollows.

**Quincy – **A specialized type of humans, who have developed a way to fight back against Hollows. Their primary weapon is the bow and arrow, each made of spiritual energy gathered from one's surroundings. Quincy hate Shinigami for killing off most of them in a war. The reason behind this war is due to the fact that when Quincy kill Hollows they are not purified and sent on to begin the cycle of reincarnation, but actually completely destroyed, never to return to the cycle. The Shinigami worried that the balance would be thrown off, and began the war.

**Vizard – **A Shinigami who has acquired Hollow-like powers. These powers are activated by putting the mask of their Hollow self on. In their mindscape, where the manifestation of a Shinigami's Zanpukto is, a Vizard has an Inner Hollow, which takes on the appearance of the Vizard, with the colors reversed and in black and white. The mask itself is weak and easily destroyed, despite the enormous power it gives the user. When it is destroyed, the Vizard is greatly weakened and must resort to Shinigami powers until capable of re-summoning the mask.

**Gotei 13 – **The 13 imperial squads of Shinigami. Each squad has its own specialty. For instance, Squad 11 specializes in Zanjutsu, the use of one's Zanpukto in sword-fighting. They look down on those who specialize in Kido. Squad 4 specializes in Healing Kido, but as there is little call for them outside of war, they are the go-to squad for general chores. However, there is one little-known squad: Squad Zero, unknown to anyone outside the Captain ranks, are made up entirely of people Captains who have grown even stronger. Their duty is to protect the King of Soul Society.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Stop asking me! Also, any resemblance to other fictions, idea-wise, are not meant as an insult, or indeed done on purpose.

**Chapter One: Discovery**

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORNING ICHIGO!"

_Eh? Morning already? _Kurosaki Ichigo sat up quickly, already fully awake. It was just in time, as his father, Kurosaki Isshin, had busted in the door and had lunged at Ichigo.

Ichigo snagged his father's ankle before Isshin could hit him and threw him out the window. "DO YOU HAVE TO DO THIS EVERY MORNING?" Ichigo bellowed. At the silence, he huffed and quickly dressed. "Stupid school," he muttered. _Why do I have to go to school again? Oh yeah, because it'd be nice to be able to return to a simple life if Soul Society ever gets off their collective asses and learns how to fix their own damn problems. _

Ichigo sighed, his signature scowl firmly on his face as he exited the room and joined the rest of the family at the dinner table. Isshin was, of course, unharmed. Ichigo had always wondered about that. _No matter what I do to him, he never has more than a bruise or a black eye. I wonder why? _Ichigo shrugged. _Maybe my reiatsu rubbed off on him too, like it did Chad and Inoue. Resistant to damage? Whatever. _

"Ichi-nii, your breakfast is ready!" Yuzu, Ichigo's sister, chimed.

"Thanks, Yuzu." Ichigo took his toast from Yuzu, slung his backpack over one shoulder, and walked out the door.

Ichigo set off at a casual walk to school, letting his mind wander back to his previous thoughts. _I wonder why reiatsu caused such strange changes in Chad and Inoue. I mean, Inoue has the power to reject reality and substitute her own, depending on how strongly she feels about it. And Chad's ability is more like a Hollow than a Shinigami… and I never used my Inner Hollow's power before I went to Soul Society. _

Ichigo paused mid-step for a moment. _Wait. Even old Hat-'n'-Clogs said that Chad's ability was more similar to a Hollow's than anything else. Why is Chad able to use his powers even in human form? _A sudden strike of fear paralyzed him. _Is… is my Inner Hollow able to take over, even if I don't turn into a Shinigami? _

As if in response, Ichigo heard a faint maniacal laughter. He looked around and, to his despair, saw no one nearby. He scowled harder. _So it's useless to hide in my human form. Damn it, I need to be able to fight without having to worry about that son of a bitch trying to take over. Well, I've solved all the rest of my life's problems with violence, maybe I can do the same with this. _Ichigo looked up at where his feet had taken him – school was in sight.

He quickly weighed his choices. _Go to school, don't go to school… what to do… _His choice was made for him when Inoue appeared around the corner. "Hey, Kurosaki-kun! See you in class!"

Ichigo gave a half-smile. "Morning, Inoue!" _Looks like I'm going to class. _

As usual, class seemed so surreal. Ichigo had a hard time paying attention in class, given that he was always so busy fighting the random Hollows that popped up that he rarely had time to study. Every time there was a big fight, it always felt like class was years ago, even if it had only been a weekend.

_If only they knew… _Ichigo sighed. _Almost none of them know the truth. I am almost constantly at war, called to duty by Soul Society. Why is Karakura town always targeted? And now, now I'm at war with my dark side. Effing perfect. _

A roar sounded from the town, interrupting Ichigo's train of thought as he recognized it as a Hollow's cry. A quick glance at the rest of the class proved that only the ones with powers heard it. _Definitely a Hollow. _Ichigo glanced at Ishida Uryu, the Quincy who had lost his powers, who was staring at him. They were friends, but still referred to each other with their family names, as they were competitive rivals.

_Get going, _Ishida's expression said.

_You gonna be ok? _

_Yeah. Just go already._

_Alright. _Ichigo nodded to himself. "I've gotta go use the bathroom. Back soon," Ichigo muttered as he stalked past the teacher out of the room.

Chad and Inoue sighed and glanced at each other, simultaneously deciding to stay behind and take notes so Ichigo wouldn't fall behind in class. Besides, Ichigo could handle any normal hollow easily. He'd be back in a minute or two.

Quickly hiding in a storage closet, Ichigo reached for his Shinigami badge, which would allow him to change into his Shinigami form, leaving his human body in the closet, dead to any who cared to examine it, until Ichigo was ready to re-enter it.

"What?" Ichigo gasped. He couldn't find his badge! "Fuck! I'll just have to beat it with my bare hands, or maybe try my hand at Kido… I mean, Rukia could do that at least in a gigai." Ichigo ran as quickly as he could, opening a window and leaping out of it, hitting the ground running.

To his shock, the Hollow was right outside the middle school Yuzu and Karin went to! The Hollow was about as large as an elephant, but instead of ears, it had six long tentacle-like things that waved as it moved. _Good thing Karin's home sick. Well, at least no one's outside right now. _As if Murphy himself was listening to his thoughts, he heard the bell ring for recess. _You have got to shitting me. At least this can't get worse._

In direct defiance to Ichigo's thoughts, the Hollow's attention zeroed in on Yuzu, who had thankfully separated herself from the others behind a hill, out of sight so she could pick some flowers. "One of these days, I'm going to learn to stop tempting fate!" Ichigo muttered to himself as he sprinted towards his oblivious sister. _Why did the Hollow have to target the sister who can't fight back against Hollows?! I mean, hell, Karin can take care of herself! _"Yuzu! Run!"

"Ichi-nii?" Yuzu asked surprised.

Ichigo leaned down to lower his wind resistance before leaping up and attempting a powerful kick to the back of the Hollow's head. The Hollow, having heard Ichigo's warning to Yuzu, was prepared and snagged Ichigo's foot with one of his tentacles, throwing Ichigo to the ground in front of Yuzu.

Yuzu's eyes were wide with fear as she began to see the Hollow in all its menacing glory. She began trembling. _Why can't I move? My legs… they won't move! I can't stop shaking! How can Ichi-nii fight this monster? _

Ichigo, bloodied from the harsh landing on the ground, got to his feet unsteadily, glaring at the Hollow. "Leave, or I'll kick your ass so bad you'll wish you'd been eaten by the other Hollows in Heuco Mundo."

"Oh? A human, with such strong spiritual power! I think you'll do well as a main course, with that little girl as a nice desert." The Hollow licked its lips on the mask.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed and he raised an arm at the Hollow, holding it with the other. _Bare hands isn't working. Time to try Kido. All else fails, I lure it away back to the house, so I can transform into a Shinigami … Kami I hope I do better at this. What was that incantation? Rukia always uses this thing, what was it? _He took a deep breath. "Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone! Flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!" _Damn it, can't remember the rest. Hope this works! _"Hado 33: Soukatsui! (Blue Fire Crash Down!)"

A small blue, fiery orb appeared in front of his hand for an instant, and then fired forward at Hollow's mask, right where Ichigo had wanted. It struck the Hollow by surprise, and blew up. For a moment, Ichigo thought he'd won – but then the smoke cleared, and the Hollow looked more amused than anything. Its mask was hardly singed. "Such a weak spell. Even so, you must be a Shinigami! You will taste especially good in my stomach!"

_Shit, shit, shit… _Ichigo thought to himself in a mantra. _Of all days for me to leave the damn badge at home! _"That's right, I'm a Shinigami. So come get me! I'm all weak in this gigai, and I can't seem to get out of it! Should prove a challenge for me to kill you!" Ichigo bluffed.

"Nah, I think I'll torment you first by feeding on the girl, and you'll go next, knowing there was nothing you could have done to save her." The Hollow cackled, quickly reaching out with its tentacles and snagging Yuzu.

"Damn it! I need Zangetsu!" Ichigo muttered. He could almost feel the reassuring weight of the large, elegant cleaver on his back.

A moment later, Ichigo found himself in his inner world, where the sideways skyscrapers were. He groaned. "Now is NOT the time for this! My sister is in danger!"

"**Is she really? Now that IS interesting…Don't worry though, no time really passes here if you don't want it to."**

Ichigo spun and saw a bleached white form of himself grinning maniacally back at him. It looked especially creepy on Ichigo's face, as he very rarely smiled. "Who the hell are you, and where is old man Zangetsu?!"

"**I am your inner Hollow, if you will. But Zangetsu and I, we're one and the same!" **the Hollow cackled.

Ichigo looked at him and delivered deadpan, "For one thing, you don't look a thing like him. For another, now that I have an opportunity to ask, how the hell did you get here?"

"**I came along at the same time as 'Old Man Zangetsu' did. Do you remember how you became a Shinigami again, after you lost your powers? Remember how every single time you were in mortal danger, a mask appeared and blocked?" **

Ichigo frowned. "Yeah. I remember becoming a Shinigami again thanks to Hat-'n'-Clogs Urahara. I had a mask on my face at the time… and no matter how many times I threw it away, it kept reappearing and blocking fatal wounds. So that's your mask?"

"**Our mask,"** the Hollow corrected gleefully, to Ichigo's consternation. **"Now, Zangetsu and I are part of the same entity. We are your powers. Old man Zangetsu is your Shinigami powers, and I am your Hollow powers. Whoever is more powerful at the time, is in control. The more we are used, the stronger we become." **

"So you're saying, since you were used more often back in Soul Society, you got more and more powerful, and then overthrew Zangetsu?"

"Correct, Ichigo." Ichigo stared as the Hollow's midsection seemed to morph, and the old man he was familiar with came out, standing beside the Hollow with his tattered coattails flapping in a non-existent wind.

"Zangetsu," Ichigo greeted with relief. "Good to see you. But wait, I thought the Hollow overthrew you?"

"Yes, he did. However, your attempt at Kido, being a Shinigami art, and not a Hollow one, has restored enough strength for me to be here for a short while." Zangetsu looked up, where dark clouds were forming. "It seems you are in turmoil…"

Ichigo nodded fervently. "My sister, Yuzu, and I are being attacked by a Hollow, and I am stuck in my human body."

"I see. However, you have grown strong enough to handle normal Hollows even in your human body. Why do you hesitate to use me?" Zangetsu asked calmly, as was his want.

"**You could just let me take control," **the Hollow leered.

"Not a chance. Zangetsu, what do you mean, hesitate to use you? Don't I need to be outside my human body, in my Shinigami form, to use you?"

"Ichigo, do you think that we hold no power when your soul is encased in another form?" Zangetsu asked, just as calmly as before. "You have sufficient power. Use it." 

The Hollow began laughing. **"Zangetsu, you must have gone senile! You really think this buffoon will use your power, and risk me coming out? He has no desire to fight, no desire to kill!"**

"Shut the hell up!" Ichigo barked at the Hollow. "I may never be rid of you, but I don't have to put up with you! Keep it up, and I will beat you down so bad that you'll wish you'd never shown your pasty face here!"

Ichigo was surprised to see the Hollow settle down and simply smirk at him. **"That's more like it, King. Now you're speaking my language. Go kill that Hollow, but don't forget, we WILL fight for control, and very soon." **

With that, Ichigo suddenly found himself back where he started, in front of the Hollow that was about to eat his sister. "Zangetsu!" he cried, holding his hands in front of him and calling for his Zanpakuto.

Ichigo couldn't remember a time he was happier to see his partner in battle as his overly large sword appeared in his hands. Even so, it was unexpectedly heavy and almost made Ichigo fall in surprise from the weight. _Damn, forgot that while my soul body could handle Zangetsu with one hand, my human body isn't as strong! Even so… I should have strength enough for this! _

Ichigo hefted Zangetsu with both hands, reacquainting himself with its familiar weight, and lunged forward once more. A tentacle attempted to grab him, but Ichigo quickly sliced that off. He almost stumbled as the weight of Zangetsu pulled him in the direction he'd swung, but recovered immediately, taking advantage of the Hollow's pain to power his legs with more reiatsu.

With a cry of triumph, Ichigo leapt upwards and cut the Hollow straight through the mask. It let loose an unearthly scream, but then disintegrated, purified by the power of the Zanpukto. With the Hollow gone, Yuzu began falling to ground, screaming… only to be caught by Ichigo on the ground, Zangetsu standing upright next to him.

"You ok, Yuzu?" Ichigo asked softly.

"Ichi-nii!" Yuzu clutched onto her big brother's neck tightly, sobbing in relief. "That monster was gonna eat me!"

"Shhh, it's ok, you're safe now," Ichigo soothed, holding his sister. He let his Zanpakuto dissipate into spirit particles. _Thanks for the assist, Zangetsu. _He was only slightly disturbed by the cackle his inner Hollow let loose. _I'll deal with you later, _Ichigo thought savagely.

_**Looking forward to it, Ichigo. Give me your best shot, and we'll see who is the King, and who is the horse that supports him! **_The Hollow laughed once more, fading into the back of Ichigo's mind.

"Ichi-nii?" Yuzu asked quietly, feeling a sudden sense of hostility in the air. "Are there more nearby?"

"No, Yuzu. Just wondering why they targeted you of all people…" _Speaking of, why DID they target Yuzu? I thought they went after people with significant amounts of spiritual energy… well, I suppose Yuzu DOES have some energy, as she could see the Hollow, and she's an easy target… On the other hand, it could be Aizen._

Ichigo shook his head absently. _I can't go around thinking everything is Aizen's work. This is probably a coincidence. Probably. _"C'mon, Yuzu. Let's go home." He picked her up and set her up on his shoulders so she was riding piggy-back. It was a treat he very rarely gave – only Yuzu was able to ride Ichigo piggy-back, and only then when Ichigo felt like it.

They walked in silence, which Ichigo appreciated. Yuzu was clutching his hair almost painfully, but Ichigo said nothing – he'd rather that than Yuzu start crying again.

Halfway there, Yuzu broke the silence. "Ichi-nii?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

Ichigo swiveled his eyes and neck as best he could to look up at her. "What for?"

"I froze and couldn't run, and then that big monster almost ate me!" Yuzu whispered, feeling very guilty.

Ichigo shook his head, gently so Yuzu wouldn't pull too hard on his hair. "Not your fault. Was that your first time actually seeing one?" He felt, more than heard, Yuzu's quiet affirmative. Ichigo smirked and looked back at the road. "Don't worry about it. I was scared the first time I saw one too."

"What? But you're so strong!" Yuzu protested.

"Back when I first saw one, I was just a normal guy. Well, as normal as you can be with our pop as a father figure," Ichigo joked lightly. To his relief, he heard Yuzu giggle. "I could sort of see it, and it was rampaging in the city, looking for a good soul to eat. I was with a ghost at the time, and we were both scared stiff for a minute, watching in horror as the Hollow got closer and closer. I snapped out of it and ran. You never got the chance."

"Thanks, Ichi-nii." She paused. "What did that Hollow mean, that you were a Shinigami?"

_Well, shit. _"Yuzu… You know those times that you don't know where I am? That I would just up and disappear?" He felt her nod, clutching him a little tighter. "Well, imagine that there are hundreds of dead people from our world, who live in another world, and they come back to this world to make sure those monsters go away. They're called Shinigami. With me so far?"

"Y-yes… Are they like zombies?"

Ichigo couldn't help it and let out a chuckle. "Zombies? No. They look just like you and me, but only special people can see them. Like you, me, and Karin. They're like super-powered ghosts."

"Oh. That makes me feel better," Yuzu admitted.

"Now imagine that one of those monsters attacked our family one day, and the Shinigami who came to save us got hurt. So she gave me her powers, and I left my body. I became one of them."

Yuzu gasped. "D-d-does this mean t-t-that, you're d-d-dead?"

Ichigo looked back up at her and tried his best at a reassuring smile. "Nope. Still alive. I can just leave my body sometimes and kick ass."

"So that sword…"

Ichigo nodded, looking back at the road. "Yeah, that was my Shinigami sword. His name is Zangetsu, and he hates it when it rains."

"What? Your sword's alive?"

"Yeah." Ichigo smirked. "He likes sitting on flagpoles." _Wonder how many times he fell while practicing? _Ichigo had to repress a snigger.

"Are all Shinigami swords like that?" Yuzu asked, curious as any girl her age would be.

"Alive? Sure. I have a friend, Abarai Renji, whose sword's name is Zabimaru."

"But how did you find out your sword's name?"

Ichigo lightly shrugged, not hard enough to make Yuzu uncomfortable. "The sword talks to us over time, and when we're ready, they tell us their names. As for me personally, it was after I lost my powers, and had to get them back to save Rukia."

By then, they had arrived at their home. Ichigo set Yuzu down, and walked with Yuzu inside. Feeling particularly brotherly, Ichigo checked up on Karin, who was fast asleep in bed, resting and trying to recover from her illness.

"I'm heading out," he informed Yuzu. "Gotta get back to school. See you later."

Yuzu already looked better, now that she was back in her kitchen. "Bye, Ichi-ni!"

Fifteen minutes later, Ichigo walked into the classroom, his classic scowl already back on his face. The teacher gave him an incredulous look. "What took so long?! You've been gone for over half an hour!"

Ichigo gave an annoyed look of his own back at her. _I'm in no mood for this. _"Family matter," he answered curtly.

"Why do I even bother?" the teacher asked rhetorically. "Go sit down, Ichigo."

"Whatever." Ichigo glanced at his empty desk before sitting down in his seat by the window. No more than three seconds later, there was a note on his desk. He glanced at the various friends in his class – they were all apparently studiously paying attention to the teacher. Ichigo allowed himself a very small smirk. _Oh yeah, we're good. _

He casually opened it up and read the contents.

_This is unusual. S.S. never takes this long. –Q_

_Agreed. It sounded like a normal Hollow, so S.S. should have beaten it by now and returned. – G_

_I'm worried about him. I can't think of any reason he would take this long, unless it's a very powerful Hollow hiding its power. But then, S.S. would have gone higher, right? –R_

_Perhaps… But he has been reluctant to transform recently. Maybe he's trying to beat it as he is? –Q_

_Why would S.S. not transform? –G_

_Not sure. We should ask. –Q_

_I'm sure he'd tell us if something really bad was going on. –R_

_Unless it only involved him. Then he'd try to hide it. –Q_

_It's been half an hour, and he's still not back. But I can sense him. He's at his house. –R_

_Maybe he's decided to skip the rest of school today. –G_

_That makes no sense. S.S. always comes back. Oh wait, I can sense him moving back towards us. –Q_

_I'll pass him the note when he returns. –G_

Ichigo nodded to himself. They had come up with different pennames, so just in case the note did get caught by the teacher, no one was revealed. Ichigo was S.S., short for Substitute Shinigami. Ishida as Q, short for Quincy. Chad was G, short for Giant. Inoue was R, short for Rejection. They had chosen those names as they described their powers. Ichigo and Ishida were obvious, but Chad's right arm, when transformed, he called El Brazo Dereche del Giante, or "The Right Arm of the Giant". Inoue's powers were all about rejecting reality, hence Rejection.

He jotted down a quick note: _Meet up at Hat-'n'-Clogs' shop after school. –S.S. _With that, he subtly passed it along to Chad, and quietly attended class.

Later, at Urahara Kisuke's Shop, they joined Urahara at the table. "So, tell us Kurosaki, what happened this morning?"

"Oh? Did something happen?" Urahara questioned.

"Ichigo was taking a long time dealing with a normal Hollow," Chad explained.

Ichigo sighed. "Look, it's stupid. I forgot my badge, so I couldn't become a Shinigami. What I wanted to talk about instead, was this." He stood up, summoning his power. "Zangetsu!" As before, Zangetsu appeared in his hands. After holding it in his hands for a short time, he let it dissipate into spirit particles and sat down again.

"K-K-K-Kurosaki!" Ishida stuttered.

"My, this is an interesting development…" Urahara murmured.

"Yeah, no kidding," Ichigo agreed. "I've developed the power to summon Zangetsu even while I'm in human form. Urahara, do you know anyone who can do the same?"

"Hmmmm, yes I do. You may have forgotten, Ichigo, but when you regained your Shinigami powers, it was I who forced you to learn Shikai. My cane has my Zanpakuto in it, remember? I am almost always in my gigai," Urahara replied with a large smile. "But there's also more. They're a group of Shinigami who were banished by Soul Society at the same time I was, one hundred years ago."

"Why were they banished, Urahara-san?" Inoue asked.

Urahara lost the smile on his face. "Aizen, in his research, forced them to undergo a Hollowification process, and then pinned the blame on me, hence why I was banished. Through my efforts, they remained Shinigami, but they now have Hollow powers. These people have remained in gigais for years in order to mask their reiatsu from Soul Society, or risk being executed. They have since learned how to use all their powers in human form."

"Shinigami with Hollow powers?!" Ichigo yelped, leaning forward. Chad, Ishida and Inoue had similar gaping expressions.

Urahara nodded. "Yes. They call themselves the Vizard."

Ichigo frowned deeper, pensively. _I see. So if, no, when I manage to beat my Inner Hollow… I will have access to Hollow powers. Good. Let's see if I can get more details… _"Urahara, when you say they have Hollow powers, do you mean all of them? Like using Cero, and whatever special abilities their particular Hollow has?"

"Hmmm… that would be a question to ask them, but yes, I would presume so from what they've told me," Urahara mused. "I do know that they became much, much stronger than they were before, and they were all Lieutenant and Captain-class Shinigami before being turned into Vizards."

"Whose side are they on?" Ishida asked bluntly. "Aizen's, for making them stronger? Or yours, for saving them from Soul Society?"

Urahara scratched his chin, looking up thoughtfully. "Hard to say," he demurred. "They are more on their own side than anything else."

"Would it be possible to recruit them?" Ichigo pushed. "Or at least get a truce in, so we know for sure they won't side with Aizen when he makes his move?"

Urahara shook his head negatively. "No. They have isolated themselves quite thoroughly – unless they want to be found, there is no way to talk to them. At least one of their number is exceedingly skilled at Kido and Bakudo, and can create very powerful barriers that make it impossible to enter, even if you knew where they were."

"How skilled?" Ichigo asked, curious.

"Incredibly so," Urahara said seriously. "There is an additional force outside the Gotei 13, known as the Kido Corps. They are made up of former Shinigami Academy students whose ability in Kido were unmatched. The Kido Corps teaches them higher and higher levels of Kido. If you remember, Tessai here –" Tessai, who was busy with his cleaning duties, nodded at them. "– used high-level Bakudo on you while you were regaining your Shinigami powers. He was their Captain, one hundred years ago. The one with the Vizards now was his Lieutenant, and capable of casting Level 90 spells without an incantation. I would imagine he's only gotten better in the one hundred years since he was banished for receiving Hollow powers."

Everyone sat back at that news, shocked. Level 90 Kido was incredibly difficult and draining with an incantation, and to be able to use them without was no small feat indeed.

"If they are so powerful," Chad murmured, "why have they stayed hidden? Why have they not tried revenge on Soul Society? Who could stop them?"

Surprisingly, Ichigo spoke up before Urahara could. "Because to a Shinigami, one hundred years isn't that long. Before Sandal-Hat here came up with the three-day Bankai training technique, it was supposed to take several years to achieve Bankai. Shinigami live for a long, long time unless killed prematurely. Just look at Rukia, and old man Yamamoto! Rukia is at least a century old, and she hasn't even achieved Bankai yet! And she looks our age! Yamamoto must be older than dirt!"

"He is," Urahara agreed, trying not to snicker at Ichigo's choice of words. "He founded the Shinigami Academy over two thousand years ago. Shinigami typically grow stronger very slowly, which is why Soul Society is so intrigued by Ichigo here."

"What do you mean?" Inoue inquired innocently.

Urahara smiled. "Ichigo's greatest power is his sheer capacity for growth. In the short time since he met Rukia, he's gained Shikai and Bankai, mastered the Flash Step from the Goddess of Flash, Yoruichi herself, and tied in a Zanjutsu duel to Kenpachi without his eye patch. He defeated Kuchiki Byakuya himself, the Captain of his squad. To be a Shinigami for less than two years, and yet be about Captain-level already, is both awe-inspiring and downright scary."

Ichigo scowled and looked away, willing himself not to blush at the glowing praises Urahara were giving him. "Let's get back on track. Now that there's no one else in the way, we should focus on what Aizen's planning. Urahara, do you know anything about it?"

"Very little, I'm afraid," Urahara replied with a frown. "I can only speculate. With the Hougyouku, Aizen has the ability to break down the barriers between Shinigami and Hollow. I would imagine he has used it to create powerful Arrancar, Hollows with Shinigami powers."

"Why wouldn't he give himself Hollow powers?" Ishida asked, pushing up his glasses as he worked out all the implications.

"Because with Hollowification, there is a risk of losing oneself to the Hollow within," Urahara answered gravely. "I don't know how the Vizard mastered the powers, and neither does Aizen to the best of my knowledge, so he wouldn't bother."

"Do we at least know what Aizen plans to do?" Ichigo followed up.

"Not for sure, but Soul Society has suspicions that he plans to manufacture a special Key that unlocks the dimension where the Royal Family lives."

"How would one go about doing that?" Chad questioned.

Urahara was silent for a moment. "The King's Key is manufactured by gathering 100,000 souls in half a spirit-mile of land that has an unusually high amount of spirit particles, and then sacrificing them all. I'm sure you all know where that is."

"Karakura town," Ichigo breathed, turning pale.

"Or possibly Soul Society," Ishida pointed out. "Provided that he can subdue the Shinigami who threaten him, he could use Soul Society, which is made up entirely of spirit particles."

"No man could take on all of Soul Society alone," Chad timber tone put in.

"He wouldn't have to, if he had an army of Arrancar," Inoue finished somberly. "Urahara-san, is there a way to destroy the Hougyouku?"

Urahara shook his head no. "I tried many times… my final solution was to hide it in Rukia's soul and have her use one of my special gigai to drain her power, and thusly the Hougyouku's, over time until it no longer existed. But as we all know, that failed when Aizen recovered it."

"But my powers, I could do it!" Inoue countered strongly. "I wouldn't be destroying it, but rejecting its very existence!" As if in response to her strengthened will about this matter, her hairpins – which held her powers – glowed for a moment.

"You could," Urahara admitted, "but first you'd have to get close to it, which is nigh-impossible at this point. Before you can do that, we need to retrieve it."

"Then we need to train," Chad mused quietly, but his voice echoed in the quiet room. "Train to beat them."

"No," Urahara denied. "Grow stronger, strong enough to protect Karakura town. You are this town's protectors. If you leave and go to Hueco Mundo to fight Aizen, nothing would stop Aizen from destroying Karakura town while you are gone. Let Soul Society handle Aizen."

Ichigo snorted. "Soul Society couldn't even stop him from leaving while he was there, on their territory! What makes you think Soul Society can stop Aizen on his own turf, protected by powerful Arrancar?"

"Because his Zanpukto has a major weakness," Urahara explained with a slight smile on his face.

"Oh?" Ishida leaned in. "What is it?"

"Aizen's Zanpukto grants him the power to put anyone under Hypnosis," Urahara began. "But true hypnosis requires one crucial element: trust. That is why he was so successful in his escape – everyone trusted him, no one thought him a villain until they had already been put under his Zanpukto's hypnosis. As no one in Soul Society trusts him anymore, and without Aizen repeatedly releasing his Zanpukto to replenish the hypnosis, Aizen's hold over them is breaking as time goes on, if it hasn't completely broken already."

"So what keeps Aizen from putting them under hypnosis when they attack?" Ichigo asked, slightly confused.

Urahara tipped his hat at him. "That's where it gets tricky. Without being the wielder, it is impossible to know his Zanpukto's true limits, but I would imagine the stronger the opponent's will and distrust, the more reiatsu it takes for Aizen to fool that opponent, especially when said opponent realizes he's under hypnosis. Therefore, multiple Captain-level opponents should theoretically be able to wear Aizen down, especially if they do not actually see Aizen's release, which is, from Aizen's own mouth, what triggers the hypnosis abilities. However, we do not know Aizen's Bankai, so care must be taken to kill him before he has a chance. Actually, Soifon would be an excellent match for him with her Shikai – she is fast, stealthy, and can kill in two stabs in the same place, regardless of Aizen's physical defense."

Ichigo relaxed. "Good. For once, sounds like Soul Society's on top of things. After having us handle Rukia's execution and the Bount, I was beginning to wonder if they were slipping."

Ishida looked pained. "Urahara-san… do you know of a way to restore my Quincy powers?"

"I'm afraid not. Your father might, however – he is a powerful Quincy himself, though he has apparently given them up so he can focus on his hospital," Urahara suggested.

Ishida frowned. "I'd rather not. Is there no chance my powers may return eventually?" Urahara shook his head negatively. "I see…I will need to do some research then…"

"What about Chad and me?" Inoue asked. "Do you have any ideas on how to train us?"

Urahara sighed. "Actually, Orihime-chan… I'd rather you keep a low profile. If Aizen catches wind of your true power, he will try to capture you and use you to aid him. You may train here if you wish, however. You and Chad can fight each other, and push each other higher. Chad, I would suggest you try to unlock your next level of power – given your current manifestation, I would imagine your left arm is next, but that is pure conjecture at this point."

Chad nodded mutely.

Ichigo silently came to a decision. He stood, walked over to still-cleaning Tessai, and bowed slightly, at about a 45-degree angle. "Tessai-san. I have learned Shikai and Bankai, my specialty is in Zanjutsu, and my Hakuda (hand-to-hand combat) is quite strong as well. However, I find myself deficient in one of the crucial arts of Shinigami, that of Kido. I have a limited control over my own reiatsu beyond what is needed for Flash Steps, and my Getsuga Tensho. I cannot even keep my reiatsu from leaking in large quantities in my everyday life, which makes stealth impossible for me," Ichigo admitted. "I realize you were the Captain of the Kido Corps. I may be out of line, but I am in need of a teacher. Will you teach me?" He bowed lower, in respect of the man.

Ishida's jaw dropped. Nor was his the only one – Chad and Inoue's mouths were also agape. "K-K-Kurosaki! What're you doing?!"

Ichigo turned his head to scowl at Ishida, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Tessai had stopped cleaning. "What's it look like, Ishida?! I have recognized a weakness of mine, and I'm trying to fix it before someone kills me! I might have Rukia beat in terms of Hakuda and Zanjutsu, but she could kick my ass incredibly easily! All she would have to do is a single, simple Bakudo 1: Sai! The time it'd take me to break out using sheer strength would be enough for her to trap me with one of her dances or hit me with a high-level Hado! What if another Shinigami goes rogue? What if Aizen, or one of his subordinates come by?!"

Ishida reddened. "I got that part, but you never bow to anyone!"

"Oh." Ichigo sighed. "Tessai-san was Captain of the Kido Corps. I have wrongly insulted this establishment before, and he kept from blasting me to smithereens, even though he could have quite easily as a response to my insulting his skills. He is strong, and would probably destroy me in a fight if we were both to go all-out. Therefore he is deserves my respect."

"What about me, Ichigo?" Urahara said, amused. "I am stronger than you, and even returned your Shinigami powers to you, and enabled your rescue of Rukia through my special Bankai training method. Why do you not respect me by that logic?"

Ichigo stopped bowing to Tessai and faced Urahara directly. "I do respect your abilities. I just don't respect you," Ichigo said bluntly. "You were willing to sacrifice one of my precious comrades, a person who trusted you to help her regain her powers through a normal gigai, in order to get rid of something you created. You didn't even ask her permission. You could have done it to yourself one hundred years ago and ended this problem before we were even born, sacrificing your own powers instead of Rukia's. You didn't even talk to Inoue and Rukia about it when Inoue gained her powers of rejection and could have solved the problem before Rukia was taken to be executed by Soul Society!" His voice rose as his arguments became vehement. But then Ichigo paused, reconsidering. "But you have gone out of your way to help when you didn't have to, and you did help me gain the power I needed. For that, you have my thanks. Perhaps in time, I will come to respect you."

Urahara tipped his hat at Ichigo. "I see. Perhaps in time," he acknowledged cheerfully.

Ichigo nodded and turned back towards Tessai, who was looking at him directly. Ichigo met his gaze readily. A few moments later, Tessai seemed to have found what he was looking for. "Kurosaki Ichigo," Tessai rumbled, "You have expressed a wish to become my student and learn Kido. Before I make my decision on whether to accept, I must know this: Are you willing to follow my orders, whatever they may be, without rebellion?"

Ichigo did not answer immediately. "So long as they do not cause unnecessary harm to my friends," he answered finally, "I will follow your orders."

"That is acceptable," Tessai boomed. "Your training shall begin here after school tomorrow."

Ichigo bowed, ignoring the growing cackle of the Hollow within him. "Thank you… Tessai-sensei."

Soon after, Ichigo and his friends left, going their separate ways. Inoue had offered to help Ishida research how to regain his Quincy powers, but Ishida had politely rejected her offer, telling Inoue that Ishida's father already disapproved, and he'd rather aggravate him by bringing a non-Quincy to see the private library. With that, everyone had split up to go home.

_**I gain all the powers you do, King. Even Kido! All you are doing is making the fight harder for yourself! **_Ichigo's Hollow reminded him shortly after the others were out of sight.

_Then we shall fight for control tonight, _Ichigo replied grimly as he reversed course back to Urahara's._ Wait until we get to the secret underground training area so we are not disturbed. If I win, I stay the King, and you begin teaching me some of your Hollow powers. If you win, you become the King, and I don't try to fight back for at least a week. Agreed? _

_**An interesting offer, King. I'll give you a counter-offer. If you win, you stay King and I teach you some of my powers. If I win, I become King and you'll lend your power along with mine to whatever I do. We'll fight once every two weeks for control. **_

_I'll only agree to that if you go to Hueco Mundo for the duration that you're in control. Hollows grow stronger by eating other Hollows, right? Win-win situation for you. Maybe you'll become a Gillian or Adjuchas. _

Ichigo could positively feel his Hollow self's grin. _**I like the way you think. But why stop at Adjuchas? I plan to be a Vasto Lorde! In any case, I like that bargain. Do we have an accord? **_

_We do. _

_---------------------------------------------------_

And there's chapter one. I've always wondered what would have happened if Ichigo had done what he normally does and get pissed off and kick his enemy's ass. In this case, it being his inner Hollow's ass.

I also felt that a better explanation of why and how Ichigo's inner Hollow overtook Zangetsu, so that's where my variation of the explanation came from.

And did anyone ever notice that Rukia - when she was trying to recover her powers after Ichigo took them all - was able to use a watered-down form of Kido despite being in a gigai? Tessai used a high-level Bakudo in his gigai when Ichigo was in the Shattered Shaft. The Vizards use their Zanpuktos in Ichigo's training with them, also in their gigais. Why did no one in the series comment on it? Seriously! Anyway, I see it as a potential training measure.

Let me repeat from earlier - I am NOT abandoning my Harry Potter "World" series. I have just had a long string of no inspiration for it, combined with being really busy from college and my job. I've done some work on it, but I'm not happy with how the latest chapter turned out. It will come! Just wait for it. In the meantime, read and review please!

NeoRyu777, signing off.


	2. Instinct

Hey all, I had a kind reviewer who pointed out that I had the spelling of Zanpakto wrong... I did some research and found he was right. I'll be doing some modifications to the first chapter on that account.

It's a bit troublesome to always include the honorifics and brief explanations of the various foreign terms, so I won't unless requested. I WILL include any new honorifics or terms.

That said, my inspiration is working rather well at the moment - let's see how far I can take this!

Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach, then I wouldn't really be here now would I?

Chapter 2: Instinct

"Ichigo! What a surprise," Urahara greeted, beckoning Ichigo in, though he didn't look surprised at all.

"Cut the crap, Urahara," Ichigo said shortly, stepping inside. "I think you have a pretty good idea why I'm here."

Urahara never lost his smile but tipped his head, looking a bit more mysterious in the process. "You mean your Inner Hollow problem."

This confirmed Ichigo's suspicions. "You knew," he said shortly, no longer having any doubts. "You knew from the moment I emerged from that pit with my Shinigami powers and that mask."

"Indeed I did. In fact, I counted on it," Urahara confirmed. "The Hollow would protect you while you gained strength, and when the time came, I have every confidence you will be able to master using its power, becoming strong enough to defeat Aizen in my worst-case scenario."

"Your worst-case scenario?" Ichigo repeated.

"Yes. The one where Soul Society fails utterly and Aizen manages to take over Soul Society entirely. You are the ace in the hole, so to speak," Urahara confessed. "The Vizard, as I said, are their own group, and as much as I would like, I cannot count on them. Your Inner Hollow problems were meant to lure them out of hiding to train you and add to their ranks, thereby training you and making you even stronger. I know you wouldn't let your friends in Soul Society die. Not all those innocents who would be doubtlessly brought into the war."

Ichigo clenched his fists. _Damn it. _"You're right about that. I wouldn't let innocents be brought into this war, and I'd do anything to save my friends. But I don't need the Vizard. My Inner Hollow and I are going to be fighting for control of my body tonight, so we have need of your underground training room."

"Indeed?" Urahara seemed slightly taken aback by that revelation. "Are you sure that's wise? Don't you want to wait until you can be trained by those who have mastered their Hollows?"

"What makes you think that the Vizard have any other way to control their Hollows?" Ichigo bit out. "Hollows are creatures of instinct and are constantly battling to get stronger, to prove their supremacy! Therefore the only way to make a Hollow respect you is to beat it down, again and again until it gets the message!"

_**Well said! Maybe this will be a good fight after all! **_Hollow Ichigo cackled.

Urahara slumped. "That is what my own research into Hollowification and my few encounters with the Vizard have led me to believe as well. I had hoped… never mind. You can use the training basement."

"Thank you." Ichigo began striding over to the trapdoor. He vaguely heard Urahara request Tessai come with them. With that, he opened the trapdoor and quickly climbed down the ladder, followed by Tessai and Urahara.

Having fetched his Shinigami badge earlier, Ichigo slammed it against his own chest, shooting himself out of his body. "Tessai-sensei… take care of my body, will you?"

Tessai merely nodded, picking up Ichigo's body and moving it well away. "What are you doing, Ichigo?"

"Fighting my Hollow for control of my body," Ichigo explained quickly. "If I win, great. If I don't, let my Hollow go. We'll fight again in two week's time, and he's promised to keep to Hueco Mundo in the meantime."

"Ichigo, what will happen to you out here while you're fighting your Inner Hollow?" Urahara asked nervously.

"I'm not sure. If I go berserk, hit me with a few high-level Bakudo," Ichigo suggested with a shrug. "Just try not to kill me."

"Understood," Urahara agreed.

Ichigo nodded. He took a deep breath. _Ready. _He closed his eyes, reached inside, and pulled himself into his mindscape.

Ichigo opened his eyes to find himself back in his Inner World, on one of the numerous sideways skyscrapers. Across from him, in the same casual stance, was Hollow Ichigo.

"**Took you long enough, Ichigo," **the Hollow said, but he didn't look annoyed. If anything, he looked excited.

Ichigo nodded seriously. He squashed down his fear of the Hollow. He'd had enough of being afraid. Instead, he did what he'd done with Kenpachi, Byakuya, and the various Bounto. He focused on the immediate goal, and his reasons for fighting. _I fight for my friends, to protect them. I need to beat this twisted version of me. If I don't beat it, he'll have control, and I won't be here to protect them. _Filled with determination, Ichigo drew his Zanpakto.

If possible, the Hollow's grin grew even wider, and its yellow eyes were practically afire in bloodlust. **"Let's have some fun!" **

A second later, they met, their twin Zangetsu – Ichigo's black one, and Hollow Ichigo's white one – clashing. It became a dance of death, slashing and blocking, dodging and countering.

Hollow Ichigo began to laugh maniacally, apparently having the time of his life. He glimpsed Ichigo's determined face and laughed harder for a second. **"Why so serious, Ichigo? Get that chip off your shoulder and enjoy yourself!" **

Almost against his will, Ichigo was starting to do just that. Sometime after the Zanpakto had begun clashing, Ichigo had started relying more on his instincts than trying to see where his Hollow self was striking next. Against someone who had, for all intents and purposes, the same amount of strength and power as oneself, there was no time to think and reason, only act and react. Only instinct would decide the winner. This fact, Ichigo knew from years growing up, and it was only reinforced by his fights with those stronger than himself. Slowly, Ichigo embraced that instinct.

It was working, and Ichigo could sense that he and his Hollow were on a more equal level. But there was another effect… Feeling adrenaline running through his veins, knowing deep in the fiber of his being that he was facing his hardest challenge yet, relying more and more on his instinct, Ichigo was beginning to feel the fire within, that primal lust for battle, to grow stronger and fight for its own sake. He'd mostly quenched that fire in the rain a long time ago, when his mother died, keeping only the embers so he could protect his friends… but it seemed the embers had gained fuel, and the fire was growing once more.

Ichigo smirked. "Maybe I am enjoying myself! I just don't show it as much as you, adrenaline junkie!" He slashed at his Hollow, and as expected, met the white Zangetsu in return. At that moment, Ichigo released the energy he'd built up. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

A large blue wave of energy emerged from Ichigo's Zanpakuto, slamming into Hollow Ichigo's version of Zangetsu and throwing him back into another skyscraper, creating a small crater in the process.

"**Not bad," **Hollow Ichigo admitted with a large smile. **"What do you say we kick things up a notch?"** He held Zangetsu out in front of him with his right hand, his left gripping his right bicep. Zangetsu's cloth flowed around his arm.

Ichigo felt his excitement build as he recognized the stance and assumed the same one. "Why not? BAN-!"

"_**-KAI!"**_ they bellowed together, and twin explosions of energy surrounded them both.

_Five minutes ago…_

With Ichigo's living body safely out of the way, Ichigo was still standing motionless, his eyes dimmed as he entered his Inner World.

"What do you think, Urahara-dono?" Tessai questioned.

Urahara Kisuke could feel a rapidly growing sense of foreboding. "I don't like this… something's about to happen…"

A pulse of sheer reiatsu boomed from Ichigo's body a mere second later, coinciding with when Hollow Ichigo and Ichigo crossed blades. The pulse blew back everything not directly tied to the ground, excluding Urahara and Tessai. They watched in horror as in seconds, the left side of Ichigo's face was covered by a mask, white with three red tribal-looking markings originating from the eyehole, and his almost-permanent scowl was replaced by a monstrous grin. The whites of his eyes were quickly infected and overtaken by black, and the blues of the iris became the amber of a Hollow's.

"Tessai!"

"Yes sir, Urahara-dono! Get him in position and I'll bind him!"

Urahara's cane transformed into his Zanpakto. "Awaken, Benihime!" He had a feeling he'd need the extra boost of his Shikai soon enough.

He released his Zanapkto not a moment too soon, as the partially Hollowified Ichigo rushed him, aiming for a stab with Zangetsu. _Fast! _Urahara realized before Flash Stepping away. The horrible form of Ichigo merely changed directions and appeared in front of Urahara almost quick enough to cut him, but Urahara Flash Stepped away again.

The berserker Ichigo came at Urahara from the side this time, but Urahara was prepared. "Sing," Urahara murmured quietly, "Benihime."

A crimson shield appeared in front of him, protecting Urahara on all sides as it formed an oval shape around him. Ichigo struck it and stayed in one spot, trying to break that shield. "Now!" Urahara commanded.

"Yes sir! Bakudo 99: Kin (Seal)!" Tessai bellowed.

Out of nowhere, two spiritual fabrics with various runes appeared, snagging Ichigo's arms and pulling them behind his back before wrapping around his body, dragging him to the ground before rolling out more in an X fashion. Large metallic slabs appeared, apparently made of Tessai's reiatsu, and a dozen each landed on each unfurled part of the spiritual fabric, effectively tying the Hollowified Ichigo to the ground. It happened so fast, the monster had no chance.

Urahara sighed, releasing the shield, but keeping Benihime in her Shikai state as he walked over to Tessai. "Good thing you're so good at Bakudo," he said gratefully.

"Yes it is, Urahara-dono…" Tessai agreed, breathing out before viewing the berserker form of his would-be student. "…but I don't think we're done yet,"

"… I agree."

Warily, they watched the newly quiet Ichigo. They had a few minutes before another reiatsu pulse, several times stronger than the last, erupted from Ichigo, whose face was no longer in that fearsome grin, but almost seemed confused.

"Tessai, before he breaks free, please add another binding spell to him," Urahara suggested.

"Yes sir, Urahara-dono. Bakudo 75: Gochutekkan (Quintet of Iron Pillars)!"

As if the spiritually binding fabrics were not enough, five enormous towers of iron emerged from the sky, chained together at the top. One each landed on Ichigo's legs and arms, and the last between Ichigo's shoulder blades.

However, even the two Bakudo together threatened to not be enough – the pillars started shaking, their chains rattling. The spirit fabric was slowly starting to tear. "Oh dear," Urahara murmured.

Famous last words. The fabric tore, and the pillars fell behind Ichigo as he slowly stood up. His appearance was quickly changing again. In the exposed part of Ichigo's chest, a gush of white foam spurted as his face tilted upwards. The foam melted away and revealed a hole going all the way through clear through Ichigo's back – a Hollow hole. Zangetsu, who had been in Shikai, had changed into Bankai state, changing from the elegant oversized cleaver to the Japanese long sword.

Urahara suddenly remembered just what Ichigo's Bankai allowed him to do. _Compression of reiatsu, giving Ichigo incredible speed and strength, not to mention how long he can keep it active… _"He's gone Bankai. We're screwed aren't we?" Urahara continued. More famous last words.

"Perhaps, Urahara-dono. But we must have faith that Ichigo will finish soon," Tessai murmured, preparing himself. "Perhaps the greater form of Bakudo 99: Bankin (Great Seal) will restrain him long enough for Ichigo to win."

"This won't be as easy as last time," Urahara stated with a sigh. "I really wish Ichigo had waited for the Vizard, they are more numerous and undoubtedly know how to handle this better than we do." Nevertheless, he readied Benihime. "Come, Ichigo. Let me show you how far you have yet to go."

_Within Ichigo's Inner World_

The explosions died down to show Ichigo and Hollow Ichigo, both of them in their Bankai outfits. From the waist to his ankles, Ichigo was covered by the same garment he wore outside of Bankai. It was held up around his waist by a simple rope tied into a knot. Ichigo's torso and arms were garbed in a black, ankle-length, long-sleeved thin coat that closed at his chest an inch or two above his waistline. The coat's ends were jagged as it fluttered in the breeze. He wielded Tensa Zangetsu, his black Zanpakto in Bankai form.

Hollow Ichigo wore the same outfit, only completely white. Even his version of Tensa Zangetsu was white. Only the underside of his coat, as well as belt, was black. **"You ready, Ichigo?" **

Ichigo scoffed. "Bring it on, Mr. I-Love-Wearing-Blinding-White!"

Hollow Ichigo grinned as they clashed, their increased speed and strength evident even as both Ichigos never lost eye contact. **"So says the man who has a fetish for black!" **Hollow Ichigo returned the taunt as they held in a deadlock, each trying to overpower the other. **"Wasn't black supposed to be the evil color?" **

"It's also the color of mourning," Ichigo replied, breaking the deadlock himself to spin around the blade and managing to land a lucky slash into Hollow Ichigo's side. It was a shallow wound though, and he knew their fight was still on as Hollow Ichigo Flash-Stepped behind him and attempted a slash of his own. Ichigo dodged to the side, sacrificing a few strips of cloth from his coat to evade the blow. "And I'm certainly mourning your color-blindness! Seriously, I think I'm going snow-blind!"

Hollow Ichigo laughed insanely even as he lunged at Ichigo, who blocked, bringing them into yet another deadlock. **"Point to you, Ichigo! I can safely say no matter who wins, I'll be satisfied knowing you can enjoy a fight like this! I never thought you had it in you to banter with such consequences if you lose!"**

"Bah!" Ichigo smirked. "Do you know how hard it is to banter while you're trying to fight someone stronger than yourself? Never works, cuz banter loses power when you're obviously losing. But when it's an even match like this…" Ichigo, through a twist of his wrist, managed to deeply scratch the back of Hollow Ichigo's hand, loosening the Hollow's grip on Tensa Zangetsu long enough for Ichigo to disarm him, sending the white Zanpakto flying up. "… even I can have fun!" Predictably, Hollow Ichigo flew towards it to retrieve before Ichigo could do anything, only to hear those dreaded words. "GETSUGA TENSHOU!"

An enormous plume of black energy, with red flickering here and there, had been unleashed through Ichigo's sword and slammed into Hollow Ichigo, sending him flying through two and a half skyscrapers.

Hollow Ichigo grinned widely, as he got up, staring at the hovering form of Ichigo as he ignored the new cuts in his coat and skin, as well as the bleeding from his lip. **"Pretty good, Ichigo, but you forget! I was the first one to use Getsuga Tenshou in Bankai form – you have no idea of its true potential! You're nothing but a copycat!" **

"Ha! That coming from you! You couldn't even bother to look differently from me in any way but color!" Ichigo countered. "But alright, let's test our Getsugas against each other!"

In reply, Hollow Ichigo Flash Stepped up to Ichigo and slammed blades with them. In unison, they cried, _**"GETSUGA TENSHOU!"**_

_In the real world… _

Urahara was sweating lightly – Ichigo was getting more and more Hollowified as time went on, and he kept getting faster and stronger!

Ichigo now appeared as some lizard-human crossbreed. He had a very long, white tail who last foot and a half was colored a dark crimson. His shoulders had four spikes each, resembling almost a frill. His skin had turned completely white, with an ornate wavy pattern going down each leg and arm, the same color as his tail end. The top part of Ichigo's Shinigami outfit was completely shredded, as was the part covering his right leg. Only enough to cover his modesty and his left leg now remained, which allowed everyone to see how large Ichigo's muscles had become under the Hollow's influence. The mask Ichigo wore had grown to cover the majority of his face, only his right eye being left. It had gained another two red stripes, this time under the left eyehole. One of the last vestiges of Ichigo left was his spiky orange hair, which still poked out around the mask from where it hadn't melded with the back of his head yet. To top it all off, clenched tightly in this Hollowified Ichigo's right hand was Tensa Zangetsu, which was giving off a sinister-feeling black reiatsu.

"Sing, Benihime!" Urahara was just in time, as the monster struck Benihime's Blood Mist Shield technique, protecting Urahara, who Flash-Stepped away immediately. "Sing, Benihime!" Urahara swung his Shikai this time horizontally at Ichigo this time, and instead creating a shield, Benihime unleashed a wave of crimson energy, similar to Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshou. It was shaped like a crescent in the direction Urahara had swung, but also had spikes of energy appearing at equidistant points from the center, the center having the largest spike. The ends of the crescent curved around Ichigo, making the attack look, all in all, like a blood-stained tiara.

Ichigo was hit dead on, and was sent flying, landing on his back and skidding. But even so, Urahara noticed that where Ichigo had been pierced, more foam-like substance appeared, quickly staunching and repairing the wound. _High-speed regeneration! _he realized. "Tessai! Before he gets up!" Urahara Flash-Stepped to Ichigo, only to Flash-Step immediately away when Ichigo launched some sort of white flesh attack at him. Nevertheless, Urahara had managed to buy enough time.

"Bakudo 99: Bankin!" Tessai roared. "First song!"

A testament to Tessai's incredible mastery of Bakudo, an extremely wide and thick spiritual fabric emerged from behind him and rushed to Ichigo, who tried to escape. However, the fabric caught Ichigo's arm, and having caught him, wrapped him from head to toe in the fabric, weakening Ichigo greatly and slamming him to the ground, unrolling much like Bakudo 99: Kin.

"Second song!"

Again, much like Bakudo 99: Kin, slabs slammed down onto the fabric, reinforcing them. However, these slabs were thicker, taller, and more numerous – there were twenty for each stretch of fabric. Ichigo was struggling, and slowly making progress to get out. Both Urahara and Tessai could hear the fabric starting to rip.

To add power, Tessai decided to include the incantation to the final part. "Final song: Bankin Taiho (Great Seal of 10,000 Forbiddings)!"

An enormous metallic cube materialized above Ichigo and slammed down upon him, and despite Ichigo struggling, there was no more sounds of ripping. Urahara and Tessai sighed in unison, glad they had finally immobilized the beastly Ichigo.

"The Vizard must be very powerful indeed," Tessai commented.

Urahara nodded with a small sound of agreement. "Such power, combined with practice and skill… I can almost see why Soul Society is afraid of them and tried to have them executed."

"You could say the same about most Bankai," Tessai countered.

"I did say almost." Urahara sighed, resealing Benihime into her cane form. "Yes, this wasn't so bad. Even though Ichigo had gone Bankai, this mindless form of him had no idea how to use it beyond stab and slash. I didn't have to go Bankai myself, which is nice." He tipped his head thoughtfully. "I wonder if the Inner Hollow can progress like normal Hollows… can a Vizard eat Hollows to increase its power? The scientist in me wants to know, but I'm afraid to find out… How will mastery over one's Hollow increase a Vizard's skill?"

Urahara and Tessai fell silent then, watching the struggling Ichigo, fearful that he had lost to the Hollow within.

_Ichigo's Inner World_

Both Ichigos' swords were engulfed in the dark flame of Getsuga Tenshou, struggling to overpower each other as the Ichigos poured their power into their attacks. They were as two unstoppable forces clashing against each other, and it created a black maelstrom of reiatsu around them, with Ichigo and his Hollow still in that deadlock, Tensa Zangetsu against Tensa Zangetsu.

Then Ichigo had an idea, a strange one, but his instinct told him it'd work. Keeping one hand his own Tensa Zangetsu, Ichigo grabbed the end of his Hollow's and forced his will down it. "This…" Black flame flowed down the white Zanpakuto like electricity down a wire, and Hollow Ichigo let go, jumping backwards before the flame could reach his hand, a look of uncertainty on his face. "… is MY sword!" Ichigo finished, now wielding two pitch black Tensa Zangetsus. "And I…"

Before Hollow Ichigo could move, he was stabbed through chest by both of the Zanpakto Ichigo wielded. "… am King!"

Despite having lost, Hollow Ichigo grinned. **"Well done, Ichigo. As promised, I shall start to teach you how to use the Hollow powers my presence gives you." **He started to fade away. **"Just remember… we fight again, in two weeks time!"** Hollow Ichigo was almost completely faded. **"And thanks for the great fight!"** And then he was gone, leaving only Ichigo.

Ichigo looked at the second Tensa Zangetsu he held with minor confusion. It hadn't disappeared when the Hollow had. _Now what? Hmm, since I defeated the Hollow, old man Zangetsu should be back in control. _"Oi, Zangetsu! You here?"

"Indeed I am, Ichigo." 

Ichigo spun around and was very relieved to see the familiar face of his Zanpakto spirit. Zangetsu was once again crouching on a flagpole sticking up from a nearby skyscraper. Ichigo approached him. "Zangetsu, why didn't this disappear when the Hollow did?" Ichigo held out the second Tensa Zangetsu, the one he'd stolen from his Hollow.

Zangetsu looked over with slight interest, which was possibly the most emotion he'd shown in the entire time Ichigo had known him. "Because you claimed it as your sword. It seems you have a new ability, Ichigo."

"What, to steal people's Zanpakuto?" Ichigo was horrified at the thought. What if he accidentally stole some of his allies' Zanpakto on accident?

"No." Zangetsu looked almost amused at the thought. "Though company would be nice." 

Ichigo stared. "D-d-did, did you just crack a joke?" _The world is ending!_

Zangetsu merely smirked, much the same way Ichigo had a tendency to. "No, Ichigo, your power is now to be able to wield both of them at once. However…" He looked seriously at Ichigo. "Be careful. It has been some time since you have hurt yourself using it, but Bankai is extremely stressful on the body. The second Bankai will grant you even higher levels of speed and power, but it comes with a price – your body will rip itself apart over time." 

Ichigo nodded. "Thank you, Zangetsu. But how do I summon the second sword?"

"That is something you must discover for yourself." 

And with that, Ichigo woke up, finding himself in total darkness, with something incredibly heavy on his back. He couldn't even move, and he could feel his arms bound to his body. "Well, fuck. Good thing I'm not terribly claustrophobic. OI! Urahara! Tessai-sensei! Let me out!"

"KAI (Release)!" Tessai's voice boomed, and suddenly Ichigo found himself on the ground, Tensa Zangetsu beside him – there was only one, thankfully; Ichigo had no desire to explain having two of them – with the bright light of Urahara's underground training area shining down at him.

Ichigo got up and brushed himself off. Lying beside him was a mask. He picked it up – it was white, with three long, wide red tribal marks reaching upwards from the left eyehole, and two more reaching to the side from underneath the same eyehole. It felt very brittle, but Ichigo could feel the power within. Without a second thought, Ichigo crushed the mask, letting it dissolve into reiatsu. He somehow knew how to summon it back if he needed.

Ichigo walked over to Urahara and Tessai. He glanced around at the nearby area – there was a lot of destruction. "I take it my body went berserk while I was busy?"

"You could say that," Urahara agreed easily.

Ichigo turned to Tessai. "Sensei, which Bakudo was I trapped in? I couldn't move or gather my reiatsu at all, so it must have been extremely high level."

Tessai nodded. "You were trapped in Bakudo 99: Bankin."

Ichigo blinked. "Such a high level!"

"It was necessary. Your berserk form broke out of a combination of Bakudo 99: Kin and Bakudo 75: Gochutekkan."

Ichigo cocked his head to the side. "Wait, I thought you said Bakudo 99 was Bankin, not Kin."

"Kin is the first part of Bankin," Tessai explained shortly.

"Ah, thank you sensei. Wait, did you say my berserk form broke out of two extremely high-level Bakudo at once?"

"Yes, it did."

"How?"

Tessai adjusted his black-tinted glasses. "A combination of immense spiritual pressure to weaken the Bakudo, and the brute strength of a powerful Hollow to finish the job."

"Color me impressed," Ichigo murmured.

"Don't be," Tessai advised. "Your berserk self was strong, but lacked most of your fighting skills. It was extremely easy to trap. Do not let yourself into that form in a fight – no matter how strong you are, you need intelligence to use it properly."

Ichigo nodded. "Yes, sensei."

"Ichigo, I find myself curious. I have never witnessed a Vizard actually use his or her Hollow powers," Urahara confessed. "Would you please give us a demonstration?"

Ichigo nodded – he'd been looking forward to seeing how much stronger he'd gotten as well. Keeping up the Bankai state, Ichigo spread his legs to a little beyond shoulder width, hunching over slightly. As Tensa Zangetsu was in his right hand, he brought his left hand up over his face, tensing up his fingers so it looked like he was about to tear the air in front of his face.

Black energy with hints of red trailed from his fingers as he dragged his hand through the air, and his mask materialized on his face as his hand moved over it. When he finished, he had to restrain the urge to gasp – he felt so incredibly strong. _**"I feel… incredible…" **_Ichigo announced, noticing his voice in this state was dually layered, with his Inner Hollow's voice speaking at the same time as his own. It sounded fairly creepy, even to Ichigo's own ears.

"How about a demonstration of your Getsuga Tenshou then?" Urahara requested eagerly.

Ichigo nodded, turned away and raised his Zanpakuto. "_**Getsuga Tenshou!" **_he yelled, swinging Tensa Zangetsu with all his might.

An absolutely enormous crescent of black reiatsu erupted from the sword's wake, speeding into and through several of the boulders, obliterating them without slowing down. It finally crashed to a stop a long distance away.

Urahara whistled. "Maa, Ichigo, I think I'll have to ask you not to do that here again unless you're willing to help reconstruct this place."

All of a sudden, Ichigo's mask shattered, and he fell to his knees, panting. "Wha?" he huffed. "What the hell?"

"My, it seems you have a time limit on how long you can use it," Urahara surmised. "You held the transformation for about nine seconds. You'll need to work on that if you want to maintain the advantage."

Ichigo nodded, agreeing. After several more breaths, he felt fairly recovered. "I should've known that such power had a price," he muttered.

"All power has a price," Tessai boomed. "Whether it is time spent training, or something else, something must always be sacrificed to gain power."

Ichigo nodded, knowing that particular lesson quite well. He had sacrificed his old life to gain Shinigami powers. He had sacrificed his time, blood and sweat to gain strength. He had even sacrificed the prospect to ever not have to fight, in exchange for his Hollow's cooperation. The ability to use a second Tensa Zangetsu would have a price as well – the price of his body's well-being.

He thanked Urahara and Tessai once more before returning to his mortal body and going home. However, despite how exhausted he was, he found himself awake and wondering, _Shinigami… Hollow… Vizard… Arrancar… We all seek power, whatever our reasons. Some Shinigami seek power to protect their comrades… _Ichigo recalled his own training, to protect and save Rukia. _… others to fulfill their personal goals. _Ichigo thought of Aizen with a scowl. _Hollows eat other Hollows for strength, so they might avoid being eaten themselves. _Ichigo looked out the window and felt a sense of foreboding. _What do the Vizard and Arrancar grow stronger for? And what price do they pay for power? _

Ichigo froze – he was being watched, he could feel it. He looked out the window, and there, on a rooftop, was a blond, skinny man whose bone-straight hair reached his shoulders. He was wearing the school uniform of the school Ichigo went to, but what drew Ichigo's attention was the white mask on his face, with a white hood over the back of his head.

The Vizard gestured for Ichigo to come outside, and after a moment, he decided to. Pressing his Shinigami badge to his chest, Ichigo left his body in bed and climbed outside in his Shinigami form, his hand on Zangetsu, just in case.

"What business does a Vizard have with me?" Ichigo asked neutrally – he'd felt firsthand the sort of power a Vizard could have, and he would rather not make an enemy of one, especially as he hadn't mastered the mask yet.

The Vizard started, surprised. He pulled off his mask, and gave Ichigo a bewildered expression. "Eh? How do ya know what we call ourselves?"

"Urahara mentioned you in passing when he was describing how Aizen has mostly likely used the Hougyouku to create Arrancars," Ichigo lied smoothly. "I pressed him on it, looking for allies against Aizen. He explained that you were banished from Soul Society at the same time he was, and that Aizen is the one responsible for your having Hollow powers."

"I see…" He paused for a minute. "I'm Hirako Shinji, Vizard."

"Kurosaki Ichigo, Shinigami Representative. But I think you already knew that," Ichigo said pointedly.

Shinji nodded. "Your reiatsu… it reminds me, and other Vizard, of our own. It has traces of Hollow reiatsu."

"What of it?" Ichigo asked, not bothering to deny it.

"I've been asked to bring you to our compound, to train ya and help ya control your Inner Hollow," Shinji invited.

Ichigo frowned. _To reveal the mask or no… I should get more information first. _"Let's say I go with you. What would happen then, and how long would I be training with you?"

"That really depends on you, Kurosaki," Shinji stated bluntly. "How quickly you learn will determine how long you stay. As for what would happen, we would help you bury your Inner Hollow far enough down it can't interfere, and then we'd train you in drawing out and keeping out the mask you don to access the Hollow's power."

Ichigo made a show of looking interested but trying to hide it. "Before I can join you, I need to know your priorities. The Shinigami serve the Gotei 13 in the interests of preserving the current status quo, though I'm not sure what Yamamoto-jii wants. Aizen is out there somewhere doing Kami knows what for some obscure purpose. I just want to keep my friends and this town safe. What do the Vizard want?"

Shinji smiled deviously. "Why d'ya ask? Are you concerned?"

Ichigo gave the Vizard a serious look. "You've been secluded, presumably training, for over a hundred years. I think some concern is merited."

"You don't really have a choice, Kurosaki Ichigo," Shinji countered, his smile falling from his face. "Without our training, your Inner Hollow will take over and consume ya. You've felt him before, I'm sure. Touching on your consciousness, getting stronger. I'll bet he's even taken over once or twice before you recovered. It will only get worse. You say ya want to protect your friends and this town. If ya don't come with me, and soon, you'll be their greatest threat. Hollows, as you probably well know, go after loved ones first."

_If nothing else, I'll know where they are. _Ichigo paused, and then nodded, darkening his normal scowl further, to show his dislike of not being answered. "Fine, but one of these days I'm going to want an answer."

Shinji nodded, acknowledging Ichigo's demand. "That's fair."

"And if something my friends can't handle happens, I reserve the right to leave and help them," Ichigo added.

"I expected nothing less." Shinji turned to leave. "Come, I'll show ya the warehouse we stay at."

Ichigo looked over his shoulder to glance at his body, and saw Kon – the mod soul he'd stuffed into a lion teddy bear – at the window, watching. "Alright," Ichigo agreed, "but I'll need to come back so I can arrange things without my family freaking."

"Fine, fine," Shinji agreed with a wave of his hand. "Now c'mon."

They began jumping from house to house, Ichigo following slightly from the side. "So, Hirako, how many of you Vizard are there?"

"Hmm, counting me there are eight of us," Shinji answered absently. "With you, there'll be nine."

"What're they like?" Ichigo pressed.

"Meh, you'll get to know them soon enough, but I suppose I should warn you about Hiyori… She's a shrimp, but very violent, and prone to kicking people in the face over the smallest of things," Shinji advised. "I'm her victim most of the time, but I do have such fun provoking her," he admitted with a mischievous grin.

Ichigo smirked. "I know the feeling. One of my friends, Rukia, is a shrimp too, and we insult each other all the time. She smacks me with her notebook when I point out her drawing sucks."

Shinji smiled broadly. "Good to see a brother in spirit. Pun totally intended."

Ichigo groaned as they stopped in front of an abandoned warehouse. "That's gotta be the worst I've ever heard. Anything else I should know?"

Shinji paused and brought his left hand to his chin, looking up in thought. "Don't steal Love's manga, don't mess with Kensei, and whatever you do, do NOT piss off Hachigen. It's hard to do, but you will certainly regret it if you do."

"Got it," Ichigo acknowledged.

Shinji approached the door and stopped with his hand on it. "Know this, Kurosaki Ichigo," he said lowly, turning back to face the Shinigami Representative. "My friends and I are not Shinigami anymore. We stopped being Shinigami the moment they kicked us out of Soul Society. Do not ask us to protect them."

Ichigo opened his mouth to protest, but reconsidered. _I don't want to antagonize them. They might still be neutral. _He nodded.

Shinji, satisfied with the response, turned back and opened the door to the warehouse. They entered, and Ichigo took the opportunity to look around. The warehouse was rather Spartan – _I'm not surprised, _Ichigo mused. _Most Shinigami don't seem to need much, and these guys have been focusing on their training. _

There were seven others, doing various things. Shinji quickly introduced them. "We have Ushoda Hachigen over there in the corner." Ichigo glanced, and saw a rather large man wearing an odd-colored tuxedo was meditating in said corner. _I would surmise he's the Kido specialist… Never seen anyone else meditating… or maybe he's talking to his Zanpakuto?_

"Yadomaru Lisa in the chair reading her dirty manga." Her preferred outfit appeared to be a modest sailor-style schoolgirl one, with a skirt and a mostly white shirt over it. The area around her collar was turquoise, clearly highlighted by her dark hair, which was pulled back in a long braid. _Dirty manga? _Ichigo fought the urge to shake his head in bemusement. _If only Dad could see this, he'd have a field day. _

"In that chair over there, Rose." A rather effeminate man with long, wavy blond hair and a frilly shirt was lightly strumming a few chords on his guitar. He looked up and nodded at Ichigo and Shinji, both of whom nodded back.

"Muguruma Kensei with the punching bag," Shinji pointed to a tall, athletically muscular man with short cropped off-white hair. Kensei was busy practicing his punches – Ichigo saw where sand was leaking out of it where Kensei's punches connected. _Very strong. I bet that the punching bag is reinforced with reiatsu as well… Looks like he takes his training very seriously. _

"Aikawa Love's on the couch with his own manga." Ichigo looked, but this manga didn't have the adults only sign on it. The man had his black hair in a spiked afro, and in combination with the glasses and the green jogging suit, he looked pretty good. He had long sideburns, and a small amount of fuzz on his chin. _Maybe trying to grow a goatee? _He mentally shrugged. _He looks rather relaxed…_

"Kuna Mashiro's the one in the white bodysuit and green hair. I'm not sure I want to know what she's doing," Shinji deadpanned. Indeed, the girl's hair was so vivid a green that Ichigo was sure she dyed it. _Wait, I'm not in any position to talk. My hair's orange for crying out loud. _In any case, Mashiro was pacing back and forth, muttering to herself. What little Ichigo heard made no sense, and he was strongly reminded of Inoue and her odd food combinations.

Shinji shrugged and turned to Ichigo. "And that's everyone." Ichigo could see the hint of mischievousness in his eyes, and turned around to see an incredibly short blond with an angry tick above the girl's left eye.

Playing along, Ichigo glanced back at Shinji. "Then who's the midget?" Ichigo noted with an internal grin that the tick had grown quite a bit.

"Ah, probably some kid who accidentally wandered in," Shinji replied, not even bothering to acknowledge the girl's anger… until her right foot managed a catch him right in the face, sending him to the floor.

_Quick! _Ichigo realized – he had barely even seen the girl move. _I would need to use Shunpo to keep up with that. _

"How dare you!" the girl demanded, kicking Shinji's ribs. "I was right there baka Shinji! You introduced everyone but me!" Her voice rose. "And then you pretended I was some stray kid?!" Another kick.

Shinji got up, holding his nose. "It was a joke, Hiyori! Besides, you're so small I couldn't see you from behind Kurosaki Ichigo here!"

"Baka Shinji! Stop going on about my height – it got old over a hundred years ago! Can't you come up with anything new?"

Shinji actually looked up and scratched his chin with a finger. "Hmmm… I could… nah, you react so well to it I couldn't bear to change it, you ugly girl!"

Hiyori growled and tackled him. "Ugly?! I'll show you ugly! By the time I'm through with you, your face is gonna look like a freaking blueberry, it'll be so swollen and black and blue!"

"There they go again," Love muttered, turning the page of his manga.

Ichigo found he had the perfect opportunity to one-up both the tussling Vizard. Walking over to Love, he made sure to say just loud enough for everyone to hear, "You know, it sounds like there's a lot of repressed sexual tension between them. Maybe that's why they fight – hoping for some good make-up sex?"

Everyone froze. Even Hiyori, who was about to punch Shinji in the face. The next moment, Ichigo had two feet to the face – one each from Shinji and Hiyori. "Baka Strawberry (A play on words – Ichigo has more than one meaning, one essentially means Protector; another meaning is Strawberry)!" they yelled together. "It's not like that!"

Ichigo picked himself up and grinned at them. "So quick to deny, and you reacted so well in unison. It's like you're in tune with each other. Is anyone else here seeing what I am?"

The two flushed red when they heard chuckling from Lisa and Love. "You might be right," Lisa admitted. "Would you like to borrow some of my manga, Shinji? Might give you ideas."

Shinji found himself completely caught off guard and gaped like a goldfish for a second. He glanced around and saw that everyone was watching him, except Hiyori, who wore the same expression he did – total confusion. He finally recovered enough to speak coherently. "No! I'm not into little whiny brats like her!"

That broke the tension nicely, as Hiyori was back in her element. "Says the man who makes faces when he knows he's lost a verbal war!"

Ichigo smirked. _They're just giving me more ammo. _"Definitely an old married couple," he said loudly. "They know each other way too well, push each other's buttons too easily. If they really hated each other, one of them would have killed the other by now. It's been over a hundred years of living together, for crying out loud. Betcha anything they don't act like that with other people normally."

"Kid's got a point," Rose murmured, looking up from his guitar.

Hiyori looked betrayed. "Rose!"

"What? You only get that pissed off at Shinji, and we all know Shinji does those antics just to get a rise out of you," Love said with a smirk, setting down his manga. _This is way better! _

"Love!" Shinji exclaimed, scandalized.

"I think you two would be a cute couple!" Mashiro jumped in, walking over and looking at the rapidly-blushing pair up and down. "Yep! I could see it!"

"Mashiro, don't you even dare trying to set them up," Kensei ordered from across the room, focusing on his punching bag.

"Aw, but why not?" Mashiro whined.

"You need to focus on your training first," Kensei reminded her, iterating it with another swift punch to the bag.

"Yes! Training!" Shinji seized on the topic. _Anything to stop them from trying to get me together with Hiyori! _"Ichigo, let's start your training now."

Ichigo finished chuckling and nodded. "Alright. Now that I'm here, could we go over the process of mastering my Hollow?"

"It's simple," Kensei said before Shinji could say anything. He stopped attacking the punching bag and approached Ichigo. "First we force you to let your Hollow have control, to get a grasp of its power. Then we measure your spiritual energy, make sure you have enough to survive. Finally we make you fight your Hollow in your Inner World, where it resides. You win, you can pull on its mask and use Hollow powers, and it doesn't bother you. You lose, you become a complete Hollow, and we kill you. If you win, we give you endurance training on mask usage."

"That it?" Ichigo inquired.

"In a nutshell, yes," Shinji admitted.

"I've already done most of that," Ichigo revealed. "I won against my Hollow."

"EEEEEEEEEH?!" came the startled cries from everyone save Hachigen, who was either still meditating or he'd fallen asleep.

"Prove it!" Kensei demanded, an angry expression on his face.

Ichigo crouched, summoning his reiatsu and focusing it to his hand, which he tore across the air in front of his face, materializing his mask. _**"Satisfied?" **_he asked with a self-satisfied smirk underneath the mask.

He was shocked when a moment later, he was knocked to the ground and there were seven Zanpakuto at his neck and mask.

-------------------------------------------------------

And that's a wrap! Hope the fighting scenes weren't too lacking in details - I'm not too good at them. I'm much better at character development.

So, Ichigo's gained his mask, and the Vizard are revealed. But Ichigo's now at their mercy, with every Vizard (except Hachigen) holding a sword to his throat and his mask.

Until next time!

NeoRyu777


	3. Training

Hey all, inspiration still up and running, thankfully.

Gota couple of new terms for you:

Shun Shun Rikka - Six flowers of the hibiscus shield, roughly. This is the name of Inoue's powers, which is made up of 6 fairy-like entities that work together to create special effects. Inoue has 3 known abilities - Santen Kesshun, Souten Kisshun, and Koten Zanshun. Santen Kesshun (Three Sacred Links Shield) forms a triangular barrier, three of her fairies forming the poitns, that can reject attacks. Souten Kisshun (Twin Sacred Return Shield) creates an ovaloid barrier between two of her fairies that rejects injuries, or indeed anything Inoue wants to erase from reality. Koten Zanshun (Solitary Sacred Cutting Shield) is her attack, though mostly unused. She sends one of her fairies at her opponent, and the fairy creates a thin rejection barrier above and below him, which could theoretically cut through anything. All of Inoue's powers are completely dependent on her will. As she is a pacifist by nature, the attack's power is degraded drastically, and rarely used. Originally, Inoue needed to say the names of the participating fairies for each power, then the name of the ability, followed by the phrase "I reject". She cut out the fairy names through training relatively early on.

Shunpo - Flash Step. It's a technique that allows the user to "flash" in one direction at extremely high speeds. Both the Quincy and the Hollows have their own versions as well, though all are fundamentally different. It is unclear how they are different however...

Hado 33: Soukatsui - Blue Fire Crashdown. It basically sends a blue fireball at the target

Hado 4: Byakurai - Pale Lightning. It shoots a lightning bolt from the index and middle fingers. In skilled hands, it can pierce instead of just giving electric burns.

Bakudo 75: Gochutekkan - Quintet of Iron Pillars. See the previous chapter for the full description, but basically five huge chained pillars fall on the victim. One on each arm, on the back.

Bakudo 99: Kin - Seal. See the previous chapter for the full description. Basically, reiatsu-restraining cloth ties up the victim's arms and hands, spreads in four directions, and has large slabs of stone on each of the directions to hold him down.

Bakudo 99: Bankin - Great Seal. See the previous chapter for the full description. Basically a greater form of Kin. A more advanced version of Kin occurs, and then a giant pillar lands on the victim.

Disclaimer: I don't have the imagination to pull something like this off. My hat's off to Tite Kubo.

Chapter 3: Training

"_**Hey! What the hell?!" **_Ichigo protested.

"Shut up Hollow! Give back Ichigo!" Kensei demanded.

"_**I AM Ichigo, dumbass!" **_

"Ha ha, hit me with another!" Kensei replied sarcastically. "Your reiatsu just skyrocketed, Hollow, far more than any of ours did when we first got our masks!"

"_**How is it MY problem if your Hollow powers are not as strong as mine?! Besides, I have unnaturally large reiatsu reserves as a Shinigami, what's to say my Hollow powers don't magnify it?" **_

"Let's prove who's in charge then," Shinji murmured, leaning down and peeling the mask from Ichigo's face.

"Yes, well done, you took off my mask and kept me from accessing my Hollow powers," Ichigo snapped, annoyed. "Are you convinced I am who I say I am now?"

"Well, now we know he was in control," Love muttered.

"But what if it's a plot to get someone on the inside, to betray us and our location?" Rose asked.

"You're not entirely wrong," Ichigo had to admit. He felt the various Zanpakuto begin to cut into his skin. "Urahara Kisuke knew I had an Inner Hollow, and wanted to lure you out so I could be trained by you. I imagine he wants me to convince you to fight Aizen with the Shinigami. Or maybe act as a secondary defense, as my friends and I are supposed to be the first one, just in case Aizen invades here to create the King's Key. I really don't know, he hides quite a bit."

Shinji crouched down so he was looking Ichigo in the eyes. "You're very forthcoming about him…" he said suspiciously.

"I don't like him very much," Ichigo said honestly. "He tried to sacrifice one of my friends to destroy the Hougyouku. Since then he's helped me gain my own Shinigami powers, as well as Bankai. He also helped fight provide a means to fight the Bount. At the same time, he's using me as a final defense against Aizen, which grates on my nerves."

"I trust him," a new voice rang. Ichigo swiveled his eyes in the direction the voice came from and saw Hachigen stand up and dust himself off. "He's been very honest and direct. His reiatsu since you removed his mask has been violently churning, but in a way that suggests readiness to fight, rather than deception."

"Besides," Love began, sending a sly look Shinji's way, "I doubt a spy would point out your crush."

"I do NOT have a crush on Hiyori, damn it!" Shinji cried in frustration. "Regardless, you have a point. He wouldn't make waves and attract attention if he was a spy. And he definitely wouldn't have come with his Hollow already mastered. Let him up."

A few moments later, Ichigo stood up and stretched. "Anything else you need to check before you can trust me?" he asked angrily.

"No, we're good," Mashiro chirped happily.

"So, how long can you hold onto your mask?" Hiyori asked seriously.

"Not long." Ichigo scowled.

"Tell us!" Hiyori insisted.

Ichigo looked away, muttering.

"What was that?"

"Nine seconds. You happy now?" Ichigo bit out.

"Actually, yes," Love answered. "That's about the average we could each hold onto our masks at first, excepting Mashiro. She could hold hers for fifteen hours straight on her first try."

"Ok, I don't feel so bad now," Ichigo admitted. "So, this mask endurance training…"

"We have you repeatedly summon your mask and then fight you so your body can get used to wielding so much power," Rose explained. "Your adaptation speed, we've found, is slower if the Hollow is very powerful."

"You'll go through the endurance training until you can hold it for an hour," Shinji directed. "After that, it'll only get better through experience."

"How do you measure how powerful the Hollow is?" Ichigo queried.

"Well, normally we'd have had to fight your berserk body to find out," Shinji admitted. "Got any stories to tell?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Not sure if this means much, but when I was fighting my Hollow, my body went berserk and started through Hollowification. It managed to break out of a combination of Bakudo 99: Kin and Bakudo 75: Gochutekkan after we both went Bankai in my Inner World. It fell to Bakudo 99: Bankin, though."

Shinji whistled. "Wow, that is rather impressive. What about inside your Inner World?"

"We were about the same level," Ichigo confessed. "Like I said, he could use Bankai, same as me. Very strong version of my Bankai special attack. I beat it when I stole the Zanpakuto out of his hand and stabbed him with it. You'll have an opportunity to face the berserk form again in two weeks, if you want."

Kensei blinked. "But you already beat your Hollow. Why would you need to do it again?"

"We agreed to fight every two weeks for control of my body. As long as I win, he'll teach me how to use Hollow techniques. If he wins, he goes to Hueco Mundo to evolve as a Hollow until I win again," Ichigo explained. "The way we saw it, we both get stronger either way, but I'd rather stay in charge."

"But WE can teach you the Hollow techniques!" Shinji exclaimed, waving his arms around in dismay.

Ichigo shook his head. "You can teach the generic Hollow techniques, like Cero. All the specialties of your individual Hollow, you either don't know or discovered on accident. I can't afford to not know, and I can't trust accident."

"But don't you see? Your Hollow's tricked you!" Lisa insisted. "When your Hollow evolves, then he'll become stronger than you, and you'll never win again!"

"You might have a point," Ichigo conceded, "but you never know. Besides, Gillians are pretty mindless. I could kick my Hollow's ass like that no problem. In any case, I don't have a choice but to fight to grow stronger. Let's drop it and move on to the endurance training."

The next morning, Ichigo was exhausted. He'd been summoning his mask all night every time it broke, and he'd only managed to extend the time to nineteen and a half seconds. Still, it was more than double what he'd been at before. He'd been restricted from Bankai so the Vizard didn't have to release their Zanpakuto to fight him; Ichigo got the impression they didn't really trust him. He couldn't blame them.

Ichigo fell to his knees when his mask broke again. "Twenty seconds even," Hachigen called out, clicking his stopwatch. "You got another half-second there, Ichigo."

"Way to go, Berry-tan!" Mashiro called out, having been talking to Hachigen animatedly. "Keep it up!"

"_**Just half a second? What is up with you?!"**_ Hiyori growled from behind her mask. It'd been her turn to fight Ichigo this time. She pulled back the mask to glare at him. "Baka Strawberry!"

"Stop calling me that! Only Rukia can call me that!" Ichigo rebuked before he had a chance to think about what he was saying. Catching the sudden knowing look in Shinji's eyes across the way, Ichigo groaned. "It's not like that, Shinji! She's one of my best friends! Just like Inoue, Ishida, and Chad!"

_Ah, sweet vengeance, _Shinji thought fondly. "Really? Cuz I remember you telling me yesterday how much you enjoyed bantering with her and calling her a midget! You even let her hit you with her notebook after you insult her drawing!" He grinned widely, showing off his teeth. "Sounds like there's some sexual tension there."

Ichigo gave him an exasperated look. "There's nothing there, Shinji!"

"Would this be the same Rukia who you broke into Soul Society to save from execution?" Shinji continued.

Ichigo ground his teeth. "Yes, I was returning a favor. She gave me the power to save my family from Hollows, so I was saving her life. I couldn't just let her die without setting us straight. Besides, even if I WAS interested, Rukia is a Kuchiki, royalty in Soul Society, and she's over a hundred years older than I am. I'm only fifteen. She definitely wouldn't be interested in me. Like I said, there's nothing there."

"Summon your mask, Strawberry," Hiyori interrupted, pulling hers back on. _**"You need a lot of work." **_

Ichigo sighed and summoned his mask again, holding Zangetsu in the ready position. They rushed at each other again, with Hiyori barely looking winded.

"So, is there anyone you're interested in, Ichigo?" Lisa asked, turning a page in her perverted manga.

Ichigo blinked behind his mask before parrying another of Hiyori's strikes. _**"Not particularly. I'm a bit too busy to create a healthy relationship." **_He struck, only to be blocked again. _**"Between my job as a Shinigami Representative and school, I have next to no time to myself. Besides, there's no one at school who interests me." **_

"Oh? What about this Inoue person?" Lisa inquired. "Tell me about her."

Ichigo blocked another attack with difficulty – Hiyori was really fast when she wanted to be. _**"Inoue's full name is Inoue Orihime. She's a bit quiet, and very odd when it comes to food choices. She'll put peanut butter in spaghetti, for crying out loud!" **_Ichigo, distracted from talking, narrowly dodged out of the way of Hiyori's stab and tried for a sideways cut, which was deflected._** "Anyway, she has the ability to reject reality within a limited area of effect, and as such usually acts as our healer, rejecting our wounds. She has a powerful shield as well that rejects any attack that hits it." **_Ichigo jumped back, narrowly avoiding being cleaved in two from Hiyori's wickedly fast slice._** "Inoue does have one attack that has some serious potential, but she doesn't like hurting people, so it's mostly unused. We've been friends for years through a mutual friend, Tatsuki, but she developed the powers when I was still learning how to be a Shinigami, and we grew to be friends through invading Soul Society." **_

"Hey Berry-tan! Guess what?" Mashiro piped up.

"_**What is it, Mashiro?" **_Ichigo asked tightly, locking blades with Hiyori for a moment before breaking contact and going in for a stab, which was easily dodged. He couldn't afford to be distracted from the battle, or else he'd be seriously hurt.

"You've kept on that mask for more than a minute now! You're doing really well!"

Ichigo froze. _Wait, what? _Indeed, he was still wearing his mask. His obvious shock made Hiyori stop her next attack. _**"Come ON, Strawberry!" **_

Just then, Ichigo's mask crumbled. "On minute, twenty-seven seconds," Hachigen announced. "Well done, Ichigo, you multiplied your mask length limit by more than four that time."

Lisa smiled and placed a bookmark in her manga before closing it. "You see the key now, Ichigo. You can't keep focusing on the mask – by paying attention to the time, you're anticipating the mask crumbling, which makes it happen as your reiatsu responds to your will. As long as you don't think about it and just focus on the fight, your limit will increase by leaps and bounds. Treat it as a part of yourself."

Panting for air, Ichigo couldn't help a grin. "Thanks. By the way, what time is it?"

Lisa glanced at her watch. "Eh, it's about 6:00 in the morning."

And as though that were an adrenaline shot, Ichigo stood straight up in horror. "Oh shit! Gotta go!" He used Shunpo, rushing to the exit the Vizard underground training facility, only to be stopped by Kensei.

"What do you think you are doing?" Kensei demanded.

"Taking care of personal business," Ichigo responded coldly. "Don't worry, I'll be back, and I won't tell anyone where you are."

"Let him go, Kensei," Shinji ordered. "He may be one of us now, but he's still a human too. He has a family and things he has to do."

Kensei hesitated, but stepped aside. Ichigo nodded at him. "Thanks, Shinji." Then he was gone with another Shunpo.

_Crap oh crap oh crap oh crap! _Ichigo dashed home as fast as he could. _Please don't let me be too late! _He was almost there, when he heard, "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD…" Ichigo swore and tried to go even faster. "…MOOOOOOOOORNIIIIIIIIING…" Ichigo quickly dove through the window and into his body just before his door burst open thanks to his father's flying leap. "IIIIIICHIIIIGOOOO!"

Ichigo's eyes flew open and he lashed out, punching his father in the face. His father's momentum made Isshin's legs fly forward as his head flew back, bringing him to a stop by Ichigo's bed. "Bitch, please!" Ichigo growled, stomping over his father and out his bedroom door. _That was too close. _

Little did he know that his father was thinking the same thing. _That was close, Ichigo. You need to be more careful with your body, _Isshin thought seriously. Isshin flexed his arms as he got to his feet. _I'm almost recovered, _he thought as he quickly analyzed his reiatsu. _Soon, I'll be Shinigami once again… and then I'll have to face the music with my son. _He extended his senses downstairs. He could sense Karin's slowly growing reiatsu, and Yuzu's budding one. _Masaki… I pray our children stay safe. For war… war is coming, and I fear our home will be drawn in. _

Ichigo yawned as he walked to school. He wasn't sleepy at all – his body had gotten plenty of rest over the night – but he was mentally and spiritually fatigued. _Maybe I should skip school… _He paused to consider. _I need all the strength I can get for Kido practice, and then I have Vizard training… not to mention that I want to train the second Zangetsu. _He frowned. _Except there's only one Zangetsu in my Inner World, and his spirit is in the first Zanpakuto. _He nodded to himself. _My original Zanpakuto represents my Shinigami powers as Zangetsu. Therefore, my second one must be my Hollow powers. But wait, my Hollow powers are in my mask!_

Ichigo blinked and scowled more, beginning to pace. _Rukia's told me that there are a couple of Shinigami out there whose swords, when they go Shikai or Bankai, create two separate blades instead of one weapon. Maybe it's similar? _He sighed, and rubbed at his temples. He was giving himself a headache. _Maybe Inoue can reject fatigue and headaches…_

Ichigo froze. "That's it!" he cried, now fully alert as he rushed to school. _I need to go see Ishida! _

He got to class on time and as was his normal want, sat by the window. During class, he got out another sheet of paper and began writing a note casually, pretending to pay attention to the teacher.

_Q, I have an idea for your heritage. It's almost guaranteed to work. -SS_

He waited for the teacher to turn around and then passed it to his right, to Chad, who quickly glanced at it. His lumbering form clearly expressed silent surprise as he passed it to Ishida.

Ichigo watched Ishida out of the corner of his eye, and was particularly pleased when he saw the Quincy almost fall out of his chair in shock. A few moments later, it was passed to Inoue, who looked at the conversation so far. Another minute later, Ichigo had his replies.

_You had better damn well tell me what it is! –Q_

_Tell us, SS! How can Q reclaim his heritage? –R_

Ichigo grinned and continued the conversation. It continued as such:

_Why not have R use her specialty on Q? Have her 'reject' ever losing it! –SS_

_SS, you're a genius. –G_

Ishida couldn't resist the urge to bang his head once on his desk. _I never thought I'd say this, SS… but I feel like a dumbass now. R, would you? –Q_

_Of course! How about after school at the store? –R_

Ichigo preened, smirking at the paper. _I'm surprised you didn't think of it first, Q. You're normally better at this than I am. R's powers are practically godlike when she puts her mind to it. By the way, R, would you mind using your ability on me to reject my fatigue? I didn't get any rest last night, and I have practice today.–SS_

_SS has a point, R. –G_

_Why didn't you get any rest, SS? And while we're on the topic, you need to explain where you went last night – your reiatsu completely dropped off the map. –Q_

Ichigo lost the smirk. _You're right, I owe you an explanation. One long overdue. All will be explained at the store. –SS_

Later that day, the four of them once again convened at Urahara's shop. "Hey, Urahara! We need your underground training basement again," Ichigo greeted.

"Hai, hai, go on in. Just don't go destroying everything again."

"I shall join you, Ichigo," Tessai announced.

"Yes, sensei. Before we begin, there are a few things we need to take care of," Ichigo replied.

"Very well."

When the five of them landed in the training area, everyone turned to Ichigo. Ichigo shook his head. "Inoue, heal Ishida."

"Hai, Kurosaki-kun. Uryuu, please lie down." Ishida nodded and did so. "Souten Kisshun!" Two pieces of her hairpins glowed and transformed into fairies, which sped over to opposite ends of the Quincy, one at his feet, the other at his head. Inoue kneeled and put her hands on the barrier it created, closing her eyes. "Yes… I see what's stopped his power. His body was overwhelmed by reiatsu and burned out his ability to gather it. This should just take a minute."

Indeed, a minute later, Inoue rose and the fairies returned to her hairpins. Ishida, taking the hint, also got up. He took a deep breath. "OK." He raised his right arm, and let his Quincy bangle fall from his wrist, trying to summon spiritual energy from his surroundings. There was no lack of it with Ichigo there, constantly emitting some, but Ishida reveled in the warmth of finally being able to gather the reiatsu. He formed his Quincy bow and with a smile, fired a single arrow at a boulder, which exploded on impact. "Ha. Still got it."

"Yay!" Inoue yelled, jumping for joy. "Uryuu has his powers back!"

The Quincy turned and bowed low to Inoue. "Thank you, Orihime… I fear I can never repay you."

"Eh heh, it's nothing, really." Inoue smiled with her eyes closed, holding the back of her head in embarrassment. "Now your turn, Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo lied down and let Inoue heal him. When she was done, he felt rather refreshed physically, but mentally unchanged. "Thank you, Inoue." _Oh well… I'll get some sleep tonight if I can. _

"Now spill, Kurosaki," Ishida demanded. "Why did you suddenly go AWOL?"

"Because if I didn't, there was a chance everything would have gone FUBAR," Ichigo replied. "The Vizard approached me last night."

"Wait, wait, AWOL? FUBAR?" Inoue asked, confused.

"AWOL means Away Without Leave," Chad told her quietly. "FUBAR means Fucked Up Beyond All Repair. They're military terms." He turned to Ichigo. "The Vizard approached you? Aren't they the Shinigami with Hollow powers that were banished a hundred years ago?"

Ichigo nodded. "Remember, Urahara mentioned them last night. That… leads to my confession." He took a deep breath. "I have Hollow powers too. Until yesterday, I couldn't control them, and my Inner Hollow would try to take over at the worst moments."

"How long?" Ishida asked quietly.

"How long have I had them? Since Urahara helped me regain my powers so we could save Rukia," Ichigo answered just as quietly. "How long have I known? I first fought him in my Inner World while I was fighting Kenpachi, but I didn't know he was gonna stick around. He took over for the first time when I fought Byakuya. Ever since, I've been suppressing him on my own willpower, but he kept getting stronger. That's why I was reluctant to change into my Shinigami form – I was afraid." Ichigo shook his head. "I didn't know how to tell you guys. I was afraid of you fearing me. But I beat him down and hard last night, and he'll leave me alone for a couple of weeks. And I have a new power to go with it too!"

"Idiot," Ishida insulted. "We wouldn't fear you! We'd have done what we could to help!"

"He's right, Ichigo," Chad rumbled. "Besides, remember what Urahara mentioned? I have Hollow-like powers too. I don't know how I'll evolve next."

"Can we see the power?" Inoue asked. Truth be told, she was a little nervous with the knowledge that Ichigo had Hollow powers. _What if he turns on us when he uses them? I'll feel better when I see him using them… _

Ichigo nodded, looking reassured. "I have a time limit on this which I'm working to extend, so I can't use it for very long. About a minute and a half so far." _I should be able to use it in human form as well… after all, the Inner Hollow is still part of my soul. _Ichigo reached up with his left hand and tore the air in front of his face, summoning his Hollow mask.

"Whoa!" Ishida yelled, jumping back. "Kurosaki, your reiatsu!"

"_**Yeah, I know. It's a lot more Hollow-like now," **_Ichigo replied with a nod. _**"Just be glad I didn't go Bankai first; then the power output is enormous." **_

Inoue felt fear creeping up inside her throat – unlike the others, she had only one attack, and it didn't have a good history of working. She knew it was her fault for lacking the conviction to attack and truly want to hurt someone, but she had the overwhelming feeling of sheer, abject terror. The Hollow reiatsu was too strong, too overwhelming. Inoue couldn't stop looking at Ichigo's mask… and she could swear that it was grinning at her, leering at her, sensing her fear and feeding on it, making it stronger. _And he hasn't even gone full power yet! _She began quivering in fear.

Ichigo noticed Inoue begin shaking. _Is she… afraid of me like this? _He was a little saddened and a little hurt that she didn't trust him, but he had known there was a chance of this happening. He slowly reached up, pausing when she flinched, and removed the mask, holding it in his hand. "You ok, Inoue?"

Inoue shakily nodded an affirmative. "I'm… I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun. It's just so overwhelming… Your normal reiatsu is almost comforting to feel now that I'm used to it. With your Hollow mask…" She shuddered violently. "It changed. It felt so violent, so disturbing, and so overwhelming." She lowered her head in shame. "I… I need help getting stronger. My Shun Shun Rikka is not getting stronger, while all of you are. Chad's arm keeps evolving, Ishida gets faster and stronger with his Quincy attacks, and Kurosaki-kun got Bankai and now this Hollow mask."

"On the contrary," a new voice echoed. Everyone turned around in surprise and saw Urahara walking over to them. "Your Shun Shun Rikka is based on your own heart and will. The stronger your will, the stronger they get. You rarely even say 'I reject' anymore, and when you do, it works faster and stronger, much like Kido," Urahara revealed. "Your defensive and healing abilities are growing stronger every time you use them. The next step is to work on your attack, and to do that, we need to work with you to help you gain the will to hurt."

"But I'm a pacifist!" Inoue protested. "I don't like hurting people."

"Ah, but you'll do it in order to save lives, yes?" Urahara prodded. "As you are now, your attack is easily countered, and you might even hurt or kill Tsubaki by trying to attack when your heart isn't in it."

A light flashed from Inoue's right hairpin, which flew in front of her and morphed into an irate-looking black-haired ninja-like fairy with wings akin to bats. The lower half of his face was covered by a blank white cloth that extended to his shoulders. "He's right, Orihime," Tsubaki stated firmly, arms crossed. "My power and speed increases with your willingness to hurt your opponent, but you're too kindhearted! You never want to hurt anyone!" He reached out and smacked Inoue's forehead with surprising force for such a tiny being, making Inoue reach up and rub the spot Tsubaki had hit.

Another light, this time from Inoue's left hairpin, zoomed and assumed another form. This one was a girl, a blond with topknot, a red skirt and a friendly-looking face. "Orihime-chan, Tsubaki is right. Your pacifistic nature is admirable, but you need to accept that there are situations that you cannot solve without violence," Shun'o the fairy said sadly. "The liberties people enjoy are hard won by the sacrifices of those who fight for them. You need to learn how to set aside your personal doubts and dislike of violence when it's necessary if you want to keep up with your friends."

Tsubaki sighed, flapping his wings a couple of times to reach Inoue's eye level. "Orihime, not all protection is passive. Sometimes you have to retaliate, and hard, in order to protect yourself and your friends. Your sword must strike, else your enemies will keep battering at your shield until you falter. Call me when you have the will to fight." With a small flash, he became a ball of light once more, shooting back into the Inoue's hairpin. With a nod to Inoue, Shun'o did the same.

After several moments of silence, Ishida approached Inoue. "Orihime…"

"No, Uryuu," Inoue cut him off. "I… I need some time to think." Ishida hesitated, but nodded, backing off. "Guys, I… I'm going to go home. Call me if you need anything."

"Ok, Inoue," Ichigo agreed. "I hope you find your answers."

"Me too, Kurosaki-kun. Me too," she replied quietly, walking to the exit. Urahara nodded at the others and escorted her out.

"I'm going too, Kurosaki, Chad," Ishida told them. "I need to reacquaint myself with my powers, and find another way to get stronger without the Sanrei glove."

Ichigo smirked. "No matter how strong you get I'll still kick your ass."

Ishida snorted. "Just you wait, Kurosaki. I'll be up to your level in no time." He turned away, hiding his own smirk as he walked away.

Ichigo turned to Chad, half-expecting the very quiet giant of a man to leave as well. Chad merely shrugged. "I'm hoping to get some training as well. Unlike you or Ishida, I need to be fighting to increase my skills. I figure that I can train from dodging your Kido as you learn them, hopefully increase my speed to match my strength."

The human Shinigami nodded – it made sense. Ichigo could train his Kido against a moving target, and Chad could train his speed. He turned to Tessai, who had been silent since arrival in the underground training facility. "Tessai-sensei, I apologize for the delay, but it was necessary."

"I understand, Ichigo. With the upcoming threat, Ishida Uryuu needs his powers to survive, and it is best not to keep such powerful secrets from your allies," Tessai concurred. "Now, let us begin. Given your large reiatsu capacity, you must first learn to control it, or else risk harming yourself and others. It is fortunate you now have the ability to do so in human form – it restricts your ability to call on your reiatsu, which will serve as another training tool."

"How do I control my reiatsu?" Ichigo asked curiously. "The only things I've used my reiatsu for is my Getsuga Tenshou and for powering this one orb that provided a powerful enough shield to break through the barrier surrounding Seireitei."

"But you know how to put more or less reiatsu into your attacks?" Tessai asked pointedly.

"Of course."

"Then you know what it feels like," Tessai concluded. "Good, that makes teaching you easier. I want you to sit and meditate. Grasp your reiatsu, feel it as it exudes from you and into your surroundings. When you feel comfortable with that, try feeling mine and your friend's reiatsu. See if you can differentiate it."

Ichigo nodded – patience wasn't his strong suit by any measure, but Tessai was once Captain of the Kido Corps, so he knew what he was doing. Ichigo sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, trying to relax his normal senses so he could focus more on his feel of reiatsu. It was a slow process; he had to fight not to fidget. He regretted asking Inoue to reject his fatigue – his physical energy wanted to be used.

Tessai had gone to go train Chad, casting fireballs at the man, who dodged as best he could. Ichigo tried his best to ignore the sounds of "Hado 33: Soukatsui!" and Chad's grunts as he dodged or was hit respectively. _Damn it I need to focus. _Ichigo took a deep breath, and breathed out slowly.

Ichigo remembered the advice he had received from Shiba Ganju – a very hotheaded member of the Shiba clan, who had helped him break into Soul Society on his sister's orders. Ganju had helped Ichigo feel his reiatsu for the first time by telling him to picture a dark circle in his mind and imagine moving towards the center of it. _Perhaps a derivation then… _Ichigo pictured a void, where there was no sight, no sound, only him and his reiatsu.

Slowly, without his notice, the sounds around him faded away. With his eyes closed, he could see nothing anyway. With nothing distracting him, Ichigo could feel the reiatsu pulsing flowing strongly inside him. There was so much, Ichigo could hardly believe he could contain it all. It made the fact that he constantly emitted some much more believable.

Speaking of which, he could feel the reiatsu he emitted around him, giving him a sense of his surroundings. _Useful, _Ichigo thought. _I might not be able to be stealthy, but at least I'm always rather aware of what's around me, as long as I pay attention to that. _He suddenly made a connection. _So THAT'S what Hachigen was doing earlier! He was just in touch with his reiatsu. He was probably emitting his own reiatsu to keep tabs on things. _

Ichigo immersed himself in his reiatsu, feeling it, exploring it. He could sense the small streaks of Hollow reiatsu merged with his own, giving it a slightly more violent feel. He found it rather interesting that even with the Hollow mask off, there were streaks like that. _I wonder if it has any significance…? Aside from potentially advertising me as a Vizard, anyway. _

Once he felt he'd explored his reiatsu enough, Ichigo reached out and tried to sense Tessai and Chad. This was harder – he had to reach past the reiatsu his body let out. It was akin to trying to listen to someone talking when one had a train loudly going by, its whistle blaring.

However, after an indeterminate amount of time – and repeatedly having to calm himself down and stop being impatient – Ichigo finally made out Chad's reiatsu. Having found it, Ichigo focused on it, and was able to approximate how far away he was, and in which general direction.

Once he'd done that, Ichigo reflected on Chad's reiatsu – what he could feel of it anyway. _I can sense his better than I can Tessai's because Chad's reiatsu actually does feel more Hollow-like than Shinigami. That makes it substantially different from my own reiatsu, and the difference makes it easier to detect. _

Ichigo was nothing if not stubborn, though, so he kept at it, looking for Tessai's reiatsu. It didn't take long, and when that was done, he opened his eyes, squinting at the bright light when his eyes had adjusted to the near total darkness behind his eyelids. Sound suddenly rushed back to him as his meditative state was destroyed, making Ichigo wince.

Chad was still dodging, but he looked very tired, even with his Brazo Dereche del Gigante active. Ichigo wondered how long he'd been out of it, as it was nigh-impossible to tell time in here. He frowned. Given Chad's high level of endurance, it looked like Ichigo had been meditating for hours.

Ichigo got up, wincing again as he felt his legs protest the sudden movement. _Yeah, definitely been sitting like that for too long. _"Tessai-sensei!"

Tessai stopped sending blue fireballs at Chad, who sat against a nearby boulder to rest for a while. "Ah, Ichigo. You finished?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Now you just need practice to sense people more quickly," Tessai stated firmly. "Practice one your own time – we are moving on. Bakudo require a finesse you currently lack, so we shall begin with Hado. Is there one in particular you are interested in?"

Ichigo paused to think, before slowly nodding. "I saw Kuchiki Byakuya using a spell he called Byakurai."

Tessai nodded sagely. "That is Hado 4: Byakurai. It is one of the beginner Kido, yet it is extremely devastating if used by the right person." He nodded again. "In your case, it will make an excellent long-distance attack that uses far less reiatsu than your Getsuga Tenshou. As you no doubt saw in your battles with Kuchiki, it can be devastatingly quick, and capable of piercing even the toughest of armors. There are two downsides to this spell. One is control – Byakurai's piercing power and speed depends on your ability to compress your reiatsu into smaller and smaller volumes. Also, not controlling Byakurai correctly can negatively impact the user, sending electric shocks through the body."

"What's the other downside?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"The second downside is the small area of effect. Even at its most powerful, the hole Byakurai creates is rather small, and as such it is usually non-fatal. As you may have noticed, Byakurai is not used by many people – only precision-oriented battlers wield Byakurai effectively. I surmise Kuchiki Byakuya is one such user?"

Ichigo nodded, grimacing in remembrance. "Byakuya destroyed my soul sleep and chain link when I had absorbed Rukia's powers. Then he left me to die. That was right before you and Urahara helped me regain my powers."

"Indeed," Tessai agreed. "Go ahead and try it against that boulder over there."

Ichigo blinked. "I thought most Kido have incantations?"

"Most do," Tessai admitted. "However, Byakurai, being an extremely low-level spell, has none."

Ichigo took a deep breath and closed his eyes, calling up his reiatsu – it was more sluggish and harder to call out in his human form than it was in Shinigami form, but he managed. He turned to the side and raised his right arm up, pointing to the boulder using his index and middle fingers as he'd seen Byakuya do. Gathering reiatsu to his fingers, Ichigo frowned as he struggled to keep his reiatsu from exploding outwards. _He said compression… _Ichigo kept the reiatsu at his fingertips, pushing more and more into the small area.

The Kido trainee's forehead was sweating lightly from effort to keep it there. "Hado 4: Byakurai!" Ichigo cried, his eyes flying open and focusing on his target. Even as he shouted the words, he felt the reiatsu stored in his fingertips change in an indescribable way. The closest thing he could say was that it _felt_ electric.

Emerging from his fingertips shot an electric bolt, jagged and fast, that shot into and through the boulder he'd aimed at. Ichigo took a deep breath after he fired the shot. "That was a bit easier than I expected," he confessed.

"That is because you have already mastered the individual aspects of each part of Byakurai," Tessai revealed. "Your Shunpo training with Shihoin Yoruichi taught you to gather reiatsu in parts of your body. Your Bankai compresses your reiatsu, increasing your abilities dramatically. The only new thing you did here was compress your reiatsu yourself. Now you need to train on how quickly you can use it."

Ichigo sighed and nodded – he'd seen that coming. He was about to do it again, but Chad got up and got his attention. "Aim at me," Chad said simply. "I need to continue my speed training."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Ichigo nodded. He refrained from closing his eyes this time – it was a bad habit that he couldn't afford to have, and began his speed training.

"Hado 4: Byakurai!"

It was about midnight that night when Ichigo helped Chad home; the large teenager was worn out from the training. Ichigo had to hand it to him, though – Chad was faster than he looked, even without his power.

"Again, tomorrow?" Chad asked as they reached his place.

"Yeah," Ichigo acknowledged, helping him inside. "See you then."

Chad merely nodded and closed the door, locking it.

Ichigo began walking home, feeling a little proud of himself. He now had a Kido under his belt. _Granted, it's not a terribly powerful one, but it's a Kido. _He sighed. _I have so much I need to work on… mask training, Kido training, and my secret second Zanpakuto training which I have yet to do. _

Ichigo made his way home and climbed into his room through a nearby tree – he truly did not want to deal with his father at the moment, and he was almost undoubtedly waiting to ambush him in the living room. _Zangetsu and I haven't talked in a while… _

With a few moments of intense focus, Ichigo brought out Zangetsu's spiritual form, who sat across from him in his room. Manifesting a Zanpakuto's spirit was one of the crucial steps to Bankai, but Zangetsu had materialized himself on occasion when Ichigo was in danger. "Hello, Ichigo."

"Hey old man." Ichigo leaned back on his bed. "Tell me more about yourself, partner?"

Zangetsu inclined his head. "I am a very practical man. Even so, I have my pride, as you discovered when you neglected to learn more about me after learning my name."

Ichigo winced – he'd been cocky and stupid for a long while. "Yeah… I am sorry for that, Zangetsu."

"Apology accepted," the Zanpakuto spirit replied stoically. "I like watching sunsets – it is a pity you do not see very many."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed. "They're beautiful… Wait, every time I'm in my Inner World, it's always sunny, overcast or raining. Do you get to see sunsets there?"

"Not often," Zangetsu admitted. "They only appear when you are feeling at peace, which is rather rare with the amount of trouble you get into." 

The Vizard nodded sadly. "Sorry old man. I'll see if I can make the time to watch a sunset or two a week."

"I would appreciate that, Ichigo," Zangetsu acknowledged. After a pause, he asked, "Are you troubled?" 

Ichigo sighed. His Zanpakuto was one of the few beings he could truly open up to – Ichigo's trust in Zangetsu was absolute. Fortunately for Ichigo, Zangetsu was extremely observant and could tell when something was wrong. "Somewhat. Inoue was scared of me when I put on the Hollow mask. I don't know how to feel about that. I half-expected it, but it still hurt to see it."

"Give her time. She knows you, and trusts you without the mask. You must admit, your reiatsu is very disturbing when you put on the mask." 

Ichigo sighed again. "Yeah, you're right. I'm also worried about Rukia. I am still loath to leave her in Soul Society after they tried to kill her."

"Remember, that was because of Aizen's unseen machinations," Zangetsu reminded him.

"I know, I know… And it's her choice anyway." Ichigo shook his head. "Another thing that's bugging me is that I still have so much to learn in order to protect myself and others. I need to learn some Kido in order to keep from being susceptible to it. I need to learn how to use my Hollow powers effectively. I thought I'd gotten so strong… but there's always someone stronger, better, isn't there?"

"There is."

"Do you think we'll ever be able to rest? It feels like there's always something, someone, trying and damn near succeeding in killing us."

Zangetsu looked out the window at the crescent moon. "Perhaps one day. Perhaps when Aizen is defeated for good." 

"I need a vacation."

"I sincerely hope you get one."

"Thanks for the talk, Zangetsu."

"Anytime, Ichigo." 

Ichigo nodded at his Zanpakuto spirit as it faded away, back into his Inner World. _I really do need that vacation, _Ichigo thought to himself as he got ready for bed. _At least for now… for now sleep is my escape. _He glanced out the window at the crescent moon Zangetsu had been looking at. He had a bad feeling that he would soon be fighting for his life again. "If only the dawn didn't come so soon…"

In Hueco Mundo, Aizen Sousuke smiled. "Ulquiorra, I have a small mission for you in the living world…"

A man around five foot six, slight in build with dark green eyes and twin teal lines running down from his eyes, bowed. His skin was ash gray, and he had a Hollow hole in the lower part of his throat. There was a portion of a Hollow mask on the left side of the man's head, not obscuring his face at all, resembling a broken helmet. His expression unchanging, he rose up once more. "Your will be done, Aizen-sama."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another chapter done - man the inspiration for this one is flowing quite nicely. One of the things that always bugged me was that Ichigo got into trouble once with Zangetsu for taking him for granted, but we never see Ichigo learning more about him other than "I hate the rain and will do about anything to keep it from raining in here, as it does when you are upset and in turmoil." Ichigo should have spent more time getting to know Zangetsu. At the same time, who can you trust if you cannot trust your own sword? Zangetsu is perfect for Ichigo to confide in. Besides, I can't imagine Ichigo not starting to feel the stress of his position, yet he never displays it in the anime or in the manga, except when he's struggling with his Hollow, and when he tells Tatsuki and Keigo to stop bothering him about Inoue - after she was captured, I mean.

Seriously, he's a TEENAGER! A somewhat mature, somewhat violent one, but still a teenager. How would any teenager react to suddenly finding himself in a lethal war he never wanted to take part in? He took the powers from Rukia to save his family. Once that was done, he wanted to be left alone. He went to save Rukia from Soul Society because he owed her his and his family's lives. But in the process, he got himself completely tangled up in everyone's webs. Urahara purposely made sure he had Hollow powers so Ichigo could continue to grow stronger and be his final line of defense for Karakura town. Aizen took advantage of Ichigo's invasion to fake his death to continue his plan, whatever it is. At the same time, Ichigo nearly died several times in Soul Society - Renji almost killed him, Kenpachi almost killed him, his Inner Hollow almost killed him, Byakuya almost killed him AGAIN... Even if you disregard the anime-only Bount arc, that's going to leave a lasting impression on almost any teenager's psyche. Especially when taking into account Ichigo's fighting of Hollows as a substitute Shinigami just after he'd gotten his powers. And now Aizen is supposedly trying to destroy Karakura town to create the King's key, and has most likely created an army of Arrancar to do it? I would think it easy to start thinking that there would be no end of fighting. Everyone needs a break, but Ichigo hasn't had the chance for one in a long time...

The explanation for Byakurai is one based off of my own observations and musings. Hope it makes sense.

Read and review please!


	4. Will to Attack

It's been so long since the inspiration has flowed this surely. It's quite nice to be able to post this often again, even if the chapters aren't as long as they are in my other story. Thanks to all who actually read my notes at the bottom of every chapter - It's nice to hear discussion on the various points I make. I have a tendency of going, "Wait, why aren't they doing this? Connect the effing dots people!" For instance, Inoue's restoration of Ishida's powers. Ishida lost power. Inoue uses unique time/space healing. Connect the dots and you get a nice picture of Ishida wielding a bow again.

Anyway, terms:

Hado 31: Shakkahou - Shot of Red Fire; fires a red fireball

Hado 33: Soukatsui - Blue Fire Crashdown; fires a more powerful blue fireball

Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: Don't own this - don't even own copies of it. I just read the manga online.

Chapter 4: Will to Attack

Over the next week, Ichigo managed to learn how to cast two other common Kido – Hado 31: Shakkahou and Hado 33: Soukatsui. However, he still required the incantation, which was long and unwieldy in Ichigo's opinion. He was currently working on taking parts of the incantation away piece by piece to enhance his control over them, and be able to cast them at a moment's notice.

Ichigo had managed to work out a schedule that allowed him to train his Hollow powers with the Vizard one night, and train in Kido the next. He could now maintain his mask for four minutes and forty-three seconds, much to his satisfaction.

Out of curiosity one night with the Vizard, Ichigo had tried using Shakkahou while wearing his Hollow mask. Much to his surprise, it had blown up in his face. Hachigen took him aside shortly thereafter and explained what had happened.

"The Hollow mask enhances our reiatsu, makes it more potent," Hachigen told the young Vizard. "The downside to this is it makes Kido far more difficult. Low-level techniques will blow up much as yours did from too much power with too little control. The mask is best used only when you have a grasp on the higher-level techniques, as the extra power then only strengthens it. I myself had a great deal of trouble learning how to use Kido in conjunction with the Hollow mask myself, and even now I prefer casting without."

Ichigo had nodded, understanding. _I should have known… Kido is a Shinigami art, so the Hollow mask would naturally make it more difficult. _

Physically, Ichigo was getting much stronger quickly. He had begun training with the Vizard in human form, and while Zangetsu had been difficult to work with at first due to the weight, Ichigo was quickly building up strength and endurance. Of course, the day after, Ichigo's arms and torso were extremely sore, but it was a pain Ichigo was willing to put up with. He didn't dare have Inoue reject it – by rejecting the damage to his muscles, he wouldn't get any stronger.

At the moment, Ichigo was in class. He didn't know why he kept going to school anymore – he rarely paid attention, instead using the time to work on his fledgling ability to sense reiatsu, which was showing very little progress. He doubted he'd ever be a master of it, given how his own reiatsu created a haze that he had to work through, but Ichigo wanted to at least be able to sense people within a five meter radius of himself without much trouble. _Perhaps this is why Kenpachi has such a poor sense of direction, _Ichigo mused idly. _He's got so much damn reiatsu he can't sense anyone unless their reiatsu compares. _He paused. _I wonder if he's managed to learn his Zanpakuto's name yet?_

Ichigo shook his head, clearing it of the idle thoughts and turned his focus back on sensing the others…

_**Oi, King! Guess who's back!**_

… only to be interrupted by his Hollow side. Ichigo was a little surprised – this was the first time his Hollow had spoken up since their fight. _I was wondering how long you'd take to recover. _

_**You really pulled off a good move, King, stealing my sword like that and claiming it as your own. Really impressed me! **_

Ichigo looked out the window with his usual scowl. _I've been wondering about that, actually. How do I use it?_

The Hollow laughed insanely. _**Nuh-uh! Not gonna tell you that, King! You're gonna have to figure that out yourself! **_

Ichigo sighed lowly so his teacher wouldn't hear it. _I figured you'd say that. I've actually been a little curious about something, actually. If you're a Hollow, why don't you look like the other Hollows? Almost every Hollow I've met was mostly black with only a white mask, and most of them had lost human shape. And I've never seen your Hollow hole._

_**Because I'm not exactly a Hollow, King. **_The demented white version of Ichigo sounded rather serious for once. _**Before you regained your Shinigami powers in that pit, you first began becoming a Hollow. So when you pulled Zangetsu out of that box, you had both Hollow powers and Shinigami powers, but the Shinigami powers took precedence as you stopped yourself from becoming a Hollow, so you got Zangetsu in your Inner World. **_

Ichigo was getting impatient. _I already figured most of that out from our previous conversations, but if you're not a Hollow, what are you?_

_**Can you not figure it out, King? Zangetsu is our Zanpakuto, but he takes another form in your Inner World.**_

_You are my mask, _Ichigo realized.

_**Bingo! **_Hollow Ichigo cackled. _**What you are, Shinigami or Hollow, depends on who is in control – you or me. A soul truly becomes a Hollow when the mask takes over. **_

Ichigo flashed back to one of his first real battles as a Substitute Shinigami. He had been fighting a Hollow and managed to cut off part of the mask, and frozen, seeing the face of Inoue's brother underneath. Rukia had explained things later, that when Ichigo finished off a Hollow, the original soul was purified of the sins committed by his Hollow self and sent on to Soul Society. At one point, when Ichigo was beaten, Inoue had gotten through to her brother, who broke the mask and gained control long enough for him to purify himself with Ichigo's Zanpakuto.

_So if you ever win against me, my body will become that of a Hollow's? _Ichigo asked, to clarify.

_**You got it! **_

_But if I win again after that, then I turn back into a Shinigami? _

_**Yep! Just remember, King, less than a week until we fight again! **_

Ichigo scowled harder. _And you owe me some training in some of your powers. _

_**I suppose I do. Come meet me in your Inner World, and make sure to focus on no time passing by. **_

Ichigo closed his eyes, pulling himself inward. When he opened his eyes, he was standing on a sideways skyscraper, with mostly clear skies. A quick glance downward showed him in his Shinigami form. _Interesting…_ Instinct suddenly roared for him to jump back, and Ichigo did, narrowly avoiding a blast of black energy he almost hadn't sensed in time. "What the hell?!"

"**Just keeping you on your toes, Ichigo." **His Hollow self Shunpoed in front of him, wearing a large grin. **"Glad to see you've kept your instinct strong. It's time for you to learn your first Hollow power." **

Ichigo smirked. "So what is it?"

"**High speed regeneration!" **Hollow Ichigo revealed grandly, taking his version of Zangetsu and cutting his own arm deeply. It healed in seconds, leaving nary a scar.

Ichigo's eyes widened. "That would improve my effectiveness by, by, Kami only knows how much!"

"**Yep! You really hit the jackpot with Hollow powers, Ichigo!" **his Hollow self congratulated. **"I'm rather curious what your Hollow form will look like actually…" **

"You'll find out if you ever beat me," Ichigo told him sternly. "So, how do I do this?"

"**Simply gather your Hollow reiatsu to the injured area and it'll get to work," **the manifestation of Ichigo's mask replied. **"The more reiatsu you send to an area, the faster it'll heal, but it's a bitch on the reserves. Go ahead and give it a shot." **

Ichigo nodded, and summoned his Hollow mask. Drawing Zangetsu, Ichigo gave himself a deep cut in the same spot his Hollow self had done. He gritted his teeth at the sudden pain, but called on the Hollow reiatsu now at his command, sending a significant amount to the wound – about as much as he would for a Getsuga Tenshou while Zangetsu was in Shikai

His wound healed a little, but then stopped. With a frown behind the mask, Ichigo put in some more, enough for a Getsuga Tenshou in Bankai. This was a far greater amount, and the wound healed about halfway after about half a minute. Scowling, Ichigo sent in more, approximately enough for two more Bankai Getsugas. His wound healed over completely in about ten seconds. He took off the mask and nodded appreciatively at his Hollow side. "You're right, that is a bitch on the reserves."

Hollow Ichigo grinned. **"You'll just need to not get hit very often."**

"Yeah, yeah…" Ichigo smirked at his more insane half. "Thanks."

"**Hey, a deal's a deal. I told ya I'd teach ya. Now make sure not to get killed before I can take over!" **He chuckled, leering at Ichigo.

"You'll not take over as long as I have any say in the matter." With that, Ichigo retreated back into the real world, where his teacher was still lecturing. He stretched, feeling a bit stiff. _I wonder how Inoue's doing… _The dark circles under her eyes told him that she hadn't been sleeping well. _Maybe we can talk about it… _He had gotten out a sheet of paper when a both Inoue and Ishida suddenly stiffened and glanced at the window. Ichigo quickly scribbled a note.

_What happened? What is it? – SS_

_There's something out there, SS. It felt like a Hollow, only somehow different. – Q_

_It's very powerful, and it's approaching fast! – R_

Ichigo's blood ran cold. _Fuck! _He glanced at Inoue, Chad, Ishida – all of them were looking at him, waiting for instruction. His eyes hardened as he gave each a subtle jerk of the head, indicating they come with him. Ichigo stood up and began briskly striding out.

"Where do you think you're going?" the teacher asked.

"Family business," Ichigo muttered as he brushed past her.

"I'll go with him to make sure he's ok!" Inoue volunteered as she rushed by as well.

"I'll go make sure he doesn't hurt anyone," Ishida said as he also walked by.

"Do you even want to know?" Chad queried as he lumbered past.

"No, no I don't. Just go," the teacher said, resigned.

Once out of the classroom, everyone began running towards the exit. "The presence has stopped," Inoue told them. "It feels like it's in front of the school, waiting for us."

"What could it possibly want with us?" Ichigo asked incredulously as they turned a corner.

"Who knows?" Ishida replied. His eyes suddenly widened. "Shit! They're charging an attack! It feels like a Cero!"

"You've gotta be fucking kidding!" Ichigo groaned. He ran over to a window and saw two figures – one small, one practically a giant, but both apparently human. The larger one was holding his hand out at part of the school, charing an attack. _Humans using Cero?! _Ichigo's eyes widened and he quickly opened a window and stuck his hand out at them. "Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws! Hado 33: Soukatsui!" He used the full power version, knowing he'd need it against anyone who could use a Cero.

A large blue fireball shot out from his hand and struck the large man, exploding and creating a lot of smoke. Ichigo jumped out the window then, quickly followed by Ishida and Chad. All three used reiatsu to help their legs absorb the impact, quickly standing. Inoue jumped down, using her Santen Kesshun to reject gravity and land on the ground peacefully.

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo demanded, evaluating the two of them. The large one was dark in skin color and extremely tall and muscle-bound, and had what looked like the bottom jaw of a skull attached to his chin. The man had long, bushy sideburns, but was bald up top. Oddly, he had a long, thin ponytail from the back of his head, and ridges on the top of his head. He was slightly burned from the attack Ichigo had sent earlier. "Yammy Rialgo," he greeted.

In contrast, the other was short and slim, looking more like an athlete than a bodybuilder. The shorter one also had extremely pale skin, as though he'd never seen the sun. There was also apparently a bone fragment on the top-left of his head. "Ulquiorra Cifer," he replied.

"You're Arrancar, aren't you?" Ishida asked accusingly, his hands itching to ready his bow. "The skull fragments, the Cero, the Hollow hole in your neck…"

"Yeah, we're Arrancar," Yammy agreed cockily with a grin. "In fact, we're Espada!"

Everyone blinked. "Espada?" Chad asked.

"The Espada are Aizen-sama's elite," Ulquiorra explained tonelessly. "There are ten of us, ranked according to power."

Ichigo saw red, but Chad held him back as Ishida continued. "Why are you attacking this school?" Ishida pried.

"I see no point in telling you this," Ulquiorra replied, his tone and expression never changing. "Yammy. Take out the large one."

"Chad, can you take him?" Ichigo whispered quickly.

"Only one way to find out," Chad replied lowly, moving away and activating his right arm's special ability. "El Brazo Derecha del Gigante." A mostly black armor ran up his hand up to his shoulder. Red lines ran up it as well, and the armor opened up at his shoulder.

"That looks pretty interesting," Yammy said. "Let's see how you do!"

"Quincy, move," Ulquiorra ordered. "I have no quarrel with you, only with Kurosaki."

"I've never met you before!" Ichigo protested, readying his reiatsu.

"That does not matter – Aizen-sama has ordered I test you."

"Kurosaki, move it!" Ishida told him sternly. "Get in your Shinigami form!" He turned back to Ulquiorra. "We're gonna need all the strength we can get."

Ichigo groaned. "I don't have the Shinigami badge with me today, Ishida! No one was expecting Arrancar to turn up like this!"

"Well isn't that just perfect!" Ishida growled, frustrated. "Listen, Ulquiorra, if you're here to test Kurosaki here, would you leave him until I go fetch a way to remove him from his body?"

"I have no problem with that."

Ishida looked at Inoue. "Keep Kurosaki from doing anything stupid."

"Hey!" Ichigo yelled. "Stop insulting me and just get going!"

"Back in a minute," the Quincy replied, before activating the Quincy high-speed technique Hirenkyaku, disappearing.

Inoue Orihime was struggling with her conscience at the moment. She had a really good opportunity to take out one of Aizen's elite members – she had been completely disregarded by Ulquiorra and Yammy. Tsubaki's words had been nagging at her for days. "_Sometimes you have to retaliate, and hard, in order to protect yourself and your friends." _Inoue recalled. _These Espada… _"Ulquiorra, why do you follow Aizen?" she asked.

"I have little better to do," Ulquiorra stated simply. "I also seek to understand humans and their reliance on brittle emotions, and he provides opportunities to learn."

Inoue cocked her head to the side. "Understand humans and their reliance on emotions?" she repeated. "If you want to understand us better, then why not live with us, work with us? While you're in Hueco Mundo, the only humans you see are Aizen and his followers."

Ulquiorra took a moment to respond. "Living in the human world… A prospect I have considered previously. The problem is that as an evolved Hollow, I must continue to eat other Hollows in order to maintain my strength and form. Hollows of the caliber that I must devour are lacking here."

"Can't you just go back to Hueco Mundo every time you need to eat?" Ichigo asked desperately. _A potential ally! A strong one with information on Aizen's actions! _

Ulquiorra slowly nodded. "I could." His facial expression had yet to change in the time he had been talking. "However, it would be myself and whoever I ally with, against Aizen-sama and his Espada. I have no wish to die yet. I will require evidence that your side has the ability to prevail against Aizen-sama and his growing army of Arrancar."

Ichigo looked at where Chad and Yammy were fighting, worriedly. Chad was not having a good time of it – even just watching the fight for a second, it was obvious Yammy was faster and stronger than Chad could keep up with. He was just toying with the human. "And if one of us humans were to kill your friend there?" he asked coldly.

"I might consider that sufficient proof," Ulquiorra replied matter-of-factly.

Ichigo nodded. He turned back to watching Chad, hoping he had another trick up his sleeve. A few seconds later, Yammy grew bored of playing with him. "Oh well, it's been fun, kid. Time to die!" He knocked Chad down, and raised an enormous fist, preparing to smash Chad's head into pudding…

"Santen Kesshun!"

… only to be stopped by a strong yellow barrier. Turning to his left, he saw an extremely rare sight – Inoue Orihime was PISSED!

"You knew from the beginning he was no match for you!" Inoue yelled angrily, making Ichigo's jaw drop. He'd never heard her angry. "You KNEW! You TOYED with him, anyone could see that!"

"Yeah, so?" Yammy asked. "He was going to die anyway; he should have known that the moment he faced off against me."

That was the wrong thing to say. "He is not going to die!" Inoue screamed. As a pacifist, she had been suppressing her anger for many years now. Ever since talking with Tsubaki, she had been struggling to get enough sleep at night, worried that she was holding her friends back, that she wasn't doing everything she could to keep them alive. Now, Inoue was too exhausted to push her anger away like she normally did, and instead kept it, and the perfect outlet was before her. "You need an example of our strength?!" she demanded of Ulquiorra. "Here's one for you! Tsubaki! Koten Zanshun!"

From her right hairpin, a black orb zoomed in front of her before forming a yellowish barrier to either side, resembling a very sharp boomerang and launching at high speed at Yammy. The Arrancar barely managed to move away in time to keep his head, and as it was, he lost his right arm. Blood began pouring as Yammy bellowed in pain.

Inoue's eyes glittered with satisfaction. "Again! Koten Zanshun!"

"Whoa!" Yammy ducked this time, with Tsubaki slicing off part of his long ponytail. He rushed at Inoue, who stood with her arms up.

"Santen Kesshun!"

Yammy couldn't stop in time and instead slammed into the shield that materialized in front of her. "Ow! How do you keep doing that?!"

"Koten Zanshun!"

"Damn it, bitch, stop it!" Yammy yelped, using Sonido – the high-speed Hollow technique – to escape the wrath of the crazy human. "Fine!" He used his remaining hand to swat Tsubaki… and lost a finger from the attempt. "Ow! Fucking whore!" He threw his fist up and charged a red energy, firing it at incredible speeds at Chad, trying to kill him first.

Inoue's eyes burned higher with rage at the insults. "Santen Kesshun!"

And once again, Inoue's divine shield appeared in front of Chad, holding strong against the bullet of energy, which blew up. When the smoke cleared, Chad was still fine. "How the fuck did you stop my Bala?!" Yammy demanded incredulously.

Inoue was quiet for a moment. "Trying to kill my friend again… was a big mistake, you cocky little bastard! Koten Zanshun! Tsubaki! Kill the son of a bitch!"

Sometime during Inoue's onslaught, Ishida had returned, and his jaw dropped, along with Ichigo's and Chad's. "Um, Kurosaki? What did I miss? Why is Orihime swearing?"

"I'm not entirely sure…" Ichigo confessed. "Chad was fighting Yammy and losing. Yammy was about to kill him. I was going to go stop him with Zangetsu, but before I could move Inoue had used her Santen Kesshun. And boy was she pissed! Her first strike cut off Yammy's arm, and it's been going on like this ever since. As for why she's pissed or swearing, I really don't know."

"Ichigo?" Chad began, walking over to his friends before sitting by a tree to recover. "I'm a bit scared…"

"Me too, Chad. Me too."

"I see," Ulquiorra mused. "Fear acts as assistance to survival instinct… And anger increases power at the cost of rationality. Interesting…"

After another minute of dodging, Yammy finally managed to pull off a Sonido that took him behind Inoue. His vicious backhand was caught by a partially formed Santen Kesshun, which absorbed most of the blow. However, Inoue was still knocked unconscious, which made her other powers fade and return back to her hairpins.

"Fucking whore took my arm!" Yammy stalked over, preparing to deliver the death blow, but froze in his tracks when he felt cold steel at his neck.

"I got no problems with finishing Inoue's job for her," Ichigo hissed, driving Zangetsu in at Yammy's neck. "But I want you to deliver a message for me to your master, Aizen. Don't fuck with us."

Yammy chuckled. "You honestly think your puny sword can cut me? Go on, try it, I dare you!" Ichigo slit Yammy's throat, and was surprised that only a very small cut appeared. Yammy elbowed Ichigo in the stomach, sending him flying back before turning around. "Surprised? All Espada have Hierro, our iron skin technique. Mine may not be at its best now that I'm away from Hueco Mundo, but you sure as hell aren't going to cut through it."

Ichigo scowled as he got up. _Fuck that hurt! I forgot that I'm not in Shinigami form; my human body isn't as strong! Good thing I used my reiatsu to dampen the blow… _"Maybe not as Zangetsu is now… but he won't be that way for long. Bankai!"

Reiatsu swirled around him, and his shirt was now replaced with the ankle-length coat his Bankai form normally wore. He gave a test swing of Tensa Zangetsu. "Want me to try again?" Ichigo asked with a cocky smirk. He remembered his first experience with Bankai – it began to tear his body apart, and that was when he was in Shinigami form. _I'll need to keep this short. _

Yammy laughed. "Go ahead! You couldn't –" he was cut off when he noticed that Ichigo was no longer there. Instead, Ichigo was behind him. Yammy blinked, and then noticed that he could no longer feel his left arm. He glanced at it, and saw it slide off his shoulder, cut cleanly off. Blood began to flow from there as well, and Yammy was now worried – he now lacked both arms, and with the amount of blood he was losing, he wouldn't be conscious for very long unless he ate a lot of Hollows and soon. For the first time, he envied Ulquiorra's high-speed regeneration.

"Is this sufficient demonstration?" Ichigo quietly asked Ulquiorra, though in the silence it was heard quite clearly.

"No," Ulquiorra stated immediately. "Currently, he is the weakest of the Espada. Defeat his Resurreccion form. At that point he is the strongest of us. Once you defeat that form, I will concede that you and your allies are capable of winning against Aizen."

"Resurreccion form?" Ishida asked, confused.

Ulquiorra gestured at his still-sheathed Zanpakuto. "The majority of our Hollow powers are sealed in our Zanpakuto. When we release, we regain it and take on traits of our original Hollow forms from before we became Arrancar."

Ichigo's eyes glittered maliciously as he heard those words and understood the situation more fully. "So you're saying we have possibly Aizen's most powerful Arrancar at our mercy right now?" Ulquiorra nodded without changing his expression. "Then why should we let him go?"

"You don't have a choice." Ichigo's eyes widened as Ulquiorra disappeared in front of his eyes, going much faster than even his Bankai speed. Yammy quickly used Sonido to follow suit. Ulquiorra opened a Garganta for Yammy and himself to escape before picking up Yammy's arms.

"Fuck!" Ichigo rushed at the Garganta, hoping to kill Yammy before he could escape, but his leg muscles tore painfully from the stress Bankai put on his body, sending him to his knees in pain.

Ulquiorra met Ichigo's eyes. "We will meet again… Kurosaki Ichigo." With that, Ulquiorra and Yammy were gone.

"Damn it!" Ichigo swore loudly as Ishida went to help Inoue. He released Bankai, returning Zangetsu to his Shikai state before letting his Zanpakuto dissipate into spirit particles again.

Chad got up with minor effort, releasing his own power as he approached Ichigo and offered a hand up. Ichigo took it, wincing as he put weight on his injured legs. "Ishida, can you carry Inoue?"

Ishida nodded, leaning down and picking up the unconscious woman, carrying her bridal style. "Yeah, I got her. She's surprisingly light."

Ichigo chuckled. "Just don't let Tatsuki hear you say that – she'd kick your ass for implying that you thought Inoue was heavy."

It wasn't that funny, but given what they'd just seen, it was enough to give the Quincy into chuckles of his own. "I'll keep that in mind," he finally managed.

"Chad, mind helping me? We're going to Urahara's," Ichigo ordered. "Actually, give me a minute, I might be able to heal myself."

Ichigo brought a hand up and tore the air in front of his face, summoning his mask. With his reiatsu now Hollowified, he sent a heavily substantial amount to both of his legs. Within seconds, they felt better, and Ichigo nodded to himself, removing the mask and crushing it back into spirit particles. "That's better."

"Why did you collapse earlier?" Chad asked as they began walking to Urahara's.

"And what did you do while you had the Hollow mask on?" Ishida continued.

Ichigo sighed. "Most Bankai, as you've probably seen, create some sort of huge effect, right? Like Renji's giant snake-like thing, or Byakuya's enormous cloud of lethal sakura petals?"

"OK," Chad acknowledged, gesturing Ichigo to continue.

"Well, their type of Bankai is called an expansion type according to Urahara. They're basically bigger, badder forms of their Shikai, but as a result they require an enormous amount of reiatsu to maintain," Ichigo explained. "Like Renji's Shikai is an extendable chain-sword type thing, and his Bankai has the same idea."

"But yours is different," Ishida pointed out. "Your sword actually shrinks."

"Yeah. I have a compression type Bankai. My reiatsu compresses on itself, making me stronger, faster, and overall a much more powerful fighter. It also doesn't take nearly as much reiatsu to maintain. However, the downside is that unless I train hard for it, my muscles rip from the strain of using that speed and strength," Ichigo revealed. "My Shinigami form is durable enough it doesn't happen anymore, but my human form is nowhere near that durable yet."

"That explains what happened," Ishida conceded, "but what about how you suddenly healed then?"

Ichigo smirked. "One of the benefits of my Inner Hollow. My particular Hollow has high-speed regeneration. I shunt enough Hollow reiatsu towards the injury and it heals itself up damn quick."

"That sounds useful," Chad commented.

"It is, but very costly on the reserves," Ichigo agreed. "I'm just glad I have such enormous amounts of reiatsu at my command."

They walked in companionable silence to Urahara's. A few minutes later, Inoue was awakened by some smelling salts that Urahara happened to have lying around, and Ishida filled her in on what happened after she feel unconscious. When he was done, he sat back. "How do you feel, Orihime?"

"I'm feeling… refreshed," Inoue replied after a moment of pause. "Sorry for snapping back there."

Ichigo gave her an incredulous look. "Sorry?! Don't be! You kicked ass back there, Inoue!"

Inoue blushed and poked her fingers together, looking down at her feet. "Yeah, well, I was tired and felt really, really mad…"

"I'll say!" Tsubaki manifested himself in front of her and looked exceedingly pleased. "Man, that was a rush! Keep that up and I might evolve soon!"

Inoue blinked. "Tsubaki? What do you mean, evolve?"

Tsubaki was in too good a mood to smack her for the question. "Did you think your Shun Shun Rikka would stay the same? Nah, the more we're used, the more powerful we become, and eventually we start doing more. Like your Santen Kesshun might start reflecting attacks instead of just blocking them. You already know your Souten Kisshun's ability – since you keep using it to heal, when you use it now it tells you more details on what's inside so you can be more specific on what you reject. Got no idea what the next one is though. As for me and your Koten Zanshun, who knows? Anyway, nice job back there, call me out again sometime!" With that, Tsubaki returned to the hairpin.

Chad was the first to speak after Tsubaki retreated. "Well, that was informative." Everyone nodded in wholehearted agreement. "Urahara-san, I need training," Chad suddenly said. "I couldn't even touch the weakest Espada, and he was here, away from Hueco Mundo."

"Hmm," Urahara considered. "The fastest way for you to improve would be to train against a Bankai."

"What about yours? Or Ichigo's?" Chad inquired.

"Mine?" Urahara shook his head. "Benihime is… not nice. No, my Bankai is not suitable to train you. Ichigo's Bankai is also not exactly suitable, as it makes him incredibly quick, your primary weakness." He paused. "On second thought, Ichigo's Bankai might be exactly what you both need. Ichigo, you mentioned that you need to train your physical body to be able to tolerate Bankai without falling to pieces, and Chad wants to increase his speed." He nodded. "Yes, that will work, especially as Ichigo is learning Kido as well. Tessai-san!"

"Yes, Urahara-dono?" Tessai poked his head out of the kitchen.

"On the nights Ichigo comes here, have him spend at least half the time fighting Yasutora Sado in Bankai mode."

"Yes sir."

"I want in as well," Ishida piped up. "It's been too long since I had my powers – I need to work on my own speed and the power of my arrows."

"A three-way battle on the nights Ichigo trains with us?" Urahara asked with mock surprise. The smile on his face gave him away however. "Sure, my training basement is open to you all."

"I'm battling too," Orihime said firmly.

This one really did surprise Urahara. "What? Are you sure you'll be able to keep up with them?" He shut up when he saw three very fervent nods coming from the three other battlers, and the nervous looks they kept giving Inoue. "You mentioned that she fought someone earlier. Did she really do that well?"

"She cut off an Espada's arm without even blinking," Ichigo said deadpan. "And kept him on the run and unable to get to her for several minutes while trying to hit him with Tsubaki."

"She kept using Santen Kesshun to keep him away from her and us, and kept Tsubaki after him so much that the Espada had to repeatedly use a high-speed technique to keep from getting killed. And she swore!" Ishida pointed out, who still couldn't believe that mild-mannered, always positive Inoue Orihime had had it in her to swear like that.

"He only got her by a lucky shot. If anything, she's going to be dominating our fights," Chad finished. "That Koten Zanshun of hers is wickedly fast. I know I can't dodge it yet. Ishida might, using the Quincy high-speed move, or Ichigo might if he can get his body to tolerate the high speed Bankai. Until then…"

Inoue was blushing severely by this point. "Yeah, well, it's not like I'm going to get that angry at you guys, and if you do get hurt I'll just heal you afterwards."

Urahara blinked, shocked. He blinked a couple more times before opening his mouth, and then closing it. He looked somewhat like a goldfish at that moment. "Well!" he finally said in a somewhat strangled voice. "A four-way battle royal it is then! Shall we go and begin?"

The four friends nodded as they retired to the basement. When they got down there, they split into four corners and individually prepared themselves. Ichigo summoned Zangetsu and went Bankai, Ishida formed his Quincy bow and began gathering reiatsu from his surroundings, Chad activated his Brazo Derecha del Gigante, and Inoue held her hands up to her hairpins and readied her focus so she could call out her moves when needed.

"I will heal any significant injuries," Tessai boomed. "Just do not try to kill each other."

Urahara looked around. "Ready? Begin!"

Ichigo couldn't go anywhere near his full speed in Bankai within his normal body for any significant length of time without injuring himself. Keeping that in mind, he rushed at Inoue at a speed that felt uncomfortable for his legs, but not so bad that his muscles would tear. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Inoue froze for a moment, and Ichigo began to regret going for her first. _She's not ready for me to attack her like this, _he began thinking, but then he saw her eyes flare back to life.

Inoue steadied her resolve. _Ichigo's attacking me only because I volunteered for this. This is to make us all stronger, and I want to help! _"Santen Kesshun!"

_Or maybe she is ready, _Ichigo amended, as he saw his attack crash on the shield, exploding. When the dust cleared, neither Inoue nor her shield was there. Ichigo blinked and glanced around.

"Koten Zanshun!" a voice said from behind him, to his side.

"Shit!" Ichigo barely made it out of Tsubaki's path in time. _Damn, she's wicked fast at that attack! _"You used the dust cloud to change position and nearly hit me. Nice!"

"Almost had you too!" Inoue said proudly, her Santen Kesshun already in front of her, ready to protect her from anything Ichigo could throw at her. "How does it feel to lose to a girl even with your precious Bankai?" she taunted.

Ichigo could hardly believe his ears. Innocent little Inoue, first fighting and now taunting?! _I guess every rose DOES have its thorns… _He was so caught up in his thoughts he was almost hit by one of Ishida's arrows, but he luckily sensed it in time and reflexively Shunpo-ed to the side. "Urgh!" he grunted. _And now my legs are burning… need to practice Shunpo too, got it. At least it's getting easier to draw on my reiatsu in human form. _

He looked up to see Chad charging in towards him. "What is this, pick on Ichigo day?" he asked in exasperation as he brought Tensa Zangetsu to block Chad's punch. While he succeeded in blocking the punch from Chad's right arm, which was armored and reinforced with enough reiatsu to only be slightly cut from Tensa Zangetsu, Chad's unexpected left fist caught Ichigo in the diaphragm, making air quickly flee his lungs. "Ooomph!"

"Every day is pick on Ichigo day!" Ishida yelled as he jumped in the air and fired several shots at once, aiming for Ichigo and Chad.

Ichigo disappeared and reappeared behind Ishida using Shunpo, ignoring the increased burning of his legs as his muscles cried for relief. "Is that so?" He swung Tensa Zangetsu as fast as he dared without having his arms give out, only to have Ishida disappear using his Hirenkyaku ability. Seeing blood on Zangetsu, however, Ichigo guessed he'd caught Ishida's arm as the Quincy had disappeared.

Ichigo kept standing in midair by pushing reiatsu into the air beneath him to make air a solid platform, so he had more room to maneuver. Seeing Inoue and Chad go at it – Chad's armored arm just hit Inoue's Santen Kesshun with no effect – Ichigo targeted them. "Ye lord. Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man," Ichigo murmured quietly to avoid attention. He skipped the rest of the incantation, having managed to master it thus far. "Hado 33: Soukatsui!" he finished with a yell, firing a large bluish fireball.

Both stopped attacking each other and glanced up, having heard the Kido. The nimble Inoue leapt away from the blast zone, her Santen Kesshun flying with her to shield from anything that might fly at her from within. Chad almost made it, but was caught by the edge of the explosion. He shielded himself with his armored arm, protecting his face and frowned, seeing Ichigo in midair. Chad charged up some of his energy and punched at the Shinigami in human form, firing an energy blast.

_I'd forgotten he had that! _Ichigo admitted to himself as he charged a large amount of reiatsu to his hand. He backhanded the blast, deflecting it away from himself, though his hand now hurt like a bitch for it. _Wait, where's Ishida? _

"Looking for me?"

_Shit! _Ichigo had to once again use Shunpo to dodge Ishida's arrow from point blank range. He did not escape entirely, however – the arrow had pierced his left side slightly. He turned and faced Ishida. "Getsuga Tenshou!" He followed his own attack, intending to power it further with Tensa Zangetsu, except Ishida once again used Hirenkyaku to avoid the move.

"Koten Zanshun!"

Ichigo cursed – he'd gotten so preoccupied with Chad and Ishida he'd completely forgotten that Inoue was capable of using her attack effectively now. His legs felt like they were on the verge of snapping, so he didn't dare try another Shunpo, so he tried to dodge the normal way. Sadly for him, without full use of his Bankai speed Ichigo wasn't able to completely dodge in time, and Tsubaki tore into his right bicep. He dashed at Inoue in retaliation, conjuring a Getsuga Tenshou on the way. He waited until point-blank range before releasing it while slamming his sword into Inoue's Santen Kesshun. To his satisfaction, he managed to destroy Inoue's shield, but he also left himself wide open for her kick, which knocked Ichigo onto his back, trying to recover from the brutal blow to the ribs.

"I was trained in martial arts by Tatsuki, remember?" Inoue reminded him with a cocky smirk that Ichigo thought probably would have looked more at home on his own face.

The smirk was wiped from her face when she was hit in the shoulder with one of Ishida's arrows, which sent her flying back and bleeding steadily from the wound. "You shouldn't let your guard down, Orihime!" Ishida scolded her.

"Neither should you!" Chad said from right behind him, punching him in the back with his armored arm, holding back enough so it wouldn't critically injure his friend. He imagined it still hurt like a bitch, though. Chad panted – he'd been doing a lot of running. His friends' attacks were incredibly fast, and he was bleeding from several spots where Ishida had hit him with an arrow, or Inoue had caught him with her Koten Zanshun. Ichigo's Kido would have left a mark if he hadn't shielded himself with his armored right arm.

Inoue got up shakily and decided to fire one more technique. "Souten Kisshun!"

Ichigo, who had been getting up as well, paused. _Why that technique? She uses that to heal… _Before he could do anything, he, Chad and Ishida were all within the same healing bubble.

"Wait, our wounds aren't healing!" Ishida pointed out.

Ichigo blinked and felt at his side where he'd been pierced by Ishida's arrow. "You're right," he agreed. He tried to exit, but was shocked when the barrier refused to give. "She's trapped us!"

Inoue fell to her knees with a triumphant smile. "Ha! I win!" And then she fell on her face, unconscious. The barrier faded away as soon as her concentration did, leaving her temporary prisoners to blink before rushing to her side to check on her. A small snoring sound reassured them that she was merely asleep.

"… Looks like she used up too much of her reiatsu," Ichigo finally said. The other two nodded in agreement. Even so, this was definitely Inoue's day to shine.

"I must admit, I was having trouble believing that Inoue had progressed so far," Urahara told them as he approached. "She did extraordinarily well." He smiled down at the unconscious girl. "You all have a lot of work to do. Everyone but Ishida-kun needs to work on their speed dramatically." Ishida smirked, pushing up his glasses. "But Ishida-kun needs to work on the power, speed and quantity of his arrows," Urahara continued, turning to look at him. "You barely pierced Ichigo with one of your best arrows, and that was when he wasn't in Shinigami form. I realize this is because you lost your powers for a time, but you still need to do it."

"Right," Ishida replied, having lost his cockiness at the critique.

Urahara turned to Ichigo. "You're making good progress in regards to Kido, but you still need to work on sensing reiatsu passively. Ishida-kun was right behind you and you didn't know it until he said something." He paused. "As a rule, you're not allowed to use your Hollow mask during these spars. I thank you for not doing so this time."

"Who do you think I am, Urahara? That hothead Renji?" Ichigo retorted rhetorically. "Of course I'm not gonna pull out the mask!"

Ignoring the response, Urahara turned to Chad. "Sado-kun. Your greatest weakness is, of course, your speed. I noticed that you used your armored arm for defense mostly, and your left arm for attack. Any reason?"

Chad was silent a moment. "This right arm, El Brazo Derecha del Gigante… I gained it when I followed in the footsteps of my Abuelo (Spanish for "Grandfather") and used my strength to defend others. I feel that his soul lives on in this arm, in my will to protect. That is this arm's purpose."

Urahara looked at him curiously. "And your left? What is your left arm's purpose?"

Chad shook his head. "I am uncertain. I feel that my left arm too has the ability to transform… I merely need to unlock it."

"Oi, Chad," Ichigo piped up. "If your right arm is your will to protect, maybe your left is your will to attack or retaliate? You were using it to attack us," he reasoned.

Chad turned away slightly, not quite in a negative way, but one that indicated he felt uncomfortable with the suggestion. "I have thought of that… If that is the case, I may never manifest it. I buried my will to attack in the dusty ground of Mexico when my Abuelo passed on."

"Then why not go find him?" Urahara suggested. "You have the ability to go to Soul Society now, you and your friends are welcome to come and go. Judging from what you say, I'm sure he passed on to Soul Society as soon as he saw that you had learned what he needed to teach you. It sounds like you need his guidance."

Chad looked up in shock, his sole visible eye behind his shaggy hair wide. It was obvious he'd never thought of that. He glanced at Ichigo and Ishida, both of whom nodded in unison. "If this is something you feel you need to do, then go find your Abuelo," Ishida told him sincerely.

"Take as long as you need," Ichigo agreed. "We'll pick up the slack in the meantime."

"Thank you." Chad's words, though short, were full of emotion as he bowed his head.

Urahara smiled. "I'll arrange for your travel to Soul Society. Do try to get some training done while you look for him."

Chad nodded. _Abuelo… I hope you are proud of me. _

_----------------------------------------------------------------------_

I had a lot of fun writing out this chapter! I realized while writing it that if Inoue ever were truly to snap, she'd be one REALLY scary girl. Anyone who can say "I reject your reality and substitute my own" and actually do it is someone to be feared. I've read a few stories where Inoue discovered other powers by using different combinations of her fairies, but I decided not to go down that well-trodden path and actually suggest that Inoue's powers evolve with her.

After going back through Chad's backstory with his Abuelo, and his rather violent tendencies as a child, I thought this was the perfect opportunity for some character growth. Ichigo found his instinct and desire to grow stronger for its own sake, Inoue found her will to attack... now it's Chad's turn. Chad, even in the manga and anime, recognized after the first fight with the Arrancar that he wasn't strong enough, and it was after training against Renji's Bankai for a long while that he managed to upgrade his right arm. It's unclear if he got his left arm before he went to Hueco Mundo. But seriously, someone should have noticed Chad's tendency to hit with his left arm and defend with his right! The ONLY time he uses his right arm to attack is when he needs the extra boost in power or when he's firing that spiritual blast.

Ishida is a little underpowered at the moment, I realize. He'll get stronger quickly enough - it's a matter of adjusting. The last time he had the power, he was using the Sanrei Glove, which trained him to gather spirit particles for his attacks at much higher rates, which is actually the basis of the Quincy Final Form - which, coincidentally, is what took away Ishida's powers to begin with. Inoue, when she healed Ishida's body, reverted his ability to gather spirit particles to better than before Ishida donned the Sanrei Glove, but not nearly as good his Final Form.

Now that I think of it, why the hell did the Quincy use the Sanrei Glove if they didn't have a way to effing take it off without losing all their power? ... maybe it was during the Shinigami/Quincy war, where Quincy purposely went Final Form and sacrificed themselves to take out various Bankai? ... I see a plot hole!

Anyway, as always, read and review!


	5. Backup

Hey guys, sorry for the wait.

Got some new terms for you.

Fraccion - These are Arrancar who serve under an Espada, and are usually more powerful than non-Espada.

Pesquisa - Arrancar ability. It acts as a sonar, finding and assessing reiatsu.

Chapter 5: Backup

Chad left the very next day, quietly eager to find his Abuelo. Upon having Soul Society, he paused. _I need to play this smart… _he reasoned. _I don't know much about Soul Society… maybe I can enlist a couple of friends to help? _

"Oi."

Chad blinked and looked down. Seeing a very familiar black cat, he smiled. "Yoruichi-san."

"It is good to see you, Chad. Kisuke told me why you are here, and I'm bored, so I thought I'd help you out," Yoruichi told him in her cat form's deep voice.

The large teenager nodded gratefully at her. "Thank you, Yoruichi-san. I appreciate it."

The cat jumped up onto a nearby fence and began walking. Taking the hint, Chad began walking behind her. "Soul Society is a big place, Chad-kun. How do you plan to find your grandfather?"

"I'm not sure," Chad admitted. He fingered a very special coin in his pocket – it was a Mexican coin that his Abuelo had given him, and he had used it as a constant reminder of his vow to never fight unless to protect others, a vow he had made the day his Abuelo was buried. "I brought a picture of him that I hoped to make copies of so I could post them periodically through Soul Society…"

"A decent start," Yoruichi judged. "But you should also realize that there is a chance he has already died here and passed on to the cycle of reincarnation."

Chad bowed his head. "I have thought of that. But if there is even the smallest chance for me to see him, I must try."

Yoruichi sighed. "Is there anything distinguishing about him? What's his name?"

"His name is Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa," Chad told the cat quietly. "Strong and lithe despite his age. Very self-controlled and kind, he'll take a punishment to protect those he cares for. Before he died he had short white hair and a mustache." He paused, taking out his wallet and presenting the many-years-old picture of his Abuelo. "About five foot nine, height-wise."

"Anything else?" the talking cat pressed hopefully. "A tattoo maybe?"

Chad took a moment to think, straining his memory. Eventually he nodded. "He has a large ornate rose tattoo on his left shoulder."

"Good. That will help in our search in the Rukongai."

"How large is Rukongai?" Chad asked curiously.

"There are eighty districts in the four cardinal directions," Yoruichi stated, jumping down from the fence.

"Three hundred and twenty districts?" Chad said incredulously.

"Like I said, Soul Society is a big place. Now come on, we need to make copies of that picture."

Shortly afterward, Chad carried a backpack filled with over a thousand flyers, all with a copy of Abuelo's picture and distinguishing information. "So, how do you want to start?" Yoruichi asked.

Chad looked over the map of the districts and pointed at the first district to the north of Seireitei, where the Shinigami lived. "We'll start with this one, and spiral around through the equivalent west, south and east districts," Chad decided after a few moments. "It may take longer, but we'll pick up a reputation, which will help if my Abuelo remembers me." He bowed his head. "It has been a decade."

Yoruichi leapt up and landed gracefully on Chad's shoulder. "I'm sure he remembers you, Chad-kun. Let's begin."

"Agreed." Chad began walking. _I'm coming, Abuelo. _

Meanwhile, in the living world, Ichigo was in school again. He frowned, deep in concentration as he once again practiced his ability to sense his friends. Ichigo knew he could use spirit threads, also known as spirit ribbons, to detect and locate them – he'd been able to do that since his early days as a Shinigami, even before his friends had discovered their powers. However, that was more of a tracking measure than a detection one – it required a short time to focus and manifest the threads to the point where Ichigo could see each individual one. As a result, it was impractical to use the spirit threads for general sensing purposes.

Ichigo nodded to himself as he once again located Inoue's unique reiatsu signature. _That was a little faster. If only my own reiatsu didn't get in the way! _He shook his head. _I just have way too damn much for my body to contain it all. _He sighed and started over, this time looking for Ishida's reiatsu.

Ishida Uryuu paid only the most minor of attention to the class himself – he was busy studying his colleague and rival, Kurosaki Ichigo. The Substitute Shinigami was growing incredibly strong, Uryuu had to admit. _He's only getting stronger. I refuse to fall behind… not when I have my powers back._

_But how do I grow stronger? Kurosaki's growth rate is inhuman! How can I hope to compare? He achieved Bankai, one of the hardest Shinigami goals, in two days! TWO DAYS! _Uryuu mentally slapped himself. _Snap out of it, Uryuu! It's not like you to succumb to despair! We're opposites, Kurosaki and I. He has power. _Oh, Uryuu could definitely feel the power – Kurosaki emitted more reiatsu naturally in seconds than some Shinigami had at their entire disposal. _But where he has power, I have control. _He narrowed his eyes and gently pushed his glasses up a bit, making them glint and become opaque from the outside. _Although he's been catching up in that regard, albeit slowly. _

Uryuu frowned pensively. _Perhaps I should do the same. I am already very strong in control. I am quickly regaining the ability to draw in greater quantities of spirit particles – I'm still not up to where I was with the Sanrei glove, but it's still better than I used to be without. Speed-wise, I am doing well with my Hirenkyaku. _His frown deepened. _But even with it, I am not even close to as fast as Kurosaki is in Bankai, in his Shinigami form. _

The Quincy shook his head. _I should not dwell on it. Kurosaki, Inoue and I will all improve in our skirmishes, and I am still training outside them. _With that, Uryuu turned his attention back to class, absently gathering and releasing the ambient spirit particles in the air in a form of mindless training he had conditioned himself to do.

Meanwhile, in Hueco Mundo, Yammy forced himself to sit still while an Arrancar medic reattached his arms. He seethed with rage at how he'd been humiliated by that little human girl and that orange-haired Shinigami._ I am an Espada! One of the elite! _To add insult to injury, Aizen had informed Yammy that he was not to have his arms healed until the next day, as punishment for… some reason that Yammy couldn't remember off the top of his head. He was too full of rage at the ones who had almost killed him to recall why he had been punished.

As soon as his arms were restored, he clenched his left fist angrily. "I'll kill that son of a bitch and his little whore," Yammy swore to himself. The medic fled, not wanting to die from Yammy's tendency to smash things – and people – when upset.

"Is that so?" came a new voice. Yammy turned to look, and saw a lithe, tall Arrancar with blue hair sticking up and back, whose mask remnant was on his right jaw. His Arrancar outfit was opened at the chest, revealing his Hollow hole. "You might be interested in something I'm putting together then."

"If it involves me killing that orange-haired Shinigami, Grimmjow, I'm in," Yammy agreed immediately.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez grinned, much like a large cat might when it has trapped its prey. "Great. My Fraccion will be joining us in a raid on the human world tonight." His feral smile widened. "We'll be killing everyone with even a modicum of spiritual power in that town. You can take on that Kurosaki Ichigo again if you wish – I'll just laugh as he tears you apart, and then I'll kill him."

Yammy growled. "He will die, even if I have to use my Resurreccion."

Grimmjow smirked widely. "Good. I want to see how good that human girl is… the one who kicked your ass."

"Just don't get in my way, Grimmjow."

"Nor you in mine, Yammy."

A dimension away, Captain Commander Genryuusai Yamamoto slammed his Zanpakuto, sealed as a walking stick, into the ground, the sound of which echoed through the hall where he and the rest of the loyal Captains of Soul Society were gathered. "Yesterday afternoon, two Arrancar attacked the human realm. Thanks to the Squad 12's Technology Bureau, we were able to scan their reiatsu."

A tall, laid-back looking man with long stringy black hair cleared his throat. He wore a pink flowered haori – a lightweight jacket that is worn over a kimono – over his Captain uniform. "Maa, Yama-jii," Kyoraku Shunsui began, "why is this unusual? We've met Arrancar before."

Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Captain of the 12th Division, was an odd-looking man with skin as white as a sheet, with glowing golden eyes and a strange piece of headgear that angled off to his right at a 90 degree angle from his body. His eyes and mouth were surrounded by black makeup, and he wore a large purple scarf around his neck. "These Arrancar were different," he began with a large smile. "The Arrancar we have seen before… they were unstable, incomplete. The ones that invaded yesterday stayed long enough for some of my scanners in the human world to get a good reading on them. These Arrancar are somehow stable." He grinned wider. "Ooh, I can't wait to get my hands on one of them, to experiment on them."

"You might get your chance," Hitsugaya Toushiro, Captain of the 10th Division, said coolly. He was extremely short, looking only 10 or 11 years old, in stark contrast to his sheer white hair, which stuck up in natural-looking spikes. "Given that Aizen has the Hougyouku, and the emergence of these new Arrancar, it's probable that he's the one behind them. It looks as though he's building an army."

"Hitsugaya-taicho is right," Ukitake Juushiro, Captain of the 13th Division stated. He was tall, and somewhat sickly-looking, as though constantly suffering from a hidden ailment. His long white hair fell behind his head, with exception of a few bangs that partially covered his right eye. "Aizen is working faster than expected. It is only lucky that Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends were able to repel them."

"Quite handily at that!" Zaraki Kenpachi said with a bloodthirsty grin. The Captain of the 11th Division was extremely tall, nearly six foot seven, even without his spiked up hair. His hair, oddly enough, had small bells at their tips, though the most noticeable thing about him was still his size and obvious strength. "Ichigo's getting even stronger! I can't wait to fight him again!"

Yamamoto slammed his staff down again. "Silence!" he commanded. "We were not expecting Aizen to attack so soon. We must send reinforcements to the human world, for the next time they attack, it will be in mass. We must keep as many Captains here as possible, however – we lack Captains for the 3rd, 5th, and 9th Divisions."

Kuchiki Byakuya, a noble whose expression had yet to change from the beginning of the meeting, stepped forward. His long, black hair waved gently about his shoulder as he spoke up, "I propose Abarai Renji, my fukutaicho, be among the search team – he is one of the few who have been sent to the human world in recent times, and he is well known by the Subsitute Shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo and his allies. Further, he has achieved Bankai."

"Impressive," Shunsui murmured. "He would seem to be an excellent choice. Perhaps we should promote him to Captain, to relieve one of the empty spots?"

Byakuya shook his head. "Not yet. He is not ready for the responsibilities of Captain."

"So be it," Yamamoto intoned. "Inform Abarai Renji-fukutaicho that he may select as many non-Captains as are available to go to the human world. One Captain of his choice may join him."

Shortly thereafter, Byakuya informed Renji – a fiery redheaded youth whose hair was style in a pineapple-type ponytail, and whose tribal-appearing tattoos reached up his neck and arm – of his mission, and Renji set out to find the two people he knew he'd want to come along.

"Oi! Rukia!"

The rather short adopted member of the Kuchiki royal family turned around from her training, her glistening white released Zanpakuto shining. Upon spotting her childhood friend, Renji, she smiled. "Renji! What're you up to?"

"I'm being sent to the human world, and I've been asked to create a team to serve as reinforcements against Aizen's forces," Renji told her quickly. "I'm to leave in about an hour. Want to come along?"

Rukia's smile broadened. _Ichigo… _"Of course, dumbass! I'd have kicked your ass if you had left without me!"

Renji chuckled. "Then come on, I have another person or two to fetch."

The black-haired girl merely sheathed her Zanpakuto, sealing it in its unreleased form again. "Lead the way."

Several minutes later, they came across the entrance to Squad 11's training round. Rukia blinked. "Who are we looking for again?" she asked, ignoring the many shirtless men fighting each other.

"The most bloodthirsty one here that isn't Kenpachi-taicho," Renji said with a smirk. "Howl, Zabimaru!" Renji's Zanpakuto warped and changed shape from the general katana of his unreleased form to a wide chain-sword with wicked spikes emerging from the top of each segment.

"Did I just hear a pineapple-haired hothead release his Zanpakuto?" an excited voice sounded from a ways away. A moment later, another tall, shirtless, muscle-bound man appeared in front of them. This one, however, was bald, and he wore a large grin reminiscent of Kenpachi.

Renji smirked. "Hey Ikkaku." He swung Zabimaru at him, and Zabimaru extended at Ikkaku, preparing to surround him, but the member of the 11th Division merely grinned wider and brought up his sword sheath to block in his left hand, his right hand already swinging to counter Renji.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Madarame Ikkaku yelled gleefully as Renji skillfully dodged out of the way, allowing Zabimaru to come back together.

"Sorry, Ikkaku, but I'm afraid there's no time to spar," Renji said, and he truly did sound regretful. "I've been asked to create a team to reinforce Ichigo and his pals from Aizen's forces – apparently they sent in a scouting team yesterday before Ichigo kicked their asses. Wanna come?"

Ikkaku thought it over for about a second and a half. "There's a good chance for a great fight?"

"Pretty damn good chance of that," Renji agreed.

"Then I'm in."

"I'll come along too," a self-absorbed sounding voice butted in. Renji turned around to see Ayesagawa Yumichika, a self-proclaimed pretty boy. Yumichika wore his hair in such a way that it framed his face, and he had colorful feathers on his right eyebrow and eyelash. "I'm rather interested in seeing what beauty products they have in the living world. Plus, I could use a good fight."

Renji shrugged. He didn't know Yumichika that well, but he figured the extra manpower could be useful. "Sure, why not?"

"Oh, what's this?" yet another voice stated from nearby, this one being a bit bubbly. Fights stopped everywhere as men began to stare and drool at Matsumoto Rangiku, whose breasts were so large that there was a betting pool on whether she had implants. Natural or not, Rangiku was not ashamed of her extremely large assets and instead showed them off with a slightly opened Shinigami robe.

Renji forced himself to pay attention to Rangiku's face and long, wavy, ginger-colored hair – while we was a red-blooded male, he WAS on a mission. For the third time in several minutes, he reiterated the situation.

"Oh really? Well, I want to come too! I'd like to see Orihime again… she's turning out to be quite some competition for me in this department," Rangiku said airily, folding her arms under her enormous boobs, enhancing their looks further.

Several men by that point had nosebleeds by that point and tried desperately to conceal them. Renji sighed, fighting off the urge to do the same. "Rangiku-san… please stop holding up your…." He felt a chill and paused, glancing at Rukia, who was staring at him with such intensity that he almost froze in place. "Er… your…." Renji could feel Rukia's killing intent now, and thought furiously, to look for a way not to get himself hit. _Honestly, she's scarier than her brother sometimes… _He sighed.

Rangiku blinked, and looked very innocent as she asked, "Holding up my what, Renji-kun?" She then leaned in for the answer, giving Renji quite an ample view if he chose to look.

In Renji's head, there was a war going on. One side of him told him to look and damn the consequences. A second side wanted him to simply finish his statement with as much dignity as he could and hope Rukia didn't beat on him too much. The third was screaming to run away before Rukia even thought he was considering looking.

WHAM! _Too late, _Renji thought to himself as Rukia smacked the back of his head. Fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on the point of view – he hadn't been prepared for it and so his back hunched forward, his head bent downwards… straight into Rangiku's massive mammary.

"Why, Renji!" Rangiku positively purred, putting her hands on the back of Renji's head, gently keeping him there. "So forward! I like that in a man."

Renji could feel Rukia's reiatsu flaring ever higher, her killing intent skyrocketing. _Oh fuck. _He quickly broke free and backed away from the two of them, his eyes wide and hands waving in front of him, trying to ward them off. "No, no, it was a mistake!"

"Oh, you didn't like it?" Rangiku pouted.

His traitorous tongue answered before his brain could intercept the response. "Of course I liked it!" _… Shit… _

"Reeeeeeennnnnnnjiiiiiiiiiiii," Rukia growled, drawing her sealed Zanpakuto.

"Um, Rukia? You can kill me later, we need to go back up Ichigo and his gang," Renji pointed out, hoping against hope that she'd give him a reprieve.

Rukia was silent for a minute. "Fine." She sheathed Sode no Shiraiyuki and turned away. Then she looked over her shoulder and added darkly, "But you WILL pay for that."

Renji wiped the beginnings of sweat from his brow. "Too close," he breathed.

Ikkaku clapped a hand on his shoulder, almost startling Renji – he'd practically forgotten the bald man was there. "Well, at least you got a good look," he whispered.

The redhead stayed silent. _When there is no good answer, say nothing at all if you wish to live, _he reminded himself, watching Rukia's tense form. He shook his head after a moment. "If Rangiku-san is coming, then we need someone who can handle her and make sure she doesn't kill me," he muttered. "Alright, everyone meet me at the Shinigami R&D Institute to get your gigai. I got one more person to get."

Several minutes later… "No," Hitsugaya Toushiro stated clearly.

"But Hitsugaya-taicho, how are we supposed to manage her?" Renji pleaded. "She doesn't listen to any male but you, and Rukia's not going to stop her because Matsumoto-fukutaicho outranks her."

"I refuse to go with you," the 10th Division Captain insisted. "It will be nice to have Matsumoto away for a short while."

"And do what, paperwork?" Renji retorted. "She IS a fukutaicho, after all, so she'll have to do paperwork too, and guess who'll have to do it if she's gone?"

Toushiro blinked. "You have a point," he said slowly. _Not to mention that she probably left everything for the last minute…again… _He nodded. "Very well, I'll come along, if only to avoid the paperwork."

Renji breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Kami!"

Ichigo sighed – class was finally over. _Now, let's see… I was at Urahara's for training yesterday, so today it's the Vizards' turn… _He nodded to himself and headed back home for a nap – he would need the extra sleep, as the Vizard would keep him up all night.

He climbed in through his window to avoid his father – Ichigo was extremely tired, and didn't feel like tussling with his incredibly annoying parent. He lied down in bed and closed his eyes, letting sleep wash over him like a warm blanket.

Little did Ichigo know that his sleep was going to be interrupted. Six Shinigami in gigais, all in their school uniforms – they had tried to catch Ichigo at school, only to be too late – approached the Kurosaki residence.

"Yeah, Ichigo's here," Rukia said with a smile. "Though if I didn't know better, I'd say he's exhausted, judging from the feel of his reiatsu."

"Nonsense," Rangiku argued playfully. "What could keep him exhausted?"

"Better question," Toushiro interrupted, somehow knowing that Rangiku was going to make a sexual answer to her own question. "How do we alert Kurosaki that we're here? Last I recall he was not proficient at sensing reiatsu signatures…"

Rukia smirked. "Let me." She quickly clambered up the tree and into Ichigo's open window – he'd forgotten to close it.

However, no sooner had she climbed in, did the orange-haired Substitute Shinigami appear in front of her, murder in his eyes as his strong hand gripped her throat and held her up. Rukia was shocked by the response, enough that she didn't react before Ichigo recognized her.

He immediately dropped her, where Rukia landed on her feet nimbly, rubbing her throat. "… Rukia?" Ichigo murmured, confused and tired. "What're you doing here?"

"Baka Strawberry!" Rukia yelled, somehow pulling a notebook out of nowhere and smacking Ichigo's head with it. "What was that for?!"

"Ow! At least give me a chance to explain before you smack me, you violent midget!" Ichigo retorted.

"I'll show you violent midget, you absurdly tall idiot!"

The Shinigami outside sweat-dropped from the shouting. "Renji, did you know that Rukia was this violent?" Ikkaku asked.

Renji shook his head, equally dumbfounded. "I thought she was only that violent to me, not Ichigo. She must be really fond of him."

If possible, the others sweat-dropped more as the sounds of a beating ensued. "… You call this fond…?" Yumichika asked in astonishment.

"Perhaps Rukia belongs in the 11th Division," Ikkaku offered with a shrug. "Having fun doing violence is our type of thing."

"But I thought the 11th Division frowns on Kido-type Zanpakuto," Rangiku pointed out. "Rukia's is an ice-type, like taicho."

"Get back on track, people," Toushiro ordered, lightly irritated. _I'm stuck with a bunch of so-called adults with the attention spans of a hummingbird… _"Oi! Kuchiki! Kurosaki! Get down here!"

They were down several seconds later, though Ichigo gave a very dirty look to an innocent-looking Rukia for a second. Then he turned to the others. "Renji? Mind telling me what's going on here?"

"Put simply, we're here as backup," Renji explained with a shrug. "We'll talk more in your room so we can't be overheard. Let us in."

Ichigo sighed. "Alright then, but hurry – I don't even WANT to think about what my father will think of this."

Thankfully, Kurosaki Isshin was nowhere in sight, so Ichigo managed to get them all into his room easily.

"Aaaaaaah!" a voice cried from the closet. "Nee-san!" Kon, a Mod soul that inhabited a lion plush most of the time, lunged out towards Rukia.

Without even looking, Rukia brought her foot up and stomped Kon to the ground. "Pervert."

"Nice angle," Kon said, looking up Rukia's skirt, completely unharmed. He was, after all, made of plush.

With a notable twitch above her left eye, Rukia repeatedly stomped on Kon before kicking him back against the closet door.

Ichigo merely sighed and shook his head. "Damn it Kon, can't you behave?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Then Kon seemed to spot Rangiku. His beady eyes grew large. "Oh sweet Kami, the land of the goddesses has appeared before me!" He lunged again, this time at Rangiku's ample breasts.

The shapely woman merely caught him and held him in front of her face. "Wait, is this a mod soul? You stuck him in a plush body?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Ichigo answered with a shrug. "I felt bad keeping him in pill form all the time. That, and he's good at stress relief, with no need to worry about injuries."

"I'm also quite good with pleasuring a woman," Kon told Rangiku, trying to entice her into letting him finally get sex.

Ichigo snatched him out of Rangiku's grip and threw him out the window. "Go take a walk!" he yelled after it. Then he shut the window and sat down on his bed. "So, explain."

"The Arrancar attacked early," Toushiro stated simply. "Yamamoto-soutaicho decided to send some backup, as it's almost certain they'll attack again, and soon."

"But why you guys?"

"Well, I was originally chosen to lead the team," Renji began, "as I have achieved Bankai and know you. Rukia came along because she knows you pretty well, and has recovered her powers. I asked Ikkaku to come with because I trust him. Yumichika-san and Rangiku-san overheard and decided to come too, and I invited Hitsugaya-taicho to help handle Rangiku-san and get away from paperwork."

"OK, I get all that…" Ichigo began, "… but when do you head back?"

"Probably not until the Arrancar threat is over," Renji responded with a thoughtful look on his face. "Why?"

"Where are you going to stay?"

"Well, here!" Rangiku replied, surprised he had even asked.

"You might not have noticed, but my room isn't that big," Ichigo told her dryly. "There's no way I can keep you all here."

"What?!" Rangiku cried out. "Then what good are you?"

Ichigo blinked. "You MUST be kidding. Don't you guys have things like rent in Soul Society? Here in the living world, people who take advantage of other people's generosity without giving something in return are known as freeloaders and are not respected."

Rangiku blinked, then reached up to start unbuttoning her shirt.

Ichigo's eyes widened, but he was too tired to stop her energetically like he would normally do. "Rangiku-san, stop," he said tiredly. "I'm the son and sometimes assistant of a doctor – you don't have anything I haven't already seen. And while I'm sure you could give me absolutely spectacular sex in exchange for staying here, that's not something I want or need right now." He shook his head. "Besides, even if I weren't a moral man, where would you stay in here? It's a rather small room. And I've done my best to make sure my family isn't involved in Shinigami business, so I can't just sleep on the couch until the Arrancar are gone."

Rangiku pouted at him but re-buttoned her shirt. "That was a different reaction that I usually get," she observed.

"What can I say, I'm an unusual guy," Ichigo told her dryly.

"Kurosaki has a point about the lack of space," Toushiro mused. "What about your friends?"

"Well, I'm sure Inoue would be happy to have a friend or two over…" Ichigo answered, thinking it over. "Chad and Ishida both live on their own… Ishida would say no in a heartbeat – he really dislikes Shinigami. Chad…" Ichigo shook his head. "Sorry, but Chad's place is really too small for more than one person. Try Urahara's."

Renji nodded. "That's where I'm going – I need to get answers from him anyways."

"I'm staying right here, in your closet like we used to," Rukia stated firmly, crossing her arms and doing her best to look stern.

As Ichigo nodded at the short brunette, Rangiku jumped at the opportunity. "You stayed in his closet? With no supervision?" She gave a knowing smile. "How forward, Ichigo!"

"It's not like that!" Ichigo protested. "This was after she gave me her powers, and had nowhere to stay! And besides, she's the one who insisted on it!"

"That was only because you needed to do my job and kill Hollows for me!" Rukia growled at Ichigo. _How dare he try to pin her on me?!_

"Yeah, and that's only because you didn't do your damn job to begin with and kill the one threatening my family!" Ichigo retorted.

"And who's the idiot who threw himself at the Hollow without any powers at all?!" Rukia argued. "Oh, right, you!"

"Midget!"

"Strawberry!"

"Hmph!" They both looked away from each other.

After a few moments, Ichigo turned to the others. "Ok, so Renji's gonna try to stay at Urahara's. Rukia's staying here. What about you guys?"

"Meh, we'll find a place on our own," Yumichika said with a shrug.

"Yeah, 11th Division members are tough – we'll sleep outside if we need," Ikkaku continued.

"I still want to stay here!" Rangiku said with a large smile.

Ichigo sighed. "There's no room for you here."

"I could stay in the closet with Rukia," Rangiku suggested.

Ichigo opened the closet, showing its small space. "It's barely big enough for her, and she's a midget."

WHACK! "I am not a midget! You're just abnormally tall!" Rukia argued, putting away her notepad.

Ichigo opened his mouth to retort, then sighed. "Whatever, Rukia."

Everyone blinked. "You ok?" the adopted Kuchiki clan member asked, uncertain of Ichigo's sudden unwillingness to banter.

"I'm fine… just tired," Ichigo reassured her. "Been doing a lot of training." _I'd best not reveal my mask… not if Soul Society banished the Vizard. _

"What kind of training?" Renji asked, curious.

Ichigo shrugged, and wordlessly summoned his Zanpakuto into existence. He hefted it up onto his shoulders with only his right arm, which had been growing much stronger ever since he started training in his human form. Noting the astonished looks, Ichigo smirked. "Zangetsu here told me I could do this one day, and I've been training without going Shinigami. Doing things this way helps build up my base strength and speed so when I do become a Shinigami, I'm that much faster and stronger without resorting to my reiatsu. Not to mention, it keeps me from being completely vulnerable if something happens to my badge." He let Zangetsu dissipate back into spirit particles. "Also been learning Kido, so Rukia can't just slap me with simple Bakudo and keep me down. I don't think it'll ever be my strong point, but I do need some knowledge of it."

"A wise idea," Toushiro stated, crossing his arms and looking at Ichigo appraisingly. _Perhaps he's not just a hothead like I thought he was. _

"You look stressed, Ichigo-kun" Rangiku purred, crawling up to sit next to Ichigo.

"Stressed?" Ichigo mused. "Yeah, I suppose I am. Constant training, worrying about Aizen…" He shook his head. "Maybe when Aizen's dead I can get a vacation…"

"There are other ways to de-stress, you know," Rangiku suggested.

Ichigo stood up. "That's enough," he said coldly, giving her the full force of his glare. "I've told you, Rangiku-san, that I'm not interested. You are not staying here, and you are not having sex with me. Understood?"

Rangiku froze and swallowed, feeling Ichigo's slightly-flaring reiatsu. Then her expression turned serious. "Understood, Ichigo-san."

"Good." He pointed at the window. "Now, out with all of you! Rangiku-san, Toushiro –"

"It's Hitsugaya-taicho!"

Ichigo ignored him. "You two should try Inoue's – I'm pretty sure she's got the room. The rest of you already have your plans, so get going!"

"Yeah, sure." Ikkaku and Yumichika quickly jumped out the window.

"Thanks for the tip," Toushiro told Ichigo in a rare display of appreciation before he turned and jumped out the window himself– he was particularly impressed at how Ichigo had managed to get Rangiku to respond to his authority, despite the woman not knowing him well and his lack of a proper position.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," Rangiku apologized.

Ichigo sighed and settled down. "You didn't, but I meant it when I said I'm not interested. Your repeated attempts just irritated me."

Rangiku looked him in the eye, looking for something. She apparently found it, because she nodded. "Some men try the hard to get trick to see if it helps get inside my robes. I just wanted to see if you were different."

Ichigo looked outside at the night sky. "Rangiku-san… I'll admit I do like to banter, especially with short stuff here…"

"Hey!"

"… but for future reference, I usually mean what I say. When I am teasing or bantering, I make it relatively obvious. You are attractive, but I am not interested in having sex with you." He gave a hollow – not Hollow – chuckle. "Not when there is so much I must do to make sure my friends and I don't get killed."

Rangiku nodded, and wordlessly made her own escape through the window.

He turned to Rukia. "Rukia, I'm tired, and I'm frustrated, and all I want is to get an hour or two of sleep before I get going for tonight's training. So please, for the love of Kami, do me a favor and just keep quiet in your closet?"

Rukia took a closer look at Ichigo's face, and saw the small circles slowly forming under his eyes from lack of proper rest. She nodded silently and quietly set up the closet, which did not take long – Ichigo had left it as it was from when she was originally sleeping there.

"Thank you." Ichigo said gratefully, flopping back onto his bed.

_**You know, Ichigo… we will fight again soon. **_

_Yeah, in five days. _

_**If you don't take care of yourself, then I'll win and take over your body. **_

_I know. _

_**It'd be easy to do it now, when you're exhausted and can't fight back, King. **_

_I suppose it would. _Ichigo turned a mental glare at his Inner Hollow. _But our pride wouldn't accept that. We both want to fight when we're at our best, to see who's stronger. We agreed on two weeks, and you're desperate enough for a good fight to wait until then. _

A dark laugh resounded in Ichigo's head. _**You know me too well already. **_

Ichigo was silent for a moment. _Tell me… what is your name? I can't just keep referring to you as Hollow, now can I? _

_**If I have a name, I don't know it. **_

Finding himself interested in the topic, Ichigo fought to stay awake to continue the conversation. _Then what about other Hollows? How do they know their names? I mean, there's Grand Fisher – you can't tell me that's his original name as a Plus soul._

Ichigo received the mental equivalent of a shrug. _**Not sure, King. I think, when the Hollow consumes the Plus and gains dominance, he creates his own name based on his powers. **_

_If that were the case, what about that Yammy, and Ulquiorra?_

_**How do you know Aizen didn't name them? **_

_Suppose you're right… _With that, Ichigo drifted off to sleep, uncaring that Rukia was likely watching him – it reminded him of better times, when life was simpler, where Rukia guided him and Ichigo slew Hollows for her… where there were no knowledge of grand conspiracies, no knowledge of Aizen, no knowledge of the weight that now lay directly on his and his friends' shoulders.

In his mindscape, however, Hollow Ichigo looked perturbed. Summoning out the spiritual form of Zangetsu, they stared at each other for a few minutes. **"How did you learn your name?" **Hollow Ichigo finally asked.

Zangetsu merely smirked and shook his head.

That frustrated the Hollow enough for him to scowl, looking even more like Ichigo than he normally did. **"No, really, how? You're an effing sword! Who named you?" **

"Zanpakuto are born from the strength and will of the wielder's soul," Zangetsu eventually said. "I have always been with Ichigo, though he will never know. I have grown and matured as he did. Eventually, his soul whispered a name, and I realized as though I had known it all along, that it was my name." He looked into the Hollow's amber eyes. "Give it time. You will soon learn your own name." 

Hollow Ichigo was hardly satisfied by that answer, but before he could question Zangetsu further, the spirit had dissipated into black spirit particles and flown back into his midsection. **"I suppose I will just wait, then… I wonder what my name is? I hope it's kickass!" **

Outside, Rukia silently watched Ichigo's breathing slow, hidden in the closet, until she was sure he was asleep. She leaned back in the closet. _Ichigo… you've changed…How can you have changed so much, in so little time? It has been barely any time at all since I've seen you, and yet you've matured so much. _In the darkness and safety of knowing that Ichigo would never see it, she allowed her expression to change to worry. _And you're training yourself to the bone… _She felt the stirrings of guilt grip her. _I shouldn't have brought you so far into my world. You're a mortal human… you haven't died yet. You should have been allowed a normal life. _

Rukia looked sadly at her human friend through the crack between the closet door and the wall. _When nii-sama pierced your soul sleep and chain link, you could have stayed human and returned to your life. And yet, when you had that chance, you chose to take up the mantle of Shinigami again. I'm glad you saved me, and I'm grateful you are going to lend your power to fighting Aizen, but I can't help but wish that on that day, I had been strong enough to protect your family from that Hollow, and never brought you into my world. _

She sighed, thinking about what could have happened if that night had gone better. _Who knows, maybe that would have changed everything? There would have been no need for me to recover my powers, so I would never have gotten that gigai from Urahara. Then I would never have had the Hougyouku hidden in my soul, and Aizen wouldn't have gotten his paws on it. He wouldn't have openly betrayed us all without a way to create his Arrancar. _She shook her head. _I shouldn't think about what-ifs… There is only the present we live in, and the future we shape. _

Once more, she looked at her orange-haired friend. _Ichigo…I don't think this town will need to worry, with how strong you are becoming. _

Outside, high in the sky, those few people with spiritual awareness could see a tear in the sky, like jaws suddenly being forced open. From that black opening, several figures stepped out. Yammy was first, followed directly after by Grimmjow and his Fraccion – Arrancar of lesser strength who serve the Espada.

Yammy punched his right fist into his left palm. "I can't wait for my rematch with that orange-haired Shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo!"

"Then shut up and help us search for him. According to Ulquiorra's report, there are only a few beings with significant reiatsu here," Grimmjow said. "So let's use our Pesquisa."

All the Arrancar closed their eyes and pulsed with their reiatsu.

All of a sudden, Rukia's Shinigami cell phone rang, at the same time Ichigo's Shinigami badge screamed "Hollow!"

"Son of a bitch!" Ichigo swore as he woke up, mildly refreshed from his short nap. He smacked himself with his Shinigami badge, letting his human body fall back to the bed. "Rukia!"

"I know!" Rukia was already in her Shinigami form as she opened the closet door, shutting it behind her. She leapt out the window, Ichigo right behind her.

Ichigo frowned and reached out with his spiritual sense, feeling beyond the haze of his own reiatsu. The fact that he could immediately feel something undeniably Hollow, yet almost Shinigami, made him wary. "There's at least one really strong Arrancar out there!"

"You sure?" Rukia yelled back.

"Positive, I've faced them before, and this reiatsu is definitely similar!"

"Damn it! It's still daylight, there are humans to worry about!" Rukia cursed.

"Then let's hope they're still Hollow-like in their behavior," Ichigo stated grimly. "They should come after the ones with the most spiritual power. I'll give them something to focus on. Rukia, you make sure the other Shinigami are ready to protect those with even a modicum of reiatsu."

She nodded, seeing the tactical strength of that plan. "Right!"

They both Shunpo-ed away in different directions – Ichigo towards the Arrancar reiatsu, and Rukia towards Renji and the others.

Grimmjow opened his eyes. "There are far more than Ulquiorra reported!" he growled. "Kill everyone with any reiatsu at all! Massacre them!"

"Yes, my liege!" Grimmjow's five Fraccion Shunpo-ed in various directions… towards Ishida's house, Urahara's store, Inoue's house, and a street where Ikkaku and Yumichika were walking.

"You don't order me around, Grimmjow," Yammy retorted. "But I'll go after Kurosaki. Maybe if I feel like it, I'll help you out."

"No need to look for me, Yammy." Yammy spun and saw Ichigo, with Zangetsu in Shikai, looking at him coldly. "I'm already here. You want a rematch? Fine. I'll purify you with Zangetsu here and send you on to Soul Society." He smirked. "I'm sure you'll make a fine Shinigami one day."

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Yammy roared, deeply insulted by the insinuation that he would ever become his most hated foe.

"Simple, the same way I'm going to kill you without going Bankai," Ichigo boasted.

"Ha!" Yammy laughed with a smirk, "Did you forget? Your measly Shikai can't cut me!"

"Wanna bet?" Ichigo rushed at Yammy, relishing the feel of his increased speed and strength. _That training in my human form really paid off. _Ichigo wasn't as fast he had shown Yammy in his human Bankai state, but it was still significantly faster than Ichigo had been in Shinigami Shikai before his training.

Yammy was arrogant, but he had felt Ichigo's power first-hand previously, and he wasn't completely stupid. He knew that Shinigami were much stronger and faster than humans typically were. He also knew that before, when he had claimed that Kurosaki Ichigo couldn't cut him, Kurosaki had increased his power and done just that. Further, his Hierro was weakened in the human world.

So, perhaps wisely, Yammy used Sonido to disappear and reappear behind Ichigo, left arm already raised for a vicious backhand that he felt would surely take Ichigo's head off. However, he hadn't taken into account that Ichigo had only used his right arm to swing Zangetsu, and his left arm was free.

Ichigo brought his free arm up and blocked Yammy's strike before spinning and using the spin's momentum to slice with Zangetsu once more. This time he struck true. Yammy, being off guard from Ichigo's block, failed to move completely out of the way and was struck in roughly the same place he had struck Ichigo's forearm, slicing partway into it before Yammy could Sonido backwards, out of range.

Ichigo and Yammy, separated by a dozen meters or so, stared at each other for a few seconds, each of them analyzing their wounds. _That really hurt, _Ichigo realized. _I think my bone cracked there. Gotta be careful – he's too strong to simply block, and I don't want to reveal my trump card yet. _

_He can cut me with that sword, and he's fast, _Yammy thought to himself, his anger boiling. _How dare he make a fool of me, an Espada! How dare he bring me down so low! _

A laugh distracted them both as they turned to see the source of the noise. Grimmjow merely laughed more. "See, Yammy, I told you he'd kick your ass again! And look, he hasn't even gone Bankai yet! Why don't you go try to go kill that human girl again, the one who took your other arm? She might be easier prey!"

_**You're kicking his ass without going Bankai? Way to humiliate him, King! He has no chance! **_Hollow Ichigo crowed.

_I'm trying to provoke him into using his Resurreccion, _Ichigo explained. _If I can beat him then, then we can get Ulquiorra on our side, and use Aizen's own creation against him. _

_**Oooh, I like that idea. Poetic vengeance, for stealing Soul Society's Captains to use against them. **_

_I thought so too. _For once, both Hollow Ichigo and Ichigo's emotions and mental expressions were identical – a sadistic glee.

"That's it, I've had it with both of you!" Yammy bellowed, his mighty rage making his reiatsu flare.

"Wait, is he getting bigger?" Ichigo asked incredulously. Indeed, where Yammy had been large, and about six and a half feet tall before, he had now grown to ten feet tall and showed no signs of stopping. Yammy's Arrancar uniform stretched and stretched until the part covering his torso ripped to shreds. Finally, Yammy seemed to stop at fifteen feet tall. "What the hell?"

Suddenly, a Garganta opened nearby, and Ulquiorra stepped out. "Yammy. Return to Hueco Mundo at once."

"What?!" Yammy asked, not believing his own ears. "But Ulquiorra, I was about to annihilate this bastard!"

"No, Yammy. You are not fully prepared for your fight with Kurosaki," Ulquiorra countered tonelessly. "I wish to see the true outcome of your battle when you are at your strongest, Yammy, and that is in Hueco Mundo, after you have devoured sufficient Hollows to maintain your Resurreccion state."

Yammy slowly began to deflate with a sigh, his anger dispersing. "Yes, Ulquiorra." He sullenly entered the Garganta.

As it was closing, Ulquiorra looked Ichigo dead in the eyes. "We will see each other soon, Kurosaki Ichigo." And then the Garganta was closed, leaving only Grimmjow and Ichigo.

"Well, wasn't expected Ulquiorra to butt in," Grimmjow muttered. "But hey, that means I get to fight you myself!" He grinned. "Nice to meet you, Kurosaki Ichigo! I am the Sexta (Sixth) Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez!"

_**Ooh, I like him. **_

_That's cuz he sounds like you. _

_**Of course! Why else would I like someone? **_

Ichigo readied his blade, and Grimmjow frowned. "I want a true fight, Kurosaki. Use your Bankai – I guarantee you'll need it against me."

Ichigo scowled, reaching out with his spiritual sense… only to confirm Grimmjow's words. Grimmjow was on a whole new level from Yammy, with incredibly strong reiatsu. "Fine then, Grimmjow." He threw out Zangetsu and flared his reiatsu. "BANKAI!"

------------------------

And there we have it, the opening to the first fight between Grimmjow and Ichigo. Let's see how it turns out!

I can't just use the manga as a storyline - what would be the point of an AU then? I'm trying to speed thigns up, make a few changes, give the characters more, well, Character.

Read and Review!


	6. Release

OK, sorry for the long wait. Been a bit busy. Sadly, it's going to be a bit longer before the next one. Still busy.

New terms:

Numero - Spanish for "Number". A Numero is an Arrancar, and the number following it indicates when it was created. For instance, Numero 15 was created before Numero 16. There are different rules for 1-10, however. Those are known as the Espada, and their numbers indicate rankings of strength.

Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach, I would be rolling in the dough right about now, and not worrying about college or paying bills.

Chapter 6: Release

"Dance, Sode no Shiraiyuki!" Rukia glared at the Arrancar in front of her as she spun her glistening white Zanpakuto, its long ribbon flowing its wake. Cold air blasted in every direction as Sode no Shiraiyuki twirled in her hand.

"Oh, a release already? I'm honored, bro," the Arrancar in front of her said sarcastically. He was tall, with extremely long, bone straight blond hair. His Hollow hole was barely visible in white Arrancar outfit, while the remains of his mask was on top of his head. His face, framed by locks of hair, was very effeminant, and if it wasn't for his voice, Rukia would almost mistake him for a girl.

"Just what I was looking for, an enemy to practice on," Rukia taunted back.

"The Shinigami's got bark, let's see how she bites," the Arrancar replied with a mocking smile. "Arrancar Numero 15, Yylfordt Granz!"

"I see no point revealing my name to someone who will shortly be dead," Rukia retorted coldly. Quickly reversing her grip on her beautiful Zanpakuto, so she was holding it upside-down, she used Shunpo to rush at the Arrancar.

"A forward rush? How predictable," the Yylfordt drawled, falling back into a position to block and deflect. He was therefore surprised when Rukia appeared behind him, not attacking at all.

"Some no mai, Tsukishiro (First Dance, White Moon)!" She slashed to her side, not even trying to hit him.

Yylfordt blinked as a whitish glow erupted in a full circle around him, but then felt a numbing cold crawling up his feet. Glancing down, he saw ice growing up his feet as what looked like snowflakes and ice particles flew upwards from the ground.

Rukia was still standing behind him within the circle's influence, expression as cold as the air around her with her sword held out to her side. Then she straightened and left the circle, turning to smirk at Yylfordt.

Yylfordt merely jumped backwards with some effort, breaking the ice's hold on him. "You really think freezing the ground, and the air above that circle, will trap me?" he asked incredulously. "You must be really weak, Shinigami, to expect me to not notice the air around me getting colder too!"

Rukia's smirk turned to a frown as she returned her grip back to right-side-up. "You were caught in it for a short time," she pointed out. "Considering I'm not even a seated officer, you must be the weakest of the lot."

Yylfordt grew angry. "You've got a lot of nerve saying that!" He rushed at her, drawing his sword and preparing to slice her in half.

Rukia parried with a spin, slicing at Yylfordt's unprotected head. To her surprise, instead of jumping back or blocking, Yylfordt crouched, lowering his head enough so Rukia only caught the barest ends of his hair. As the raven-haired Shinigami's sword whizzed over the Arrancar's head, Yylfordt made a vicious stab. Rukia attempted to dodge, but was skewered in her left shoulder.

She winced as she jumped back, feeling out the wound with her reiatsu. _It's not too bad, _she realized. _I can still use my arm. Hmm, he seems to like up close. Let's see how he handles long distance. _Jumping in the air, she threw her good arm up and gently put her left hand on her right forearm. "Hado 31: Shakkaho!"

Yylfordt saw the red fireball, and for a moment he felt intense rage. _RED! _He mentally snarled before regaining himself and trying to dodge. His momentary distraction cost him, however, as he was hit in the arm, burning him.

"Hado 31: Shakkaho!"

He narrowed his eyes, once more feeling the rage as the red color almost overwhelmed his sight, and dodged. "I've had it with you!" He clutched his Zanpakuto. "Skewer, Del Toro!"

Smoke engulfed the Arrancar momentarily, and when it cleared, a monster stood in its place. Now hunched over, Yylfordt's feet had transformed into hooves, and his legs had grown enormous. However, this was nothing compared to his torso, which had broadened a good five feet, and thickened to more than two and a half feet from back to front. Yylfordt's shoulders had bone-like plates covering them, and his arms looked much like his legs. His mask had completely regenerated, covering his head and growing two horns, curved and long. Yylfordt's long blond hair remained, but was now scraggly and waved behind him. He resembled nothing so much more than a demented bull.

Rukia smirked, seeing the transformation. "Your Zanpakuto name is 'Of the Bull?' Now I know why you transformed. You can't stand the color red, can you?" she questioned with a knowing look.

"Shut up, you annoying little bitch!" Yylfordt bellowed, his voice slightly deeper.

"Hado 31: Shakkaho!"

Yylfordt roared and charged on all fours, attempted to skewer – hence the command line of his Zanpakuto – Rukia on his horns. He blasted through the Kido like it was nothing, not even retaining a burn.

Rukia merely jumped over his head and spun around, waiting for Yylfordt to turn around. _Slow turn-around speed in that form… Let's check. _"Hado 31: Shakkaho!"

Once again, Yylfordt tried to run her down, but this time he leapt up in the air to leave that option not available to the nimble Shinigami. This time, though Rukia used Shunpo to her left. Yylfordt, sensing Rukia, kept running and turned around that way.

Just as he finished turning around, he felt the flame of another Shakkaho blast hit him. "Ha! Your attacks are nothing, Shinigami!" Yylfordt crowed, rushing once more at his hated foe.

Unseen through the smoke, Rukia quickly stabbed the ground in front of her, creating the white circle again. She then rapidly punctured the icy earth four times in a semi-circle around her and took a battle stance, turned to her right side with both hands on the hilt in such a way that she could thrust forward strongly. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren (Next Dance, White Ripple)," Rukia murmured as ice particles flew upwards from the holes in the ground.

An enormous blast of ice erupted from her Zanpakuto in a straight line in front of her, hitting and encasing Yylfordt, who on his part looked shocked from the unexpected new attack which had dispelled the smoke a moment before.

Rukia turned on her heel, eyes closed. "Your killer's name… is Kuchiki Rukia," she announced as she spun Sode no Shiraiyuki once more and slowly sheathed it. At the moment that the hilt hit the sheath, the ice, and Yylfordt, shattered.

She opened her eyes and frowned, calling up her spiritual sense. She ignored the increased throbbing her injured shoulder alerted her to, and instead looked for her redheaded friend. _Renji's over at Urahara's… The others can handle themselves. _She leapt into the air and disappeared using Shunpo to go aid her friend.

Renji merely sighed – his opponent wasn't as strong as he'd expected. "Is this really the best you have, D-Roy?"

"Shut it you stupid monkey!"

A tic appeared over Renji's eye. "Howl, Zabimaru!" he yelled, swinging his Shikai extra fast this time. D-Roy barely blocked with his own Zanpakuto, which was chipped by Zabimaru's repeated attacks. Renji swung the hilt to his side, bringing Zabimaru swinging around him, only for him to pull it straight down. The extending blade fragments ripped forward and through D-Roy's Zanpakuto, embedding the spike from the end piece into D-Roy's head, silencing him forever.

Renji sighed and resealed Zabimaru into his normal form, sheathing him just as Rukia arrived. "You're uninjured?" Rukia asked, mildly surprised.

"Meh, this guy was a pushover. Not nearly what I expected," Renji said with a shrug. "You?"

"My shoulder, but nothing that can't wait," Rukia answered.

"How many more are there? I suck at sensing them…" Renji muttered.

"Only three," Rukia said after a moment, doing the equivalent of a spiritual headcount. "Your friend Madarame-san is fighting someone, with Yumichika-san nearby." She frowned. "It feels like Madarame is hurt, but Yumichika is not fighting at all. Hitsugaya-taicho and Matsumoto-fukutaicho are both fighting, and somewhat injured."

Renji nodded. "That sounds about right."

"But why is Yumichika-san not fighting?" Rukia demanded.

"Pride," Renji said simply. "Shinigami of the 11th Squad fight their battles one on one. To do otherwise is to brand yourself a coward. Ikkaku is probably just fighting with his sealed Zanpakuto to draw out the fight."

Rukia shut up. She knew very well about fights for pride. _Stupid men and their damn pride… Damn it, Kaien-dono, why did you make that fight one of pride? I could have saved you. _She pushed back the memories of Kaien, and Ukitake's explanation of the difference between a fight for life and a fight for pride. "In that case, let's go help out Hitsugaya-taicho."

Renji glanced over his shoulder at the Urahara shop, where he still hadn't gained entry. His face hardened and he turned back to Rukia. "Lead the way."

In a flash of Shunpo, they were gone.

_A few minutes ago… _

Hitsugaya Toushiro's typical uncaring frown had only grown deeper since he had begun fighting. He was fighting a tall Arrancar who had introduced himself as Shawlong Kuufang. The Arrancar in question had a bit of a long face, with braided black hair. His Hollow mask remnant resembled a hat that Toushiro had seen Mayuri wear, as it jutted out to Shawlong's right. However, Shawlong's mask remnant also went over his left eye.

Toushiro had already released his Bankai, Daiguren Hyourinmaru, which allowed him to control water and ice, even water vapor, in the vicinity and form it into attacks. In Bankai mode, ice grew out into surprisingly flexible wings and a tail. His left arm from his shoulder down, and his legs from the thighs down, were covered in ice and ended in claws. Ice in the shape of a dragon head also encased his right hand, binding his Zanpakuto to it. There had been three flowers with four petals apiece hovering behind him, but during the fight one of the flowers had melted. _Two more flowers to go before I lose my Bankai… And yet, even without releasing, this Shawlong can fight me to a draw. If this keeps up, I'll have to release the limiter. _

Shawlong calmly looked at the Captain of the 10th Division. "It looks like one of your flowers has completely melted away… I wonder, is that a countdown? You are, after all, still young. Your Bankai is likely not quite mature."

Toushiro silently seethed. _Damn it, I will grow up eventually! Why can't you just get a damn growth spurt, stupid body! _

Shawlong paused and looked over his shoulder. "Hmm? Looks like Yylfordt has released. He released rather quickly… he likely underestimated his opponent." He gave a polite smile to Toushiro. "I suppose I should release as well. After all, to defeat a Shinigami Captain without releasing would be rude and disrespectful of his accomplishments."

_Shit! _Toushiro rushed in, preparing more reiatsu for a gamble. He lunged at Shawlong, attempting a fast and powerful stab.

"Mmm?" Shawlong deflected Toushiro relatively easily, shifting him to the side and slashing partway into the Captain's wing. "Was that all?"

"No, it wasn't!" Toushiro growled. Unseen behind Shawlong, Toushiro's ice tail had extended as the Shinigami had dashed, now it lashed out!

Ice and Arrancar reiatsu collided, causing a small explosion of smoke. _Did it work? _Toushiro wondered, retracting his tail back to himself. He didn't dare rush into the smoke – he wasn't good at fighting blind. "Shit," he uttered, once the smoke cleared, revealing a mostly unscathed Shawlong.

Shawlong's hand and Zanpakuto had been frozen together, as he had blocked Toushiro's sneak attack with them behind his back. "I must say, Captain, I find myself disappointed," Shawlong stated simply as he flexed his arm and hand, shattering the ice and freeing himself. "Is this all you have? And look, two more petals have fallen… Allow me to defeat you while we are still at our best – Snip, Tijereta."

Reiatsu swirled around the Arrancar, coming off in streams around him as Toushiro desperately tried to think of a way to defeat this opponent. When Shawlong emerged, his arms had thinned and become covered with a bone-like substance, which extended to his shoulders and upper torso, resembling an upper armor. The mask had also lengthened to cover the entirety of the left side of Shawlong's face, while the back now had a long cord-like extension with two curved blades on the end.

However, the most drastic things that had changed were Shawlong's hands. Instead of the human they had been, now they were the stuff of nightmares. Five long, bony, incredibly sharp-looking claws emerged from each wrist. Extended, each claw was easily the size of Shawlong's entire torso.

"Hmph." Shawlong mused.

Toushiro blinked. Then immense pain struck him – there were five long, heavily bleeding, gouges in his body. Shawlong had attacked in an instant and returned to where he was.

_Shit. _He created some ice from his surroundings to try to staunch the bleeding, steadying himself to defend. He quickly did a spiritual scan of his surroundings. _Looks like Kuchiki and Abarai are on their way…_Toushiro's eyes widened as he brought his right wing to cover his side, just in time to block another slash from the deadly daggers that were Shawlong's fingers. The wing broke, but regenerated quickly with Toushiro's concentration. He slashed at his attacker, only for Shawlong to back away.

Toushiro glanced down at his fukutaicho, Rangiku. She was lying on the ground, moderately hurt, trying to recover, while her opponent – a rather rotund Arrancar – stood and watched Shawlong. Rangiku subtly held a cell phone in her hand. She looked up at him, a silent question in her eyes. _Do we need the limit release? _

Toushiro gave the barest of nods as he locked eyes with her. _Yeah. Make the call. _

Quietly, Rangiku sent a text to Soul Society. _Now we just have to hold on till then…_

"You know, you really should be more wary of your surroundings," a familiar voice stated coldly.

The fat Arrancar spun around to see a white-garbed man, with a spirit bow in hand and arrow right in his face. Ishida Uryuu released the arrow directly into the Arrancar's eye, obliterating the Arracar's head, sending blood and brain fragments flying before everything but blood dissipated into spirit particles.

"Do I know you?" Rangiku asked.

"Ishida Uryuu, Quincy," Ishida introduced himself. "You probably know me as one of the Ryoka who infiltrated Soul Society not long ago."

"Matsumoto Rangiku, Fukutaicho of Squad 10. No offense, but I thought Quincies hate Shinigami."

"Yes…" Ishida turned to Shawlong, who was eying him with mild interest. "… But I hate Hollows more. And the Arrancar are Hollows with Shinigami powers."

"So you hate us most of all," Shawlong completed dryly.

Ishida merely looked coldly at the Arrancar, raising his bow once more. In a blink of an eye, the Quincy had fired a shot of reiatsu. It was effortlessly deflected by Shawlong, who rushed at Ishida with a speed surprising the young man.

Regardless, Ishida managed to use Hirenkyaku to evade, reappearing a distance behind from Shawlong. With some concentration, he managed to fire several shots at once.

This time, Ishida only narrowed his eyes when Shawlong disappeared from view, and used Hirenkyaku again, knowing that the Arrancar had used some high-speed technique to dash to Ishida's side. He was not a moment too soon, as Shawlong's claws passed where the Quincy had been the barest of moments before. _Fast! _Ishida realized. _And powerful too. _He suppressed a smirk. _This is like fighting a calmer Kurosaki. _

And Ishida knew how to fight Kurosaki Ichigo. He fired a powerful shot before using Hirekyaku to disappear and reappear around Shawlong, firing arrows from as many directions as he could manage, anticipating how the Arrancar would dodge. _Kurosaki Ichigo is a melee fighter, with only one distance attack. The same goes for this Arrancar. If I can keep the range too far for him to strike, then I've won! _

"You seem to have some skill," Shawlong admitted carelessly, using Sonido to evade a tricky spot where Ishida had cut off most avenues of escaping. "As you are a ranged fighter, you naturally have some advantage over me…" He used Sonido again, aiming to slash Ishida, who disappeared before he could be cut. "The problem is, if a melee user is stronger than your arrows…" He cut through another of Ishida's arrows. "…and just as fast as you, if not faster…" He Sonido-ed right in front of Ishida, who used Hirenkyaku once more. Shawlong took chase, appearing right in front of a surprised Ishida. "We enter melee combat." He cruelly sliced downwards with his right hand, cutting Ishida's left arm off as the Quincy activated Hirenkyaku again.

Ishida winced as he reappeared, reaching with his remaining arm into a sack of emergency medical supplies he kept around, just in case, and injected his shoulder with a medicine that would slow blood flow to the missing arm for about twenty minutes. Even so, he didn't have any melee weapons, and using his bow and arrow required both hands. As much as Ishida hated to admit it, he had lost. The best he could do right now was go find Inoue and get himself healed, then rejoin the fight.

The last Quincy used Hirenkyaku yet again, this time appearing beside Rangiku. "Rangiku-san, you were staying with Inoue, right? Where is she?"

"I haven't seen her yet – I was about to knock on her door when the Arrancar arrived, and we lured it away. I imagine she's still back at her place," Rangiku replied, surprised at the question. "Why?"

"She has extraordinary healing abilities," Ishida replied. "Think you can handle the fight until we can tag-team him?"

The Arrancar watched, only to be caught by complete surprise to feel an icy-cold Zanpakuto stab into and through his neck. "Did you forget, Arrancar?" Toushiro asked, his voice as frigid as the Antarctic. "I am your opponent!" With that, he slashed out, severing Shawlong's head from his neck.

Renji and Rukia appeared at that moment, just in time to see Shawlong die. "Looks like you didn't need our help after all," Renji muttered.

"Your help would have been appreciated, if you had gotten here before Ishida Uryuu," Toushiro stated, releasing his Bankai… and suddenly spurting blood from his old wounds, the ones he'd taken and covered with ice previously in the fight. He fell silently from the sky, only to be caught by Rangiku.

"Quincy-san, please take us to Inoue-san!" Matsumoto Rangiku pleaded.

"Follow me," Ishida ordered, leaping into the air towards Inoue Orihime's house. The Shinigami followed.

"Ishida!" Rukia gasped. "Your arm!"

"My arm will be restored by Inoue," Ishida reassured her. "Besides, I have already mostly stopped the bleeding. I am fine, though I will not be for long."

Beep beep! Rangiku's cell phone rang. "Your request for limit release has been approved!"

Rangiku carefully shifted her captain to her shoulder as they ran, took out the cell phone, flipped it open, and roared into the earpiece. "You're too late! We had to get one of the Ryoka to bail us out!"

"Then you really didn't need the release, now did you?" an oily voice stated.

"Damn you, Kurotsuchi-_taicho_!" She said the ending "-taicho" with extreme sarcasm.

"Now, now, Matsumoto-san, there's no need for profanity," Kurotsuchi Mayuri admonished. "Everyone's still alive, aren't they?"

"No thanks to you!" Rangiku spat before hanging up.

Everyone landed on the road outside Inoue's house. Unsurprisingly, she was waiting for them, having sensed them coming. "Everyone who's injured, lie down," Inoue ordered gently. As soon as Rangiku set Toushiro down, and Ishida lay down next to him, Inoue brought her hands to her hairpins. "Souten Kisshun."

Two lights flew out from her hairpins, settling on opposite sides of the wounded. Inoue frowned in concentration as she carefully rejected Toushiro's injuries, and restored Ishida's arm and blood. She took a deep breath and released when she was done, letting her fairies return to her hairpins. "There, they should be fine now."

Ishida nodded, getting up and stretching his arm. "Thanks, Orihime." _Just as good as the original! Her powers are unreal. _

"It was no problem, Uryuu," Inoue replied with a smile.

"What about taicho?" Rangiku asked worriedly.

Inoue turned her smile to the big-breasted woman. "Don't worry, Rangiku-san. He's been healed – he just needs some rest to recover his reiatsu."

"I hate to impose… But I suppose I have no choice. Do you mind if we stay here for the time being?" Rangiku asked. "We're on a mission from Soul Society."

"Sure!" Inoue chirped. "It'll be great to have a couple of guests!"

"You better stay ready for more," Ishida warned. "There are more fights going on."

Inoue's expression sobered. "I know. Kurosaki-kun is strong, and has his special self-healing technique – would you mind checking on the others before you go to him?" She, too, was hesitant to reveal the nature of Ichigo's Hollow powers to members of the Gotei 13.

Uryuu nodded without hesitation, crouching and then disappearing through the Quincy high-speed technique.

Meanwhile… CRASH! Ichigo had quickly grown used to the increased speed of his Bankai and kept on the offensive, leaving Grimmjow to block and counterattack as best he could. He and Grimmjow had been fighting up close and personal for several minutes now, and to his consternation, Grimmjow had been blocking and fighting with his bare hands.

Grimmjow grimaced as he was forced once again blocked his opponent's vicious slash with his arm, leaving a small cut as the Espada lunged forward to try to strike a punishing blow into Ichigo's abdomen, only for Ichigo to disappear using Shunpo. "I never thought I'd fight someone who was as fast as me," Grimmjow complimented, using Sonido to appear behind Ichigo, his hand striking forward to smack the orange-haired Shinigami's head for a spin.

Ichigo dodged to the side, spinning with a smirk. "Is this the best an Espada has to offer?" he taunted as he swung Tensa Zangetsu. His slowly developing reiatsu sense alerted him to a severe drop of Hollow reiatsu in the town, and his smirk grew into a smug smile. "Oh, would you look at that? Most if not all of your subordinates are dead!"

Grimmjow gave a manic grin. "Who cares about them?! They were weak, and gave up the journey for Vasto Lorde! We Hollows aren't like you weak Shinigami! We always look out for number one, first and foremost!" He parried a slash and retaliated with a kick, which was deflected by Ichigo's left hand.

Ichigo jumped back, and predictably, Grimmjow followed. With a smirk, the Shinigami swung Tensa Zangetsu down with both hands, bellowing "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Grimmjow was too close to dodge, and he didn't have enough time to counter. All he could do was block. He threw his arms to cover his face as the black crescent of destructive energy struck him. He silently began charging a Cero.

Ichigo, wanting to completely surprise his enemy, rushed in and slammed Tensa Zangetsu, another Getsuga already charged, onto the Getsuga Tenshou that Grimmjow was struggling with.

_Now! _Grimmjow twisted his hand, a blue orb held in his palm, his blue eyes narrowed. "Cero!"

The highly concentrated beam of light blue energy punched through a portion of Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshou and caught the Shinigami unaware as he was hit in the chest. He jumped back and fell to one knee in midair, still supported by the platform of reiatsu that kept him up in the air with Grimmjow. Part of Ichigo's coat had been destroyed, and his upper torso was burned quite badly, with some blisters already forming. _Son of a bitch, that hurt! I'm just glad my Getsuga took some of the blow for me! _

However, Grimmjow did not emerge completely unscathed either. He had been hit dead-on by the Getsuga Tenshou, which had been boosted by Tensa Zangetsu for an admittedly short duration. His forearms had been deeply sliced and burned in several places from the nature of the Getsuga Tenshou, and even then some of the blast had hit his chest, burning both him and destroying part of his uniform. His arms hurt quite a bit to move, much to his displeasure. _I'll need a day or two of rest to heal this up… or use my Resurreccion. _"Well, fuck. You're better than I thought, Shinigami."

Ichigo straightened, gripping his sword tightly. "So are you," he admitted. _He hasn't gone Resurreccion yet. If he does, I'll need to bring out the mask. I wasn't expecting to need it so soon! _He scowled. _But I'll never get a better chance to kill him. He's away from Hueco Mundo, so he's weaker than he normally would be, and I've already injured him. Every Arrancar we kill decreases Aizen's forces. _

Ishida appeared in a burst of Hirenkyaku then, bow in hand. "Kurosaki."

"Ishida," Ichigo greeted. "Be careful. This guy's speed and strength matches my Bankai, and he still hasn't used his Resurreccion. I'd stay away if I were you."

The Quincy's eyes widened. _Even I can't keep up with that, especially after the training Kurosaki's been doing! _"Very well, Kurosaki." He jumped back, well out of the way of any possible blast zone.

"That's better – one on one's always been more my style," Grimmjow said with a smirk as he slowly drew his sword.

Ichigo tensed – Grimmjow struck him as a primarily hand-to-hand fighter, and Ulquiorra had said that Hollow powers were primarily stored an Arrancar's Zanpakuto. _He's gonna use Resurreccion! _"You sure you should be doing that here?" Ichigo asked, stalling for time. A sudden brainwave hit him. _If Ulquiorra came and retrieved Yammy, then this attack probably wasn't sanctioned by Aizen. He wouldn't cross Aizen unless he knew he was safe. _"I mean, surely your master Aizen or his subordinates will be upset knowing that you came on your own?"

"How do you know I didn't come on his orders?" Grimmjow bluffed.

Ichigo laughed. "The attack, it wasn't planned out! If you had really wanted to kill us all, you would have picked us off one by one before we could regroup, slaughtering us with overwhelming power of multiple Arrancar. The way you did this is something like I would have done, going half-cocked and unprepared! I mean, look at you! Your subordinates are all dead! There's only poor little you, against me, my friends, and all the Shinigami in this area when my friend heals them up!"

Grimmjow's scowl rivaled Ichigo's trademarked one. "Shut up! Prepare to see my true form, Kurosaki Ichigo!" Grimmjow moved quickly, drawing his sword across his body with his right arm, and bringing his left arm down to rake his nails across it.

Ichigo tensed his hand, prepared to call out his Hollow mask. His fingertips began to emit small black tendrils of the sinister reiatsu, too small for any but Ishida to detect. "You know, unleashing your Resurreccion will only alert your masters of your transgression!" Ichigo taunted. "After all, I doubt that they wouldn't detect a rise in your Hollow reiatsu, when in your unreleased state you can match my Bankai!"

"They can't beat me, I'm King!" Grimmjow argued, his anger getting the best of him.

"Is that so?" Ichigo asked sarcastically. "Then what number Espada did you say you were? The Sexta Espada? In other words, you're the sixth Espada. Meaning there are five others who are stronger than you, not including Aizen! You? King? Ha!" He laughed derisively. "King of what? Your subordinates? They're dead! King of yourself? You're a follower of Aizen! You're King of _nothing!_"

"I've gotten stronger since I got that rank," Grimmjow growled, gnashing his teeth together, his fingers tense as they ground slowly on his Zanpakuto. "I'm on the same level as Ulquiorra, the Quatra Espada."

"Then why haven't you fought him for the rank?" Ichigo challenged.

"Because Aizen forbids it," Grimmjow answered angrily. "And even a King needs to know his limits, so he can surpass them and eventually kill those stronger than him!"

"And what makes you think Aizen won't kill you when he realizes you're approaching his power?" Ichigo demanded. "After all, he fancies himself a King too, and Kings put down insurrections!" He grinned. "And then you'll _never_ become Vasto Lorde!"

Grimmjow snapped, letting his reiatsu flare. "GRIND, PANTERA!" he screamed in rage.

A teal reiatsu flashed, almost blinding Ichigo. When he blinked, he had just enough time to see the changed form of Grimmjow before the Arrancar attacked. Grimmjow's blue hair had lightened slightly, and lengthened to his knees. His body had grown even slimmer and lither, and now bore a white form-fitting type of armor. Grimmjow's mask fragment had changed as well – it was no longer on his jaw, but now appeared as a sort of crown. The Arrancar had also grown a thin, whip-like tail, and his forearms had grown wickedly curved blades reaching up towards his shoulders. Worst of all, Grimmjow was completely healed.

_Oh fuck! _ Ichigo did his best to Shunpo out of the way, but even then Grimmjow's now-black hands and feet were acting like claws, and managed to dig deeply into Ichigo's side. Trying not to wince at the pain, Ichigo wasted no time and brought his left hand across his face and summoned his Hollow mask. _And my time starts now, _he thought to himself. _**"You're not the only one who can power up, cat-man,"**_Ichigo taunted before flashing out of sight.

Grimmjow blinked, before his body reacted to an incoming blow that he was pressed to match. Blocking the strike with one of his claws, Grimmjow tried to slash him with the blades on his right arm, only for Ichigo to flash out of sight again and strike from the other side. Grimmjow used Sonido then to completely evade Ichigo's slash, instead appearing behind Ichigo and viciously slashing Ichigo's back, ripping the rest of Ichigo's coat off of him.

Barely feeling the pain and already sending some of his immense reiatsu to his injuries, Ichigo used the momentum Grimmjow had given him and whirled, giving another vicious-looking slash.

Grimmjow caught it with his bare hand, his Hierro allowing him to do so with only small cuts. Of course, he had reinforced his Hierro from his own pool of reiatsu, but he was hardly going to tell Ichigo that. "Do you see now?!" Grimmjow demanded. "I am King!"

Ichigo's Hollow-like amber eyes glowed with determination. _**"Getsuga Tenshou!"**_

Tensa Zangetsu was now surrounded by the enormous destructive power of Ichigo's Hollow mask-enhanced attack, and Grimmjow was caught unprepared. Getsuga Tenshou, combined with the empowered Ichigo's added force using Tensa Zangetsu directly, proved to be too much for even Grimmjow's enhanced Hierro to combat entirely, and the Arrancar's left hand/claw was sliced badly, cutting through the palm and into the arm itself. His hand was now useless until it could be healed.

Grimmjow let out a yell of pain even as he retaliated with cruel kick to Ichigo's ribs. _Damn it, I forgot he had that attack! But damn, this Shinigami – no, not Shinigami…_Grimmjow leapt back with narrowed eyes to narrowly dodge yet another slash. _His reiatsu feels like a Hollow's too. Yet he was undeniably Shinigami before he put on that mask… _"What are you?!" Grimmjow demanded. "You are Shinigami, but you feel like a Hollow!"

Ichigo growled as he took the chance at a brief reprieve to direct more reiatsu to his ribs – Grimmjow had broken at least two in that kick. His Hollow mask somehow dulled the pain normally, but he knew it would impact his fighting if the ribs weren't healed and quickly. _**"Me?"**_he asked, his dually-layered voice sounding even more dangerous and creepy than usual, _**"I am your executioner!" **_

"Not today," a new voice sounded. Both Grimmjow and Ichigo turned to see Tousen Kaname – one of the Shinigami Captains that had betrayed Soul Society with Aizen – step out of a Garganta, which closed behind him. Tousen was a tall, thin, black man, dressed similarly to the Arrancar uniform, and he wore a translucent silver visor over his pupil-less eyes. He had let his brown hair fall down and behind him since his time in Soul Society, and he did not look pleased. "Grimmjow, return to Hueco Mundo. Aizen has heard of this pathetic jaunt." Tousen ordered firmly with a frown of distaste.

"Fuck you, Tousen! This Shinigami has wounded me in my released form! He must die!" Grimmjow howled.

Tousen looked at Ichigo with a new light. _To be able to fight on even grounds with the Sexta Espada's released form by himself… _"Then he is strong. Even so, he will die if he attempts to fight Aizen-sama. Now return to Hueco Mundo – perhaps the intelligence you've gathered here today will stay Aizen-sama's hand."

"You should be more worried about yourself, traitor." Ishida had used Hirenkyaku to appear right behind Tousen, his most powerful arrow yet cocked and ready. He released… only for the ex-Captain to have spun and blocked with his unreleased Zanpakuto. _Fuck he's fast! _Ishida used Hirenkyaku again, barely escaping from Tousen's retaliatory strike.

Ichigo took advantage of the blatant opportunity and used Shunpo, trying to stab Tousen with his Hollow mask-enhanced speed and power. Grimmjow, however, blocked his path. "Your fight is with me!" Grimmjow growled.

"_**Fine then! Ishida, think you can handle the other guy?" **_

Ishida pushed up his glasses, readying his bow and cocking back another spirit arrow. "I'm more than willing to try."

Tousen shook his head. "You are all going to die regardless of this fight. There is no justice in pointless slaughter." He held his sword up. "Cry, Suzumushi."

Ishida's eyes widened as his quickly used Hirenkyaku to retreat out of range of the familiar attack. Trusting Ishida's judgment, Ichigo quickly did the same, appearing at Ishida's side. _**"Why'd you jump back?"**_Ichigo questioned, not seeing anything.

"Some sort of sound attack," Ishida replied, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "He used it against me back in Soul Society, and it knocked me out instantly. I remember it being a very high-pitched sound, barely within my hearing range."

"_**Sounds at certain pitches can do odd things to a person's body. I imagine that the sound was at the right frequency and volume to mess with your eardrums and brain, causing unconsciousness," **_Ichigo deduced. _**"Judging from how it hasn't hit us, it must have a range limit."**_

"Yes, that makes sense… the sound will lose energy as it travels in the air, thereby changing the frequency and decibel level," Ishida concurred. "I would surmise that the range depends on how much reiatsu he puts into the attack. However, since sound is a wave, the drain must be exponential, so as long as we keep our distance, we should remain unaffected. I wonder how he isn't affected by his own attack?"

"Indeed," Tousen confirmed. "An excellent analysis – I must admit, I didn't expect you to figure it out so quickly. You initially seemed like battle-loving fools like Grimmjow here, and Kenpachi." He picked up the now-unconscious Grimmjow, who hadn't known of Tousen's power and therefore hadn't bothered to try to evade. "I admit that if I were to try to fight the two of your together, there is a good chance I would lose. It is only logical that I then retreat." A Garganta opened behind him, and began to step into it.

"_**Oh no you don't!" **_Ichigo roared, dashing with all the speed of his Hollowified Bankai form._** "Getsuga Tenshou!" **_At the same time, Ishida fired another arrow right behind Ichigo's attack, aimed a little off center so Tousen wouldn't anticipate its true path.

Tousen blocked the Getsuga with some effort with his Zanpakuto, and deflected the arrow with his left hand. He merely smiled. "I make up for my blindness with my ability to sense reiatsu. I have, in effect, 360 degree vision. Until next time." The Garganta closed then.

Frustrated, Ichigo fed more Hollow reiatsu to his wounds, making sure he was fully recovered before he removed and crushed his mask. "Well, we've repelled this invasion, and now I know I'm about the equal of the Sexta Espada if we both go all out," Ichigo muttered.

"No you're not," Ishida countered. "You didn't fight in Hueco Mundo, where his powers are amplified."

Ichigo blinked and scowled. "You're forgetting, Ishida, that we're playing on our home field, and we never have to leave it. They are the ones who have to invade us, not the other way around."

"Perhaps," Ishida conceded, "but we should not underestimate them. You fought the sixth Espada to a near draw, but that means there are five Espada more, not including Aizen and his two Shinigami subordinates. They also have the advantage of being able to create more Arrancar than we can recruit others, and Soul Society is unlikely to send more reinforcements. They need to protect their own turf."

"The next time they invade, they'll send the fifth or higher Espada…" Ichigo realized. "And we are so few, it's almost impossible for us to be on watch 24-7…" he continued the thought soberly.

_**I could do it, **_Hollow Ichigo volunteered. _**All I would need is control of your body. Hollows rarely need sleep, and you know just as well as I do that I'm better with Zangetsu. **_

His host scowled harder. _No. You'd immediately take the opportunity to become King, and force me to be the horse._

_**Maybe you're right, maybe not. You'll never know unless you let me… **_Hollow Ichigo's mocking laughter echoed as he retreated from Ichigo's consciousness.

Ichigo brutally quashed the sudden doubts. "We don't need to be on watch all the time," he corrected himself. "I have my badge and the Shinigami have their cell phones."

"Right," Ishida nodded, wondering why Ichigo's scowl had grown. After a few moments, he shook his head. "We should return to Orihime."

Ichigo took a few moments to gaze at where the Garganta had been, lost in thought. "Yeah." The two of them disappeared as they used their respective high-speed techniques.

Shortly thereafter, they met up with Inoue, who smiled. "Everyone's doing just fine now," she informed them. "Hitsugaya-taicho is resting, having exhausted himself. Rangiku-san, Rukia-chan, and Renji-kun are with him, waiting to talk to you. Madarame-san was here for a short while, but after he was healed he and Yumichika-san left. They apparently are staying with Keigo!"

"Well, that's weird… wonder how they managed that?" Ichigo mused. "Anything else to report, Inoue?"

Inoue shook her head. "No."

"Suppose I should go see the others then… You wanna come too, Ishida?"

"I suppose I should, in order to be completely informed of what's going on," Ishida drawled, pushing up his glasses a bit, making them glint and become opaque.

"Alright. Inoue? Mind restoring my clothes?"

Inoue blushed, only just realizing that Ichigo's torso was bare. "I'm seeing you too often like this," she scolded. "I'm getting used to seeing you shirtless! Souten Kesshun!"

Ichigo merely shrugged as he felt his Bankai outfit restore itself. "Sorry," he offered.

"Don't be, I know it's not your fault," Inoue replied softly, the restoration complete. "Wait in the living room, I'll get the others."

Ichigo and Ishida glanced at each other and sat down on opposite sides of the nearby couch. A bare minute later, the Shinigami – a tired-looking Toushiro among them – came out.

"Matsumoto!" Toushiro called out, his normally commanding voice sounding more his age as he fought his fatigue. He failed to hold back a yawn, which had both Rangiku and Inoue fighting not to squeal and glomp him for his cuteness. "Just tell me what's going on. Who healed me?"

"Inoue Orihime did, taicho," Rangiku replied, all business. "As for what's going on, having been your fukutaicho for so long I know that you prefer to work out the plan if any complications hit."

Toushiro nodded. "Yes, and this definitely qualifies. A taicho and his fukutaicho were unable to defeat even the lower-level Arrancar without releasing our limiters, or calling for aid."

"Limiters?" Ichigo questioned.

"Every fukutaicho and taicho have limiters put on them when they enter the human world," Renji answered. "It's to keep us from unnecessarily affecting people with our reiatsu. It essentially locks away eighty percent of our power."

"It can be released in times of need, but if we do it without permission from Soul Society, then it can be grounds for prison term," Rangiku continued.

"Well, even prison term's better than dying," Ishida reasoned. "Why didn't you release when you were so severely injured?"

"It was broad daylight, and my power actively causes snowstorms when I'm in Bankai," Toushiro told him deadpan. "I need Soul Society to create a barrier around me while I'm in human world to keep my reiatsu from affecting the weather. Alerting the general populace about Shinigami existence is grounds for execution."

"Let's move on," Ichigo suggested. "How about we compare notes first, to see what the overall skill level was of the Arrancar?"

Rukia nodded. "I faced Numero 15, Yylfordt Granz. He was strong in body, but I discovered his weakness through a lucky break early on and killed him."

"Even that would've been better than the one I got," Renji muttered. "I got an Arrancar named D-Roy. Numero 16. He was an unseated officer in power level. He was definitely a subordinate. I barely had to use my Shikai."

"My opponent was Numero 14. I didn't get his name. He was about 3rd seat or so in power, and I was unable to defeat him in my limited state. He never had the chance to release his Zanpakuto, so I don't know where his true power was." Rangiku summarized with a small blush of embarrassment.

Everyone turned to Toushiro. "Numero 11, Shawlong Kuufang. He was approximately fukutaicho level before his release. After it he was low-taicho level," he stated emotionlessly.

"Is that a small difference in power by your standards?" Inoue questioned.

Rukia shook her head. "No. Seated officers typically have minor variations in power, a slow climb. The two big steps are the fukutaicho and taicho levels. Fukutaicho typically have their Shikai, which is better than one without by about three or four times. A requirement of becoming a taicho is to achieve Bankai, which increases a Shinigami's power between five to ten times from their Shikai, usually closer to ten times."

"A drastic increase indeed," Ishida murmured.

"What about you, Kurosaki?" Toushiro inquired.

Ichigo sighed. "Espada 6, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. He was their leader, and was incredibly strong, especially after he released."

There was a hush as the others took in that he'd faced such a high-level Espada already. "Did you manage to kill him?" Renji asked after a minute.

Ichigo shook his head negatively. "No. I might have managed eventually, but a Shinigami named Tousen interrupted the fight, knocked him out with his Shikai attack, and took him away."

"How strong was the Espada?" Toushiro demanded.

"Let me put it this way. I was in Bankai, with no limiters, and he was keeping up without releasing," Ichigo informed him. "Considering that before my recent training, I managed to defeat Kuchiki Byakuya…"

"Mid-taicho level," Rangiku breathed. "How powerful was he after his release?"

Ichigo shook his head. "He made me look like I was no faster than a human child. And he was strong, very strong."

"How did you keep up?" Toushiro questioned with narrowed eyes. "You did say you might have won eventually, had there been no interference."

"I have my secrets," Ichigo said evasively. "Let's just say it's a power none of you have. After all, I don't see you just giving out the powers and weaknesses of your Shikai and Bankai, Toushiro."

"It's Hitsugaya-taicho!"

"Ichigo, you're among friends," Rukia coaxed. "Besides, you're not really part of the Gotei 13 – Yamamoto-soutaicho can't touch you, and even if he wanted to, you've got friends in high and low places."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at Toushiro, who stared right back. It was a contest of wills. "I want your word as a Shinigami taicho that you will not tell anyone unless I give you permission."

"Kurosaki!" Rangiku exclaimed, scandalized.

"Do you know what you are asking of me, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Toushiro asked softly, yet coolly. "The fact that you are asking at all tells me that this is a secret that the Gotei 13 should know."

"No offense to you, Toushiro –"

A tic formed on Toushiro's forehead. "Damn it, it's Hitsugaya-taicho!"

Ichigo focused his fierce gaze at Toushiro. "– but I can't trust any society whose leaders would execute a young woman for an offense that should have been no more than a few months in prison and a year of supervision." He pointedly glanced at Rukia. "Or one whose justice system is apparently so fucked up that only the damned nobles have any sway in their decisions." He positively glared at Toushiro. "Or one who would have executed several Shinigami who had been nothing but loyal, but had received Hollow powers against their will from one of Aizen's experiments, and then completely ignored the scapegoat's claim of innocence."

Toushiro's eyes widened in surprise. "How do you have that information?"

"I've met the scapegoat, and he gave me the story. Confirmed it later with the victims," Ichigo said shortly. "Given that Yamamoto and the Central 46 were in charge back then too, I'd say not much has changed. Tell me, Toushiro, has the active ruling body in Soul Society sent an apology to Urahara Kisuke for accusing and banishing him for Aizen's traitorous actions now that they know the truth?"

Toushiro didn't bother reminding Ichigo of his preferred form of address. "No," he said quietly.

Ichigo got up and pressed his advantage. "And have they repealed the ruling from one hundred years ago and invited the Shinigami they would have executed back into their midst?"

"Why would they?" Toushiro asked, confused. "Didn't they just become Hollows?"

"No," Ichigo replied with a scowl. "They stayed Shinigami, but gained the ability to draw on their Hollow powers and enhance their existing skills. Imagine your Bankai, enhanced to be, say, five times stronger just by putting on the mask of what your Hollow self would have been? You could take it off any time you wanted."

Toushiro's eyes widened. "That strong?"

"More," Ichigo told him. "They've had one hundred years to get stronger and learn how to use Hollow-specific powers, like Cero."

"Oh dear…" Rangiku said weakly as she leaned back heavily in her chair.

"So… they refuse to admit that they were wrong, even after the Central 46 has been assassinated by the one they exonerated." Ichigo sat back down. "So if word got out just what my secret power was, Soul Society might tolerate me long enough to put down Aizen, but guess who would be next? Especially since I'm still a human being, living my life here." He scoffed. "Soul Society might try to tolerate the existence of a human who could defeat some of their best Shinigami, since humans live for such a short term anyway compared to you. But a human who could defeat some of their best Shinigami, and then have an additional power to push himself beyond taicho level? They'd assassinate me, or wear me down, or seal up my powers given the slightest excuse, because they'd be afraid I would come into their town and do the same damn thing. Preemptive strike my ass. And then to top things off, they'd try to recruit my power for the Gotei 13!"

None of the Shinigami there said anything – they'd been around long enough to know that Ichigo's words were the truth. Toushiro looked away. "Then don't tell me. What I don't know can't hurt you."

"Taicho!" Rangiku exclaimed in surprise.

"No, Matsumoto!" Toushiro ordered with as much authority as he could. "Can you not already guess?! You have a brain, use it! How would Kurosaki know of and meet the Shinigami with Hollow powers?!"

That shut Rangiku up. "… I see."

Toushiro sighed, then straightened. "The report to Soul Society will simply state you managed to evade the Espada's Resurreccion form long enough for Tousen to arrive and knock him out, returning to Hueco Mundo."

"Thank you… Hitsugaya-taicho," Ichigo said with genuine appreciation.

Toushiro's eyes widened for a split second. "I am not sure I wish to be known as one of Soul Society's taicho by someone who does not respect them with valid reason…" he said softly. "You may call me Hitsugaya, or Toushiro-san if you must."

Ichigo smirked. "As you wish, Toushiro."

"It's Hitsugaya or Toushiro-san!" the white-haired shrimp barked out.

Ichigo held back a chuckle. "Is there anything else we need to go over?"

Toushiro nodded. "Defense plans. I think I can safely say that with his… unnamed power…" He glanced at Matsumoto, who merely nodded. "… and his lack of a limiter, Kurosaki here is the most efficient defender at the moment, with the Quincy Ishida as backup. Are you two in agreement with this?"

Ichigo and Ishida glanced at each other. "In all honesty, we're pretty evenly matched normally," Ichigo confessed reluctantly. "I've got brawn, but he's got the smarts to pull off some very impressive tactics, and I don't think we've seen even half the bag of Quincy tricks he's got. Given that I need to get out of my body first to be even half as effective as I was today, Ishida is your go-to guy."

Ishida snorted bitterly. "Don't even try it, Kurosaki. That Espada would have made mincemeat of me, and you were keeping up when you had that power of yours active. It doesn't take you but a second to leave your body with your badge or Kon around. I know when I'm beaten."

Ichigo's brow creased as he frowned. "Ishida…"

The Quincy glared at him. "Don't think it'll stay this way for long, Kurosaki! I only got my powers back recently, and I'm catching up faster than you think! You had better work hard to stay ahead!"

_That's more like it. _Ichigo smirked. "Bring it."

He was promptly smacked by Rukia. "Focus, Ichigo! Now is not the time for your stupid competitions!"

Ichigo was sorely tempted to start a fight with her, but gathered himself and turned his attention back to Toushiro. "Right then," the taicho continued. "In the event of another invasion, we shall divide up the forces. Inoue-san, you are our best healer at the moment, so you need to stay safe. Kuchiki-san, you shall guard her."

Rukia nodded swiftly.

"But Hitsugaya-san…!" Inoue protested.

Ishida shook his head. "Orihime, you can handle yourself against one opponent at a time, yes, but these Arrancar are fast. You heard Kurosaki, some are even faster than his Bankai mode in Shinigami form. And let's face it, none of us is that fast, not even me when I'm using Hirenkyaku. We need you to be able to heal us when we get hurt."

Inoue reluctantly nodded, seeing the logic. "I'm sorry for interrupting, Hitsugaya-san."

Toushiro nodded. "Kurosaki, Ishida-san, you two are the heavy hitters. I need you to be the initial line of defense and judge whether we need to release our limiters to aid you."

Ichigo nodded. "Got it."

The child-appearing taicho turned to Rangiku and Renji, who had been oddly quiet. "The three of us are to handle any stragglers."

"Understood, Hitsugaya-taicho," Renji accepted seriously.

"Yumichika-san and Madarame-san are 11th Division members… they'll look for the best fight regardless of what I tell them," Toushiro stated with a sigh. "Also, in the event of the appearance of an Espada, immediately request a limit release."

"I have something to add to that," Ichigo volunteered. "The Espada known as Yammy Rialgo – very large man, muscle-bound, has ridges on his forehead and a long thin black ponytail – is the weakest of the Espada prior to release, but the strongest after he does. This comes from the mouth of Espada 4, Ulquiorra Cifer. I have fought him prior to release, and can confirm that he can be defeated in my Shikai state."

"Anything else?" Toushiro pressed.

Ishida nodded, picking up where Ichigo left off. "Ulquiorra has expressed an interest in switching sides should Yammy be defeated in his Resurreccion form."

"That would be damn useful!" Renji commented in awe. "If he's Espada 4, he's stronger than that Grimmjow guy that Ichigo fought on even grounds with! Someone of that level defecting to our side would be priceless!"

"The problem with that is Soul Society's attitude towards Hollows and Arrancar," Rukia reminded pensively. "No Espada will turn to our side if they feel they will just be assassinated afterwards for their trouble."

"Who says Soul Society has to know?" Inoue suggested, somewhat timidly.

Ichigo nodded at her. "Hide him out in Hueco Mundo all the time? Could work, but risky – too much risk of the rest of Aizen's forces discovering him."

"You're not thinking clearly, Kurosaki," Ishida criticized. "Have him spy on Aizen."

Ichigo gave him a look that clearly communicated the idea of "What the hell are you thinking?!" He then chose to reinforce it. "Ishida, what the hell are you smoking? Did you forget Aizen's power? Aizen's hypnosis powers are reinforced every time the victim sees him release his Zanpakuto. I wouldn't put it past him to have originally done that to begin with to get the Arrancar to follow him!"

Toushiro frowned. "I doubt that he could do that," he stated coolly. "If that were indeed possible, he would have used it on Soul Society and saved himself the trouble of betraying us all."

"His reiatsu isn't infinite," Renji pointed out. "No one's is! Perhaps it's his Bankai power, but it requires too much concentration and reiatsu to use for more than a small group of people."

"The Espada," Ichigo concluded with a nod. "Everyone else wouldn't dare argue, as the Espada are the strongest around, save the reclusive Vasto Lorde. That's Hollow nature."

"That still doesn't make sense," Rukia pointed out. "If that were the case, he could have easily done it to the Shinigami taicho, or even just Yamamoto-soutaicho."

"Regardless, Kurosaki does have a point," Ishida admitted. "Aizen's hypnosis could allow him to routinely check to make sure no one has betrayed him. It is entirely possible that this is not the first set of Espada."

"It doesn't matter," Rangiku countered. "It's not the previous Espada we have to deal with, it's the current one."

Toushiro coughed to get everyone's attention. "We'll drop the potential defection of Ulquiorra Cifer for now," he ordered. "Everyone knows procedure now. To review, Ishida and Kurosaki are our first line of defense, and will take the strongest of invaders. Abarai, Matsumoto and myself are the next line, with our limiters. Kuchiki and Inoue are the back lines, the healers. If an Espada appears, make the call to release limiters."

"Um, I can't make the call," Ichigo alerted him. "I don't have one of your cell phones."

Ishida markedly pushed up his glasses as he stared. "Besides, even if we did, we would not be able to afford the time to ask for the limiter release. Against an Espada, all our efforts would be towards fighting and killing him."

Toushiro coughed once. "I was referring to myself, Matsumoto and Abarai."

Ichigo shrugged. "Whatever, I have places to be. Let me know when you plan to make the report… I want to be there," he finished with a very serious look in his eye before disappearing in a flash of Shunpo.

" Not to sound like a copycat, but I have things to do," Ishida informed them, disappearing with his Hirenkyaku technique.

Ichigo reappeared at the Vizard warehouse and walked in with a serious look on his face. Seeing the expression, Shinji cocked his head at him. "Ichigo?"

The orange-haired Vizard turned a hard look at the ex-taicho. "You know about the Arrancar invasion today."

"Yeah… so?" Hiyori asked, not really interested.

"I fought on par with the Sexta Espada. That means there are five above him who are stronger than he is," Ichigo told them. "I can't count on Soul Society, and my friends and I are not strong enough to take them all down. Evidence suggests that Aizen is going to sacrifice all of Karakura in order to do what he wants, which I can't let happen. I need to know, are you going to help me fight Aizen or not?"

---------------------------------------------

And there we go. Lots of fight scenes - hope I made them well.

As for Toushiro, he may be a Shinigami taicho, but I've always seen him and Ichigo having a sort of understanding, especially in the movie "Diamond Dust Rebellion." Therefore, he should twist the rules enough.

Ichigo is getting to be a very angry young man, with good reason. Little does he know that in the manga, Yamamoto has contacted Urahara and works with him to fight Aizen. I plan on having that happen here too, but Ichigo, being young and uninformed, thinks the worst. When Toushiro finds out, he'll tell, but as that hasn't happened yet...

Now that Ichigo understands where he stands in regards to the Arrancar forces, he knows he still isn't even close to strong enough. More training, and more searches for allies.

Read and review!

NeoRyu777


	7. Prepare for War

Finally! This chapter took me a while - Sorry for the wait!

Without further ado...

Chapter 7: Prepare for War

The next day, Ichigo didn't bother going to school. Instead, he stared up at the ceiling from his bed, scowling as he thought about the Vizard. He'd not gotten a satisfactory answer to his question, which frustrated him to no end.

_Flashback_

"_What do you mean, you haven't decided?" Ichigo demanded incredulously. "You must've known this was coming since Aizen forced you to transform into Vizard, and that was a hundred years ago!"_

"_In our defense," Love began, "it took us quite some time to figure out how to use our Hollow powers."_

"_We were sure that Soul Society was going to come and try to execute us," Hiyori continued bitterly. _

_Lisa set aside her perverted manga. "We trained for decades, moving around the human world to stay hidden," she added matter-of-factly, though her tone also held notes of remembered weariness. _

"_We maintained contact with Urahara-san, who had elected to stay here in Karakura town. He provided frequent updates on the inner happenings of Soul Society," Kensei reported, military-style. _

"_After we grew accustomed and comfortable using our Hollow powers, it occurred to us that we weren't on Soul Society's list of priorities. Maybe they wrote us off? Thought we'd been eaten by Hollows? Or perhaps we hid our existence too well…" Rose murmured. _

"_Even if you spent a few decades training, you still would have had at least half a century," Ichigo pointed out in a low, non-threatening voice. "What could have held your attention for so long?" _

"_We had the opportunity to live as humans," Hachigen said simply. "The human world is so rapidly changing, and there is so much to see. It proved too tempting for us to resist."_

"_We had lots and lots of fun, and there was always something new!" Mashiro chirped. _

"_We spent time training, yes," Shinji said with a sigh, "but as Soul Society no longer seemed interested in us, we didn't bother with them."_

"_They deserve whatever they get," Hiyori scoffed. "They kicked us out without even a fucking trial!" _

"_I'm inclined to agree with that, to an extent," Ichigo conceded. "Problem is, I've made some friends there, friends who have no idea the wrong their government has done to you. They are innocent of the Council of 46's crimes, or even those of Yamamoto." _

"_Are you asking us to save Soul Society, when they would rather eliminate us?" Kensei inquired with narrowed eyes._

"_Yes… no… I just don't know anymore," Ichigo admitted with a sigh. "Listen, all I want, is to protect Karakura town." He gestured outside the warehouse. "It's my home, with my family, and a lot of my friends. Won't you at least help with that? All you would have to do is play some defense if my friends and I are in over our heads."_

_Shinji glanced around at the varying looks of his comrades. "Looks like that decision needs to be discussed, Ichigo. I'm afraid that until we come to a decision, I'm going to have to ask you not to visit for a while. We'll contact you one way or another once we make that decision. You deserve that much for being one of us." _

_Flashback end. _

Ichigo's scowl descended into a sigh. _If I can't count on the Vizard, then I need to get stronger, and quickly. _He sat up and focused, attempting to call forth Zangetsu's spiritual form.

Instead, he got his Hollow self. **"Hey King," **Hollow Ichigo said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms, his nigh-insane smile never wavering. **"What's up?" **

Ichigo blinked, then sighed and put his head in his hands. "I don't even know why I'm surprised anymore."

"**Come on, you had to know it was gonna happen this way," **Hollow Ichigo countered with a smirk. **"Zangetsu and I share the same spiritual body. Since I'm in control of that, I got brought out instead. So, why'd ya call me out? Not that I mind being out of your boring-ass head." **He glanced around. **"Nice place you got here. Bit small, though." **

Ichigo shrugged. "It's home. As for why I called you out, I need to get stronger quickly." He paused, recalling how his mule-headed stubbornness in getting stronger by himself had almost cost him Zangetsu. "_We _need to get stronger quickly," he corrected himself. "We managed to fight the Sexta Espada to a draw. That means we have five more Arrancar above him, plus Yammy's Resurreccion form."

"**Well, King, the way I see it, ya got three ways, and each has a cost," **Hollow Ichigo said seriously, losing the insane look. **"First, you could let me take over fully. You do that, you become a Hollow, we go to Hueco Mundo and kick some ass, do some evolution until you can re-assert control. If you do get that control back, your masked form would be incredibly stronger. But it'd be much harder to suppress me, with our Hollow form having evolved."**

Ichigo frowned. "That's an option, though not one I like."

Hollow Ichigo grinned. **"Option two. You figure out how to summon out my Zangetsu, and master dual-wielding. If you can master using both in Bankai mode, then you'd be even faster and stronger than you are in your current Bankai, which should be enough to handle just about anything thrown in your way, especially when you toss in our mask."**

"Downside is, it'll tear up my body as I use it until I condition my body for it, so it'd be good only for created opportunities to overwhelm my opponent. Since the Arrancar have their Hierro, I get the feeling that some of my battles are going to be a bit long and drawn out," Ichigo pointed out. "Nevertheless, a good option, and one I'll work on. What's your third option?"

The bleached version of Ichigo shrugged. **"Use what you know. If you're not fast enough, make your opponent predictable. If you're not strong enough, make your opponent waste his energy until he's weak enough to be killed." **He saw Ichigo's blank look and laughed. **"Create a new technique dumbass, one that enhances your speed or strength, or creates a nifty effect that gives you an advantage! I swear, for the King of your Inner World, you're certainly as slow as a peasant! You really should let me take over; I'd love to fight those strong opponents!" **

"Shut it," Ichigo growled. "You'll take over if, and only if, you beat me in one of our fights. Until then, I'm King of my body." He narrowed his eyes. "And I'll kick your ass as many times as it takes for you to get the picture. You will stay as my horse for as long as I exist!"

"**Bold words, King." **Hollow Ichigo's maniacal grin belied his tone – he was clearly looking forward to the fight. **"Be ready to back it up. You only have a few days left before our next fight, and I expect to see a marked improvement from last time!" **With that final parting statement, he dissipated, back into Ichigo's Inner World.

Within Ichigo's closet, Rukia's eyes were wide. She'd heard from Byakuya-nii-sama that Ichigo had an Inner Hollow, and the orange-haired Shinigami had practically admitted it the previous night, but actually seeing a conversation between Ichigo and his Hollow side had really made it sink in. "Ichigo?"

Ichigo looked up – he had forgotten that Rukia was there, but wasn't worried that she had likely heard the whole conversation. _She won't tell anyone. _"Yeah?"

Rukia swallowed. "That was your Hollow side just now?" She received a solemn nod as an answer. "And you have to fight it regularly to keep control of your body?" Another nod. "How many days until the next one?"

"Four," Ichigo replied after a moment. "After I beat him, he takes several days to recover, and I can speak to Zangetsu properly." He shook his head. "I'm not sure I have enough time to wait that long, though." He fixed a serious look at his Shinigami friend. "I'm not going to school anymore. I have more important things to worry about now." He dressed quickly, attaching his Shinigami badge to his belt, just in case.

"Where are you going, if not to school?" Rukia asked sternly, trying to mask her inner worry.

"To train." Ichigo jumped out the window, landing on his feet easily, and softening the blow with some reiatsu to his legs. He took a moment to materialize spirit ribbons around him, and quickly located Renji's. Ichigo followed the thread with a sight akin to tunnel vision, his mind only on the goal. _He'll make a good opponent. Fighting against him while I'm in human form will mean that he's stronger, and faster than I am. _He picked up his pace. _Not only will I gain valuable experience, but that should give me some good ideas on what sort of techniques I can create to make up the difference. _

Meanwhile, in Soul Society, Chad got up to continue his trek through the sectors of Rukongai. Yoruichi had offered to pull some strings to get her protégée, Soifon, to use her power as the leader of the Onimitsukido – a special forces military group typically led by the Shihoin clan, of which Yoruichi was the heir to – to quickly locate Chad's grandfather, but the gentle giant had turned her down. "I need to find him myself," Chad had said.

The previous day, the duo had trekked through the first ten districts of each cardinal direction, Chad quietly putting up posters asking about his grandfather and inquiring at the popular locations. They had set up camp when the sun set and Yoruichi spent a few hours training him.

_Flashback_

"_Here's how it's going to work," the cat had begun. "You're going to try to evade me. We will train until you can evade me three times in a row tonight." _

_Chad's sole visible eye widened. He had heard of Yoruichi's title from Ichigo – Goddess of Flash. "I can't use Shunpo," Chad confessed. "How am I supposed to dodge someone famous for her sheer speed?"_

"_Don't worry, Chad. I won't be using Shunpo, and my speed in this form is greatly limited." _

I have a bad feeling about this… _The predatory smile on Yoruichi's face did nothing to soothe his worries. _

_End Flashback _

Chad shuddered as he put up the next poster, recalling the previous night's many injuries. It had taken him a few hours, but he'd accidentally discovered a way of using his reiatsu to increase his speed for short bursts, which made him just fast enough to avoid the speedy cat. Yoruichi confirmed that it wasn't Shunpo when he'd asked her about it. Chad was thinking about calling it Paso Del Viento, or Step of the Wind.

He again brought up his reiatsu and, after a moment of concentration, managed to disappear and reappear at the next place to put up a poster. This was Yoruichi's training for the day.

_Flashback_

_Chad breathed hard, tired and weary, but finally having managed to evade the fearsome feline the required number of times for him to get some rest. However, he forced himself to pay attention to what his new sensei was saying. _

"_Now that you've discovered your high-speed technique, you need to make it come naturally," Yoruichi had ordered. "So instead of walking or running, every time you need to move more than a meter, you are to use it, over and over, until you're proficient in moving short distances. Don't worry about me keeping up. Tonight, I'll start using Shunpo. I expect you to avoid me for five strikes this time." _

"_Yes, Yoruichi-sensei." Inside, Chad sighed, wondering if he'd get any good rest before leaving for his friends._

_End Flashback_

Chad shook his head, once more using his Paso Del Viento to move at high speed towards his next destination – a bar. "Excuse me, has anyone seen this man?" he asked the bartender, holding up a picture. "He has a rose tattoo on his left shoulder."

"Name?" the bartender asked, bored.

"Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa."

"I know that name," a new voice piped up to Chad's left.

The giant of a teenager turned and saw a grizzled middle-aged man, unshaven and slowly sipping his drink. "Where, sir?" Chad questioned as politely as he could.

The man frowned. "Who wants to know?"

"I'm his grandson, Sado Yasutora" Chad informed him. "He raised me when my parents died, and taught me a very valuable lesson when he was alive, and I need his guidance once more."

The man lowered his head slightly, his eyes scanning Chad, searching for something. His frown deepened as he leaned back in his chair. "What was this lesson?" he asked.

Chad recognized it as a test. "He said that I had been gifted with strength, and he taught me to use my strength to protect others."

The stranger nodded. "That is his way, yes. Alright then, I saw him in North District 56, protecting a hungry orphan child from being beaten for stealing a fruit. We talked for a while, and he told me he was heading further north. He was talking about possibly creating a safe haven for children there. I accompanied him till North District 62 or so before I realized I needed the peace of civilization closer to Seireitei. This was about a year or so ago."

Chad bowed his head. _Even in death, your will to protect is so strong! _"I thank you, sir. You have been most helpful."

"Before you go," the stranger interrupted. "Tell me… what could you possibly need his guidance for? I find myself curious, as you seem to have learned his lesson well."

Chad paused. "I made a vow at my Abuelo's death to only use my strength to defend others, and I have never once broken it." He raised his right hand and formed a fist. "But now, in order to grow stronger, I need to find my will to attack, to enjoy fighting for its own sake as I once did, before my Abuelo taught me how much more fulfilling it is to protect instead of crush those weaker than I." He shook his head. "I fear I cannot reconcile my Abuelo's teachings with a passion for violence. I need his wisdom."

The stranger whistled. "I can see why you need him – that is one devil of a problem. I wish you luck, Sado Yasutora." He took a long drink from his glass.

Chad nodded. "Good day." He turned and used Paso Del Viento again to go outside the bar. Not surprisingly, Yoruichi was there, waiting in her cat form.

"Where to?" she asked.

"North District 62," Chad responded strongly. "Lead the way, Yoruichi-sensei."

Yoruichi nodded, and the two flashed out of sight in tandem.

Back in the living world, Ishida Uryuu's customary frown deepened as he noticed Kurosaki's lack of attendance at school. Feeling out with his spiritual sixth sense, he could tell that that Kurosaki was at Urahara's. _Training, _Uryuu realized. _Something I should be doing. Why am I wasting time here? _His eyes narrowed as he looked outside. _Hollows, Arrancar could arrive at any moment. I'll be fighting for my life again soon. _

He sighed and gathered his books. _It's not like I won't be studying in my breaks, _he rationalized. _And I'm one of the best in the school, despite my absences. _

"Going somewhere, Uryuu?" the teacher asked with a frown on her face.

"Yes," Uryuu nodded, continuing past the teacher.

"Just where do you think you're going?"

"I have family business to attend to," the Quincy informed her. _Not exactly a lie. My Quincy heritage is definitely related. _"I apologize for not letting you know before class."

"Whatever, Uryuu," the teacher sighed. "First Sado, then Ichigo, and now you? One of these days, I'm going to want to know what's going on."

Uryuu gave her a piercing look. "Pray you never find out," he advised. "You'd never sleep again." And with that, he turned swept from the room. The minute he was out of sight, he disappeared using Hirenkyaku.

Inoue Orihime's eyes widened as she sensed his high-speed technique. _Well, I should get some training of my own in. _"Hey, Tatsuki… wanna spar later?"

Tatsuki, Orihime's best friend, grinned. "You're on!"

In Hueco Mundo, Grimmjow kneeled before Aizen. It was time for his report. _This ain't gonna turn out well, _Grimmjow thought to himself.

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez," Aizen began, "you invaded Karakura town with your Fraccion yesterday. Why?"

Grimmjow knew that nothing but the truth would satisfy their leader. "I wanted to fight Kurosaki Ichigo and destroy all resistance in the human world. I wanted to see if Ulquiorra's report was accurate."

"And your answer?"

"Accurate to a point, Aizen-sama" Grimmjow stated bluntly. "Kurosaki Ichigo has a weird power that allows him to boost his strength, speed and power by quite a lot while he's in Bankai, and has a very strong attack he calls Getsuga Tenshou. With these, the Shinigami was able to keep up with my Resurreccion form. Ulquiorra's report held nothing regarding the Getsuga Tenshou, or the weird power-up."

Aizen looked interested in Grimmjow's words. "It appears that I may have to stay your punishment," he mused. "Anything else?"

"My Fraccion are dead," Grimmjow added bluntly. "The other Shinigami there killed them, but I wasn't there to see which Shinigami were there. I was a bit focused on Kurosaki."

"Very interesting…" Aizen murmured. "They must have sent at least one taicho… They just weakened themselves further, spreading themselves thin." He paused for a moment. "And you say that Kurosaki Ichigo was able to match your Resurreccion form?"

"Yes, Aizen-sama." Oh, how Grimmjow hated saying that bastard's name. _One day,_ he swore, _I'll rip your still-beating heart from your chest and say, 'Enjoy your stay in hell, Aizen-sama!' _

Aizen took several seconds to consider. _I had not expected Ichigo to progress so quickly… It is possible that his Bankai is responsible for his 'weird power' as Grimmjow put it, as it appears to be a primarily melee-oriented Zanpakuto. However, there is also a chance he has acquired Hollow powers. _"This power of Kurosaki's… did it involve a mask of some sort?"

Grimmjow blinked. _How did he know that? _"It did, Aizen-sama."

Aizen chuckled. "Oh you clever man, Urahara Kisuke." _So, Kurosaki has acquired, and presumably begun mastering, his Hollow powers. No matter. Kurosaki is still only at the level of my Sexta Espada. There are still several who can kill him if need be. _"If there is nothing else, leave me. I shall overlook your excursion, as you have brought me useful information."

"Thank you, Aizen-sama." Grimmjow got up to leave, a scowl upon his face.

"Aizen-sama!" Tousen protested. "He went against your direct orders! He should at least have some punishment!"

"I feel that Grimmjow was merely overexcited in his loyalty to me, to take out all potential threats to my authority," Aizen demurred as Grimmjow left. As soon as the doors shut, and Aizen was assured of their privacy, he continued. "Besides, he has developed a one-sided rivalry against Kurosaki Ichigo now, and he can only grow stronger from here. He will never be powerful enough to kill me, but he will certainly occupy and injure the Shinigami taicho we fight, so we may perform the masterstroke."

Tousen nodded, a frown on his face, but deferring to his master's judgment. "Should we not attack Kurosaki then? He can only grow stronger."

"Perhaps… No," Aizen decided. "The forces we would need to invade the human world and kill them all would be too great – the battle would destroy a large amount of Karakura town and kill a number of its citizens, whom I need to sacrifice for the King's Key. Further, most of the Shinigami taicho would then interfere, and it would cause our battle to begin before we are ready." He smiled again, a simple smile of a predator knowing he's won. "Besides, time is on our side, my friend. We can take Adjuchas from Hueco Mundo and create more Arrancar for our army, making effective soldiers quickly. The Shinigami, to be worth anything, need to train for many years."

"But what about the Hougyouku's deterioration?" Tousen challenged quietly. "We cannot create endless Arrancar."

"We won't need to," Aizen stated firmly, his smile remaining. "Have faith, Kaname. We won't attack Kurosaki Ichigo directly, but nothing stops us from attacking his friends, and therefore his morale. It is only a matter of who, and when, to strike."

Stalking the halls, Grimmjow scowled. "I need to grow faster, stronger! No Shinigami fights me and lives to tell the tale!" He stormed out of Las Noches, into the open sands of Hueco Mundo, to go eat more Adjuchas. Little did he know that Nnoitra, Espada 5, was watching with glee, and chose to follow at a distance.

"And now, the two great predators shall fight to the death, and determine who is stronger between them," Nnoitra murmured to himself excitedly, a bloodthirsty grin on his face as he stalked his prey.

Back in the human world, Ichigo and Renji prepared to fight within Urahara's training basement. "Bankai!" Renji yelled, a plume of reiatsu and smoke covering him for a few moments. When it faded, his shoulders were covered in red fur, and he wielded a bone, the end fragment of his Bankai, a giant segmented bone snake whose head had a top of a red fur sticking out. "Hihio Zabimaru!" Renji announced the name of his Bankai. "So, what do you think, strawberry?"

"It's impressive," Ichigo agreed, looking up and seeing the extremely large foe. "But something of that size must make it difficult to maneuver."

"It would be," Renji admitted, "but I've been working on my Shunpo to compensate. Now come on, Ichigo, let's fight!"

Ichigo grinned, calling out Zangetsu silently. "Alright, let's go."

"What?" Renji asked, astonished. "You want to fight me with only your Shikai, while you're in a gigai?"

Ichigo frowned. "This is my actual body, not just a gigai. But yes, yes I am."

"Um, Ichigo, you do realize that unless you go Bankai, you don't have a chance of beating my Bankai in that body of yours?" Renji questioned slowly.

"I don't know about that," Ichigo replied with a cocky smirk. "I nearly beat one of the Espada with only my Shikai."

Renji shook his head. "You can't expect me to do this, Ichigo. Neither of us is good at healing techniques, and you know just as well as I do that Shinigami bodies are more durable. You can't even use your power to its full extent while you're stuck in there! I dare you to try using your most powerful move, right now. If you manage to seriously damage a segment of my Bankai, then I will concede."

Ichigo nodded before performing a reiatsu-enhanced jump and focusing his energy. "Getsuga Tenshou!" he cried, swinging his blade down onto one of the bone segments so Zangetsu and the blue Getsuga blast were both digging into the same spot. Yet, when it faded, the segment was hardly damaged at all.

"See what I mean?" Renji asked pointedly as Ichigo landed on the ground unharmed. "Now turn into a Shinigami and fight me!"

Ichigo sighed and slammed his badge against his chest, freeing his soul from his mortal body. Quickly moving it to a safer area, Ichigo returned to Renji, preparing his Zanpakuto. "I'm not going to go Bankai," Ichigo insisted seriously.

"That's fine," Renji replied with a grin. "I know you can do Shunpo, and you're stronger now. So let's go!" He swung with his bone fragment, and Hihio Zabimaru roared as it lunged at Ichigo.

Ichigo dodged easily, Shunpo-ing out of the way and towards Renji, who used Shunpo as well. Ichigo sensed Hihio Zabimaru coming at him from the side, and slammed Zangetsu against it, snake head against cleaver. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Instead of cutting through it like Ichigo had hoped, his Getsuga interacted with Renji's reiatsu, which was running through his Bankai, holding the segments together. It caused an explosion, throwing Hihio Zabimaru's head back. However, the segment behind the head collided with Ichigo, the spike on it cutting deeply.

After a few more minutes, it quickly became obvious to Ichigo that he was fighting a losing battle. Renji was almost as fast as Ichigo when it came to Shunpo – the redhead had obviously been practicing quite some time. Ichigo couldn't seem to damage Renji or Hihio Zabimaru. He was fast enough to avoid most of the damage, but not all of it. _Think, Ichigo, think! Use what you know! Zangetsu's special ability is to absorb my reiatsu, condense it, and release the power, magnifying my slashes' strength, and is known as Getsuga Tenshou. It can only absorb and condense the reiatsu if it's in the process of slashing, even if it's only cutting the air. _A metaphorical light bulb went off. _Wait, what if I have a longer slash? It'll absorb more of my reiatsu, creating a stronger attack! But wait, how do I create a longer slash? _Ichigo dodged yet another attack, and saw the white cloth at the end of Zangetsu flutter in his wake. He smirked. _A circular loop has infinite length! _

Shunpo-ing far enough back that it would take a few seconds for Renji to attack, Ichigo gripped the white cloth at the base of the hilt with his right hand, and began to swing Zangetsu around his head, feeding his Zanpakuto his reiatsu. To his immense satisfaction, he could feel it working – Ichigo could sense the growing Getsuga Tenshou within his blade.

Ichigo gave Zangetsu one last spin before gripping a section of cloth lower down with his left hand, and using his right to throw Zangetsu straight at the now-charging Hihio Zabimaru. "Getsuga Tenshou!" All of Zangetsu suddenly erupted in dark blue reiatsu, appearing as though it were on fire. Ichigo fed reiatsu to the cloth instinctively, allowing it to lengthen indefinitely for as long as Zangetsu could fly.

To Renji's surprise, Zangetsu pierced through Hihio Zabimaru's head, dead center in the bone snake's forehead, upon which the Getsuga once more interacted with Renji's reiatsu, the explosion halfway destroying the snake head. He called his Bankai back to circle around him protectively, as Ichigo pulled Zangetsu back into his hand. "What the hell was that?!" Renji bellowed, pumping reiatsu to repair the damage.

"My new technique!" Ichigo replied with a smirk. _Although, credit where it's due, I did get the inspiration from you, Hollow me. _

_**Heh. See, not that hard to use Zangetsu like that, even for an idiot like you! Although I am surprised you remembered me doing that, what with you almost dying less than three minutes later! **_Hollow Ichigo taunted.

_Hey, I was facing off against a Shinigami taicho! And to be fair, I almost killed him too. Cut me some slack!_

_**Meh, if I'd been in control, I would've just cut Kenpachi's head clean off instead of going for the shoulder, you fucking pansy. Almost killed him? Ha! I would've completely killed him! **_

_I wonder if that would've made me the new taicho…? _Ichigo mused.

"Oi, Ichigo! Head out of the clouds!" Renji yelled, irritated at Ichigo's ignoring him. "What were you thinking about anyway?"

"My fight with Kenpachi, back when we were rescuing Rukia," Ichigo answered honestly before grinning. "At least he could keep my attention while we fought, and he didn't even have Bankai, or know the name of his Zanpakuto!"

Renji's blood boiled with anger at the implication. "Hihio Zabimaru!" he bellowed, unleashing his Bankai once more upon Ichigo.

"That's more like it!" Ichigo grinned, looking forward to the battle. _My last attack was good, but the charge time is a big drawback. There's got to be another way to use the Getsuga!_

_**Wait, that big snake is very large and easy to predict, right? Can you think of a way to repeatedly hit him with Getsugas, one after another? **_Hollow Ichigo suggested. 

_How fast are we talking here?_

_**As in, non-stop, no ability to retreat. Taking full advantage of our reserves! **_

Ichigo frowned as he used a silent Getsuga Tenshou – and therefore slightly weaker than normal – to deflect Hihio Zabimaru's next attack, Shunpo-ing away. He began spinning Zangetsu again to charge up another flail-toss, but then it occurred to him. _I've got it! _

Continuing to spin Zangetsu, Ichigo's eyes narrowed in concentration. _I've got to get the timing right on this…_

_**If you can't do it, King, then budge over and let me have control! **_Hollow Ichigo demanded.

"Getsuga…" _Another Kami-forsaken word and I'll carve the word "Horse" into your fucking forehead using your own sword! _Ichigo snapped savagely, fueling Zangetsu with even more reiatsu as Hihio Zabimaru lunged once more at him. "…Tenshou!"

Still feeding more reiatsu to Zangetsu, Ichigo released the Getsuga right as Zangetsu's arc was in Hihio Zabimaru's direction. The Getsuga Tenshou managed to not only carve deeply into the Bankai's bone, but also knock it back quite a ways. But Ichigo wasn't done yet; he was still spinning Zangetsu for another one. Every time Zangetsu's arc aimed towards Renji and Hihio Zabimaru, another Getsuga was released. Given Ichigo's spinning speed, there were nearly a dozen Getsugas released, one after another, in the space of about two, almost three seconds.

When the smoke cleared, Hihio Zabimaru was broken in many places, barely holding together even with Renji's reiatsu supporting it. However, Ichigo hardly in better shape – the sudden drop in his reiatsu levels from sending so many Getsugas in such a short amount of time made him feel extremely woozy, and combined with his preexisting injuries, he was about ready to faint.

Barely managing to steady himself, he saw Renji reseal his Zanpakuto completely and sheathe it, looking dizzy from reiatsu depletion himself. "Good match," Renji admitted, breathing hard. "Even though my limiter was on, to be able to damage Hihio Zabimaru like that… that's impressive."

Ichigo stuck Zangetsu into the ground and dropped to one knee, supporting himself on his trusty Zanpakuto as he took several deep breaths to recover. "Well, damn, didn't know you still had the limiter on." _Fuck… Kenpachi can defeat Bankai with just his Shikai… And Renji's Bankai is relatively new… and I almost lost to a limited form? _

"Hey, you didn't lose, and that says something, don't it?" Renji commented on seeing Ichigo's scowl. "Even with the limiter on, while I'm in Bankai I'm still about twice as powerful as when we fought in Soul Society. So since you fought me on even grounds with just your Shikai, I'd say you've improved pretty damn quick! I'm glad you didn't go Bankai on me!" _Especially if the rumors are true, and you beat Kuchiki-taicho… I fought him too with my new Bankai, and failed…_

Ichigo quickly did the math. _Bankai is roughly ten times as strong as Shikai. Limiter makes the wearer about one-fifth as strong. Assuming Renji's gotten any stronger at all, still at least twice as strong as that last fight. _He finally nodded, losing the scowl. "Yeah, you're right." He smirked. "Maybe one of these days I'll be able to beat you in my Shikai."

"Keh! Yeah right, strawberry!" Renji scoffed. _That would be quite the humiliation… _"Next time, fight me, Bankai to Bankai! I'll kick your ass!"

"In order for you to beat me while I'm in Bankai, I'd have to still be in my human body!" Ichigo taunted. "Is all that hair getting in the way of your common sense, you pineapple-haired idiot?"

Renji scowled. "You're just lucky Yamamoto-soutaicho told us to stick around as backup, or I'd leave you here high and dry."

Ichigo laughed derisively. "Yeah right, Renji, I can see right through you! You'd have come here anyway to fight and grow stronger! And you know Rukia would have stayed to help protect her friends, and you would never let her go."

"You're right," Renji admitted quietly. _No, I could never let her go into certain life-threatening danger without me. _

"Oi, Renji, you still there?" Ichigo queried. His eyes, used to high-speed movement, had detected a strange look in Renji's for that brief second.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright, you orange-haired retard. Let's go get some food, I'm hungry!"

Ichigo smirked. "Now you're talking." He quickly ran to get back in his body.

Climbing up the ladder back into Urahara's shop, Renji's face turned sorrowful. _If I could only know for sure… Rukia… Is he who you want? Or are you just comrades? _He shook his head. _I gotta stop thinking about this. A war is no time to try for a relationship with her… Not when we are both on front lines. _He clenched his fist around one of the rungs of the ladder for a moment before he continued up. _We need to focus on getting stronger. Love lives can wait until the crisis is over… if we both live that long. _

Ishida Uryuu was a very even-tempered young man, calm and analytical in even the most trying situations. However, he found himself nervous as he approached his father's office. _Urahara said Tou-san was a powerful Quincy… but Tou-san has always disapproved of my following the Quincy ways. _He steeled himself. _He will likely say no, but I must try! _He knocked.

"Enter."

Uryuu entered, closing the door behind him. "Tou-san."

Ishida Ryuuken was a middle-aged man, with premature silver-white hair that framed his face. His dark tan skin provided an interesting contrast with his hair, while his height was nothing to sneeze at either, at approximately 5 foot 10 inches. Ryuuken looked up from his paperwork. "Uryuu, what a surprise." His already calculating eyes narrowed. "Why are you here?"

"I come for training in the Quincy arts," Uryuu answered swiftly, coming straight to the point. He looked his father straight in the eye. "I know of your distaste of my choice to follow in my grandfather's footsteps. But he was your father, and if I am right, he must have trained you as well, even if you dislike your heritage."

Ryuuken stood up and looked out the window, his hands clasped behind his back. "You know I reject my Quincy heritage, as it does not provide a way to mete out a living. I would have you focus on worldly pursuits, rather than follow the old ways. Your intellect is not unimpressive; you could succeed in any career you choose. Why do you insist on remaining a Quincy?"

Uryuu scoffed, pushing his glasses up his nose a bit more, making them flash. "What career could I follow if I were dead, Tou-san? Would you have me be a Shinigami? There are rogue Shinigami who have stolen a very powerful item that allows them to create powerful Arrancar, and they have created an army with which to invade."

"I would advise you to leave the threat to the Shinigami," Ryuuken answered calmly. "Let the dead take care of the dead, and the living the living."

"Do you honestly believe that they will be effective at all?" Uryuu challenged. "I, along with some allies, successfully infiltrated Soul Society less than a year ago and escaped with our lives! Not only that, but Aizen Sousuke and two other traitors escaped together in front of the entire Gotei 13!"

"Even if the Shinigami lose, the living and spirit worlds will remain separate," Ryuuken stated, assured of his belief. He turned around and met Uryuu's defiant gaze. "What reason would this Aizen interfere with the living world?"

This, Uryuu had an answer for immediately. "The enemy wishes to sacrifice Karakura Town to create an item known as the King's Key, which will allow him to assassinate the Spirit King. And if it fails, he'll try again and again in all of the major cities of the globe, or he'll find more ancient rituals. He has no problem sacrificing others to his plans, Tou-san." He let his arm rise, letting his Quincy cross fall as he channeled reiatsu through it, creating his Quincy bow, which he gripped firmly. "I must embrace my Quincy heritage, Tou-san, if I am to ensure my survival, and that of my friends." He shot a piercing look at his father. "Is my logic flawed, Tou-san? It is quite simple. For me to have the life you wish me to have, I need to live. The Shinigami may win or lose, but if I am a trained Quincy, my chances of survival are at their highest. Besides, this way I am protecting the living, so who are you to look down on my choice when you do the same thing in a different way? How is money more important than life?"

Ryuuken's face flashed a look of pain for a brief instant, as though Uryuu had shot an arrow instead of logic. "Your logic… is sound. Before I train you, however, I require an oath, sworn on the Pride of the Quincy."

"What oath?" Uryuu asked, on guard.

"I want you to swear that unless it is to save a life, you will not use your Quincy powers, and that you will focus your energies on truly living in our world, instead of merely existing as you have been." Ryuuken peered down his glasses at Uryuu.

"You mean finding a job, maybe a girlfriend, finding hobbies and activities to do here in the living world instead of exclusively training," Uryuu clarified.

"Yes."

Uryuu took a moment to consider. When he finished, he did not take a deep breath. He merely looked at his father. "I swear, on the Pride of the Quincy, that unless it is to save a life, or to maintain my skills, I will not use my Quincy powers. I further swear that after the current crisis is over, I will focus my energies on living my life as any other non-spiritually-aware human would. Is that sufficient, Tou-san?"

Ryuuken frowned. He had noted the addition of skill preservation to Uryuu's list of reasons to use his Quincy powers, but he could not truly fault his son on it. The "after the current crisis is over" meant little, as they both knew Uryuu would count training himself to survive the coming onslaught as saving his own life, allowing him to train as much as he wanted until then. "It is. Tonight, meet me at the doors to the hospital, and I will take you to train."

Uryuu let his spirit bow dissipate and bowed shortly. "Thank you, Tou-san." He turned and strode from the office, leaving his father staring off into space.

Back at the school, Inoue Orihime ducked under one of Tatsuki's punches, grabbing her arm and twisting to throw her long-time best friend. Tatsuki rolled upon impact with the ground, relatively unscathed as she bounced back up and attacked. "So, who were those two people out by the school the other day?" Tatsuki asked nonchalantly, attempting a sweeping kick, which Orihime jumped over, spinning around for a mid-air kick.

"What two people?" the busty girl queried as Tatsuki ducked underneath and pushed Orihime's leg up, trying to throw off her balance. It almost worked, but Orihime turned it into a variation of a back flip, landing on her feet.

"Oh, I'm sure you know the two. One of them was beating up Chad for a while? And then you cut his arm off with some projectile!" Tatsuki replied, her tone changing into an accusing one towards the end.

Orihime was so shocked that she tripped in her next attack. "You saw that?" she asked incredulously, before wincing in pain as Tatsuki took advantage of her shock and pinned her.

"Of course I did!" Tatsuki answered angrily. "And then Ichigo wielding some giant-ass cleaver? And then it turned into a black long sword? And he cut off the guy's other arm?! What the hell is going on, Orihime?!"

"…" Orihime sighed. "Alright, Tatsuki. Let me up, and follow me. I might need some help with explaining some of it, so we're going to the normal meeting place…"

By the time both girls made it to Urahara's, Renji and Ichigo had finished lunch. Renji had gone to take a nap to replenish his reiatsu, while Ichigo was back in the training basement in his human form, experimenting with new techniques, wanting a better feel for them.

Ichigo began spinning Zangetsu above his head again, trying to get a feel for if his trusty blade had a limit to the amount of reiatsu he could charge. There didn't seem to be, but after several rotations, he could feel Zangetsu converting only some of the reiatsu into the Getsuga Tenshou. He narrowed his eyes, but then caught a thin blue sheen to his sword. An inkling suspicion wormed its way into his head, but he had to be sure…

_Just to be sure, the rest of the reiatsu is being used to temporarily strengthen Zangetsu's durability so the Getsuga doesn't shred my sword to pieces? _

_**Yeah, **_Hollow Ichigo said after a moment of inwardly consulting with Zangetsu. _**Just remember that the more you use Zangetsu, the stronger he gets. **_

Ichigo frowned as he continued swinging Zangetsu over his head. _Looks like charging up a Getsuga is only really effective for a relatively short charge time. At least until we've been together longer. _Using his free hand to grip a section of white cloth lower down from the blade, he used his stronger right arm to fling Zangetsu a direction that had several consecutive boulders. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Zangetsu appeared as though it were covered in black flames as the Getsuga engulfed it, and it carved through each of the boulders as though they were made of butter. Not only that, but the force of the throw split the boulders in half cleanly.

Ichigo tugged back, and Zangetsu returned to his hand quickly. _I can only imagine how powerful that attack will be if I use it in Bankai, using the chain instead of cloth. _He shivered as he sat down to think, letting his Zanpakuto dissipate. _Or if I did it with the mask on… _

_**See, King? Now we shouldn't have any problems with not being able to pierce an Arrancar's Hierro, and even an Arrancar will die if it is pierced in the head. **_

_Assuming we can catch it, _Ichigo reminded him. _Remember, Grimmjow matched our max speed, and he is only the sixth Espada. We still need to beat Yammy's Resurreccion form. _

_**If it's speed you need, I'd start working on mastering my sword. The extra speed and strength of a dual Bankai would be perfect for what you want. **_

Ichigo nodded absently to himself. _The only question is… how? _

His Inner Hollow cackled insanely. _**Ichigo, Ichigo, you can't honestly expect me to give it away that easily! You can figure it out yourself, or I can tell you for a price. **_

_What price?_

_**Give me control until our Hollow form evolves into a Gillian. **_

Ichigo's scowl deepened. _Fuck no! I'll figure this out myself! _As he got up, he sensed two familiar signatures. _One's Inoue_… Ichigo turned, and saw Tatsuki with her, at the base of the ladder. With a flash of Shunpo, he was a couple of meters away from them. Ignoring the stress in his legs, he questioned the newcomers. "Inoue? Tatsuki? What're you two doing here?"

Tatsuki fell over. "What the hell? You were just over there a second ago!" she bellowed, pointing at Ichigo's former location a fair distance away.

"I'm fast," Ichigo merely told her. "Inoue, what's going on? Why did you bring Tatsuki here?"

"She can see spirits now," Inoue said simply. "And she saw us fighting Yammy during their first invasion. Tatsuki wanted an explanation, and I feel she deserves one. She's our friend!"

Ichigo sighed and nodded. "What do you want to know?"

Over the course of the next hour, Tatsuki was brought up to speed. Inoue had begun with overexcited enthusiasm about her best friend joining them, jumping all over the place with her explanation. Thankfully for Tatsuki's understanding, Ichigo interrupted and gave the barebones version, starting from his gaining Shinigami powers to the current predicament with the Arrancar. He completely skipped everything that wasn't necessary, including his own Inner Hollow. After several moments' hesitation, he included the requirement to create the King's Key, to which Tatsuki was understandably horrified.

However, she didn't seem to understand just how powerful their enemies were, and wanted to join in. Even Inoue could see how that could go terribly wrong, especially without any evident powers of Tatsuki's own.

"You don't get it, Tatsuki, these aren't human beings!" Ichigo tried to explain, his frustration getting the better of him. "Martial arts aren't going to cut it!"

"Then make me understand, Ichigo!" Tatsuki challenged. "Show me how powerful these monsters are!"

"Fine!" With a swift movement, Ichigo slammed his Shinigami badge against his chest, letting his human body fall to the ground. "You asked for this Tatsuki…"

"The only thing I'm seeing is you in a strange robe with a big-ass sword!" Tatsuki responded, chilled despite herself at Ichigo's tone.

Determined to make his friend see reason, Ichigo jumped back and brought his sword up to horizontal level with his right hand, his left gripping his right forearm. "BAN-!"

Tatsuki could suddenly sense a feeling of deep foreboding. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea… _

"-KAI!"

The sudden rush of reiatsu would have blown Tatsuki clear across the training room if Inoue hadn't brought her shield into place, protecting her friend. When the reiatsu cleared, Ichigo was in Bankai mode, Tensa Zangetsu held tightly in his hand.

"So you had a costume change," Tatsuki said, trying for a confident tone but failing as her voice cracked. "So what?"

And then Ichigo was gone, wind billowing in to take the place of where he had been. Tatsuki looked around frantically, trying to find him, but then Ichigo reappeared, right where he was, his back turned towards Tatsuki, but his head turned to the right, eyes downcast. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

"Sorry for what?" Tatsuki questioned before feeling something warm and wet sliding down her forehead. She brought her finger up and dabbed at it, bringing it to her eyes. It was blood, leaking through a very thin cut on her forehead. Tatsuki wasn't stupid; she knew the significance. If Ichigo wanted to, he could kill her at any given moment, and she wouldn't even see it coming until she was already dead. Tatsuki looked at Ichigo in newfound horror. _Was my training… my achievements… all for nothing? _"Is… Is this… the power of the Arrancar?"

"No…" Inoue said sadly. Tatsuki was confused. _That's good, right? Why does Inoue sound depressed? _

"…they are even more powerful." Ichigo finished grimly. "Faster, stronger than me."

"You've got to be kidding!" Tatsuki blurted. "How can anything be faster and stronger than that?"

Ichigo turned away so Tatsuki could only see his hair and back. "I only wish I was kidding… No do you see why I want you to stay back?"

"Is there anyone else on your team nearly as fast as you are?!" Tatsuki demanded, her embarrassment turning to anger as she fought to join the team.

"Ishida Uryuu," Ichigo replied easily. "But the others have powers that protect them. Inoue?" He leapt back raised his sword. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

"Orihime!" Tatsuki exclaimed, trying to move her best friend out of the way of the wide, black crescent-shaped attack, but was startled to see a determined look on Inoue's face as she steadied her stance and brought her hands to her hairpins.

"Santen Kesshun!"

The Getsuga collided with the shield, fighting it, trying to break it, but Inoue held firm, and the Getsuga exploded. When the smoke cleared, Inoue's shield was still in place.

"What?" Tatsuki gasped, seeing the golden shield.

"That was my Santen Kesshun," Inoue explained quietly. "I have two other powers… healing, and attack. My primary purpose is defense and healing, though, as I'm bound by my physical limits. Until I figure out a way to fix that, I'm going to be on the sidelines as well."

Tatsuki collapsed to the ground, sitting with her knees in front of her and her feet to her sides. "I think I see your point, Ichigo," she said weakly. "I may be the second strongest girl in Japan, but my martial arts wouldn't do anything to either of you, let alone your enemies." She looked down sadly. "I'd just get in your way…"

Ichigo merely nodded. "Yeah…" It was harsh, but that was the truth of the matter. He decided to try to cheer her up a bit. "Don't feel too down, I know you'd have my back if I got into a fight with any human being, but these guys aren't human…"

"Yeah…" Tatsuki looked up at Inoue. "Don't worry; I'll keep your secrets. Still best friends?"

Inoue wiped away a tear as she smiled at her friend. "Of course we are, Tatsuki." She extended a hand and helped Tatsuki up, the two of them hugging as they renewed their bonds of friendship. "Oh!" Inoue said suddenly, "You need to meet the Shinigami who are here to help out! I'm sure you and Rangiku-san will get along great!"

With the spontaneity of a girl thoroughly enjoying ADHD, she quickly dragged a half-heartedly protesting Tatsuki up the ladder before Ichigo had time to say a word.

Ichigo blinked. "Ok then…" Releasing his Bankai, he sat down, crossing his legs, and set Zangetsu down in front of him, on the sword's side. "How do I summon the other you…?" the orange-haired Shinigami murmured, light flashing on the sharp edge of his precious Zanpakuto.

_**I wonder if you can figure it out before our battle, Ichigo! **_Hollow Ichigo taunted. _**Remember, only four days until our fight to see who is King! **_

_Yeah… _Ichigo knew that quite well. Being able to use his Hollow self's sword could make or break his fight, as he had little doubt Hollow Ichigo could already dual-wield.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aizen is plotting, Ichigo and the gang are training, and is it possible we get to see Nnoitra and Grimmjow fight to the death?

Meh, sorry, this could be called a filler chapter. We'll get to the good stuff soon enough.

One of the things that bugged me about the manga is that Tatsuki never confronted Inoue or Ichigo, despite being friends with both, after discovering that she could see spirits, and could see Ichigo's Shinigami form. I mean, seriously, her character has been carefully built to be a tomboy, very self-confident and inquisitive! I figured she'd take the opportunity to get the answer out of Inoue when she got the chance.

Another thing that escaped my notice for a short while, was that Rukia knew, she KNEW about the Inner Hollow in the manga, and is in fact the reason Ichigo began fighting again. How did she know? She must've learned from her elder brother - no one else apparently knows about the Inner Hollow. So I decided some character development was called for - Rukia gets to see first hand the terrifying truth of the matter - Ichigo and his dark side. How will this affect her? Not quite sure yet.

Anyway, read and review!


	8. Hollow Reassurances

Hello all my faithful readers, it's good to update. This chapter has been flowing rather freely, and the majority of this chapter is the Ichigo versus Hollow Ichigo fight.

New terms:

Hado 63: Soren Soukatsui _(Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down)_– fires two stronger versions of Hado 33: Soukatsui.

Bakudo 1: Sai _(Restrain) –_ the very first Bakudo we ever see. This locks a person's arms behind their back, elbows bent so the hands are held near the top of the spine. It looks rather painful, but is extremely easy to break by any Shinigami with even average strength. Its only practical purposes appears to lie in distractions, binding humans who are getting in the way of Shinigami duties, and for introductions to Bakudo for Shinigami.

Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro _(Six Rods Prison of Light) _- this technique creates six wide, flat bars of light into an opponent's midsection, preventing them from any movement whatsoever. This technique is seen a couple of times in the anime and the manga, leading me to beliefve this is a popular mid-to-high-level Bakudo.

Without further ado…

Chapter 8: Hollow Reassurances

Three days passed, but it had not been a pleasant few days. More and more Hollows were appearing every day, and while the majority of them had been weaklings, there had been a two Gillian attacks.

Ishida theorized, and the various Shinigami agreed, that it was likely due to the high numbers of spiritually strong people in the area. Ichigo himself wasn't sure, wondering how far Aizen's power had extended, but in the end, it didn't matter. _No matter what the cause is, we can't do anything about it. _

Ichigo was worried about his upcoming fight with his Inner Hollow. It would take place that night, and between his Kido training with Tessai, the various Hollow attacks, and sparring with Renji, he had little time to work on summoning Hollow Ichigo's Zangetsu.

_It's not like I haven't made progress with Kido, though, _Ichigo thought to himself, trying to keep high spirits. Over the last three days, he'd learned another two Kido. One was Hado 63: Soren Soukatsui, which was essentially firing a more powerful Hado 33: Soukatsui twice. The other was Ichigo's first Bakudo, one he knew quite well: Bakudo 1: Sai. This was the same Bakudo that Rukia had punished him with at their first meeting, that same night when Rukia had given Ichigo her Shinigami powers.

Ichigo still needed the full incantation for Hado 63: Soren Soukatsui, but he had gotten decently good at Bakudo 1: Sai. It certainly helped his mood that he was able to practice on Renji, and occasionally Rukia. Ichigo still wasted quite a bit of reiatsu using the Bakudo, which made it a little weaker, but he knew that before he had begun training in Kido, he wouldn't have been able to do it at all.

_I still need to figure out how to use my Hollow self's sword… _The pressure weighed on him, but Ichigo knew he had a history of performing well under pressure. Finally, the morning of the final day, he sighed. "Tessai-sensei, I need your advice on a matter unrelated to Kido."

"How may I assist, Ichigo?" Tessai queried.

"It's like this…" The orange-haired Vizard explained the whole situation, how he would be once again fighting his Inner Hollow, but that he was certain he needed to learn how to use the second Zangetsu.

"Have you attempted it while wearing your mask?" Tessai suggested.

Ichigo nodded. "First thing I tried. Figured that as it was my Hollow's sword, wearing my Hollow's mask would help."

"And I assume you've attempted it the same way you summon your own sword," Tessai mused.

"Yeah. Even tried calling out Zangetsu the way I originally had to when I first gained the ability," Ichigo admitted.

"Are you sure that the second sword's name is Zangetsu?"

Ichigo sighed. "I can't think of anything else it could be. Even my Inner Hollow refers to it as Zangetsu."

"Perhaps there's a command phrase you need to use to make it split in two?" Tessai thought aloud.

Ichigo felt his hopes rise. "That might just be it!"

"The only question is, what is the command?" Tessai reminded, sending Ichigo's hopes crashing down again.

"I was able to take his Zanpakuto just by focusing my will and reiatsu down it, reasserting my mastery," Ichigo muttered. "It's got to be something like that." An idea struck him. "I'm not sure, but I think I've got it!"

"Try it," Tessai suggested, privately eager to see his pupil succeed.

Shifting Zangetsu to his right hand only, Ichigo raised his left hand. _Hollow! _Ichigo yelled into his mind. _As your King, I demand your sword!_

Hollow Ichigo cackled his approval. _**That's more like it, King. No more of that pitiful, "Won't you tell me?" shit! The sword is rightfully yours, won by blood and sweat, by right of conquest! Now take my sword, and slaughter your enemies! **_

The Hollow's white reiatsu swirled around Ichigo's left wrist before moving forward, shaping itself into the form of Zangetsu's Shikai. Ichigo looked at it, and smiled at the white Zangetsu in his left hand. "There we are."

"Let's see how strong your Getsuga is now," Tessai suggested.

"I like the way you think, Tessai-sensei." Ichigo cross his arms over his body, so the white Zangetsu was on the right, and his black Zangetsu was on the left. Both blades had their edges aiming outwards. "Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo commanded, pumping reiatsu into both swords as he swung the swords until they were both directly in front of him.

The effect was very interesting to look at, to say the least. On the left and right sides were Ichigo's standard Getsuga Tenshou attacks, but in the middle where they met, the Getsuga's power had increased so much it was almost purple in color. The power mix was gradual, so the outsides were blue, but the further towards the middle it was, the darker and larger the blast was. The Getsuga plowed through three boulders before finally using up its energy and exploding on the fourth, blowing away a large chunk of it.

Ichigo smirked. "That was good."

"Ichigo, your fighting style so far has been based around using one sword," Tessai warned. "You need to learn or develop a style that involves both swords, or this new development will prove more of a hindrance than a help."

Ichigo frowned. "Yeah, you're right." He hefted the white Zangetsu with his left arm, scowling as he realized that it wasn't as strong as his right. "Any ideas?"

"I've got one," Urahara's voice rang out as he Shunpo-ed next to them.

It was a testament to Ichigo's battle experience that he didn't jump, though he did give Urahara a dirty look. "How long were you listening, Urahara?"

"Only since I felt your Hollow's reiatsu at work," the shopkeeper said cheerfully. "Anyway, there's a Shinigami taicho, Kyoraku Shunsui, whose Zanpakuto takes the form of two swords."

"Great!" Ichigo said with a smirk. "It'll be good training to spar with a taicho."

"But…" Urahara paused.

"But…?" the Vizard-in-training repeated.

"He's not really available. He can't come here, as he's needed to protect Soul Society, and you can't go meet him, as you're the primary defender of Karakura Town," Urahara finished.

"Well, fuck." Ichigo scowled. "Guess I'll just have use what I know and improvise against my Hollow."

"Before then, care for a spar?" Urahara offered with a secret smile, his hat and hair casting a shadow on his face where only his left eye could be seen.

Ichigo nodded, remembering how Urahara had taught him how to use Zangetsu when he'd first achieved Shikai. He recalled how Urahara had never once brought out his Shikai, and knew that the wily ex-Shinigami would have several tricks up his sleeve. He jumped back and tried to find a stance he was comfortable with, using both swords. He settled for keeping his arms at his sides, so his Zanpakuto were angled forward and up, while sticking out to the sides somewhat.

Ichigo frowned, the stance unfamiliar to him. He was accustomed to using one sword; he'd fought that way for quite some time now, and he'd gotten quite good at it. He shook his head. _Even if I have to start from the beginning over again… so long as I get stronger! _

Urahara gave that same small smile as he held up his Zanpakuto, still sealed in a cane. "I think I should release my own precious Benihime, or I'll lose to your mastery of the Getsuga Tenshou. So… Awaken, Benihime!"

Now that Ichigo had a chance to look at it, Urahara's Zanpakuto was quite an exquisite one. While the handle was a little twisted, resembling the cane it had been, the sword was straight and thin. Nevertheless, a simple U-shaped decoration at the bottom of the blade added style, in addition to what looked like a knotted red string taking the place of a hilt. He had to admit, it suited Urahara well.

"Yes, Benihime is a lovely Zanpakuto," Urahara agreed out loud, seeing Ichigo's appreciative gaze. "Quite powerful as well, but not nice at all in Bankai. So I'd rather we stick to Shikai and Kido."

Ichigo nodded, then realized. _Wait! Can I even use Kido with both my hands full?! Fuck! _

"Then let's begin." Urahara dashed at Ichigo at speeds far faster than the orange-haired Shinigami had been capable of when he'd first regained his powers.

However, Ichigo had trained in Shunpo directly under Yoruichi, the Goddess of Flash. It was nothing for him to track Urahara, and he met the slash with his black Zangetsu, blocking. The blow shook his right arm, but his human training paid off as Ichigo was able to hold Benihime from continuing further.

Ichigo counter-attacked with the white Zangetsu, the sword flashing as he could almost feel his Hollow's thirst for blood within it. However, before he could make contact, Urahara disappeared. The sudden lack of resistance to his sword almost made him stumble, but Ichigo caught himself quickly and reached out with his spiritual sense. _Where is he?!_

"Sing, Benihime!"

Ichigo spun to meet Urahara's energy blast, his swords charging as they cut through the air. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

As he'd had his swords next to each other as he spun to reduce air resistance, it created a stronger Getsuga, all of it a blue-purple. His Getsugas met Urahara's crimson energy blast, and both exploded.

"Maa, that's surprising…" Urahara said cheerfully through the smoke of reiatsu. "I put a lot of power into that one, but you still managed to match it!"

Despite listening carefully, Ichigo couldn't tell where Urahara was. _Well, if I can't pinpoint… _Putting his swords in the same position as before the shopkeeper had appeared, he slashed and released a silent Getsuga Tenshou. While it was slightly weaker than before, Ichigo felt the possible element of surprise was worth it.

His spiritual senses screamed a warning and Ichigo responded instinctually, twisting his upper body to block a potentially crippling slash from Benihime with his black Zangetsu. "Nice block," Urahara complimented.

"Thanks," Ichigo said with a smirk before disappearing with Shunpo.

Urahara hadn't expected that, but recovered gracefully. "Copycat!" Urahara called out as he swept his trained eyes across the area, looking for his opponent.

"Hado 33: Soukatsui!"

The clog-shod man Shunpo-ed to his left, allowing the fast Hado to completely pass him by, piercing a hole in a nearby rock. "Good attempt, Ichigo!" Urahara said, seeing Ichigo pick up Zangetsu. Ichigo had stuck his right sword into the ground to free his hand for the Kido. "But I've trained with Yoruichi for ages! You'll have to try harder than that to beat me, I'm afraid."

"Fine then!" Ichigo dashed at Urahara with all the speed he could, holding his twin Zanpakuto together as he slashed at Urahara, who blocked with Benihime.

"You're not fast enough or skilled enough yet to use both of them easily," Urahara said calmly. "Your Zanpakuto is strong, but it is heavy, and detracts from your speed. Wielding two of them increases your attack power, yes, but at the cost of your agility." He spun and slashed at Ichigo, who blocked with his black Zangetsu and swung the white one at Urahara's side, hoping to catch him. Urahara merely disappeared, reappearing on Ichig's other side, managing a moderate slice before Ichigo could spin and try to cut him. Urahara merely disappeared and reappeared several meters back. "What use is a second weapon if you cannot catch me with it?"

Ichigo frowned. He'd noticed the same thing. _Right now, the only thing the second Zangetsu is good for is in Bankai mode, as Tensa Zangetsui is much lighter than Zangetsu's Shikai form. _He let the white Zangetsu dissipate into spirit particles, and took his familiar stance, with both hands on his trusty weapon. "Then let's try this again!" he yelled, flaring his reiatsu.

"Yes, let's!" Urahara unleashed his own significant reiatsu as they stared at each other for a moment before rushing at each other. They struck, Zanpakuto clashing as they tried to overpower each other.

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

"Sing, Benihime!"

Zangetsu was covered in the ethereal blue flame of a Getsuga, trying to overpower a similarly enhanced Benihime.

The scene reminded Ichigo of his fight with Kyuchiki Byakuya at the Soukyouku. He smirked and lowered his head, creeping Urahara out a little. He let go of Zangetsu with his left hand, his right struggling to maintain the fight against Urahara's power. Ichigo quickly raised his hand and pointed his index and middle fingers. "Hado 4," the orange-haired Shinigami began with a smirk, his fingers glowing a whitish yellow, "Byakurai."

At this point-blank distance, Urahara could not dodge completely, but he made a valiant effort anyway. He leapt back and to the side, but the Byakurai still pierced through part of his shoulder. _That's not good, _Urahara thought to himself. _He might actually beat me! _He smiled mischieviously. _And that just won't do. _

Keeping the Getsuga in his blade with some concentration, Ichigo dashed after Urahara, who leapt back and gathered his reiatsu, pointing the palm of his left hand at his attacker. "Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro," Urahara murmured, too low for Ichigo to hear.

Ichigo never saw it coming. One moment he was almost upon Urahara, the next he felt six wide, thin things slamming into his midsection from all around him. Suddenly, Ichigo was forcibly stopped cold. He quickly experimented with moving any part of his body, and found he was completely bound somehow. His eyes could make out long, wide yellow beams sticking out in his peripheral vision and below him. _A Bakudo! _Ichigo realized, summoning up his strength and trying to break out. He grunted as he made no progress whatsoever.

Urahara held Benihime to his side casually as he approached Ichigo. "It seems Bakudo is still your weakness, Ichigo," he commented with a smile. "That was a level 61 Bakudo, which requires more than just brute strength to break out of."

"So I see," Ichigo replied dryly. "Alright, you win. So, how DO I get out of this?"

"You need to be familiar and skilled with Bakudo at least up to the level that you are entrapped in," the shopkeeper instructed. "After that, you would have to unravel the Bakudo with your reiatsu until it's weak enough for you to break free with sheer strength. As for how… that's for you to figure out!" Urahara said cheerfully.

"Damn you, Urahara!"

Urahara ignored him. "An alternate method is to have someone else destroy or disrupt the bonds holding you there. In this case, someone would need to destroy the beams holding you there. The final method is simply to wait for it to wear off."

"Well, as I'd like to be able to move again soon, and I have only just gotten started with Bakudo, would you mind releasing me?" Ichigo requested with a sour look on his face.

Urahara smiled wider. "Not normally, no, but you should see this as training, Ichigo! Try to weaken the Bakudo until you can break free! If you can't before your fight with your Hollow…" Urahara shrugged. "Well, it's a free Bakudo to help restrain your berserker body."

Ichigo frowned, feeling out with his reiatsu. He closed his eyes, visualizing his body, trying to feel how the foreign reiatsu was freezing him. He decided to start at his extremities. To his mild surprise, there was no enemy reiatsu in the muscles of his hands. Methodically, Ichigo moved up his arms to his shoulders… nothing.

_OK Ichigo, think! I'm frozen, can't move an inch. Except for my mouth. If it's not stopping my muscles directly, it must be stopping the muscles from getting the signals. _He frowned. _Perhaps the nerve endings then? _

Within his mind's eye, Ichigo tried to zoom in and visualize his nervous system. This time, he hit jackpot. In the majority of his nerve endings was a small concentration of reiatsu he recognized as Urahara's. _Well, let's try the obvious… _He focused some of his reiatsu and annihilated a few offending nerve blockers, only to frown as the blocking reiatsu seemingly regenerated.

Ichigo paused. _It must be coming from those bars of light. Maybe I need to cancel out the root of the my being bound in order to regain movement? _With that new thought in mind, Ichigo moved his area of focus to his midsection, where he could sense where the Bakudo was entering his body and nervous system. With a frown of concentration, the bound Shinigami used his reiatsu to sort of pinch off the enemy reiatsu, creating a dam of reiatsu that the Bakudo could not penetrate.

After he managed to get one of the six bars he could tell were attached to him, Ichigo was surprised to see the bar in front of him suddenly just dissipate, no longer being attached to anything. His lips curled up into a smirk. It only took a few more minutes, and then Ichigo was completely free. He stood tall, proud of his accomplishment.

_**Oi, King! Ready to fight?! I know I am! **_

_Just a sec, I'll be right there. _"Oi, Urahara, remember, same rules as last time. If he wins, open a way to Hueco Mundo for him. I win, everything stays the same." He sent a cocky smile to Urahara and Tessai. "Back soon!" With that, Ichigo pulled himself into his Inner World.

He and his Inner Hollow traded bloodthirsty grins. "Ready to get this started?" Ichigo proposed.

"**Was waiting on you, King. Or should I say, Former King?" **Hollow Ichigo taunted.

"You think you can rule, then come take my crown!" Ichigo challenged, readying Zangetsu.

His Hollow side did the same, a manic grin growing on his face. **"Don't worry, Ichigo, when I win I'll honor my end of the deal. I won't devour you. After all, who better to fight me than my supposed good half?! I'll only grow stronger with you here!" **

Ichigo snorted. "Then prove it, Hollow!" Both he and Hollow Ichigo disappeared in a flash of Shunpo, their blades once more clashing. Ichigo's strength had grown so much that both he and his Hollow half were only using their right hands to swing Zangetsu, leaving their left hands open.

"_**Hado 4: Byakurai!**_" they announced in tandem, a mirror image as they dodged, breaking their deadlock. _**"Hado 33: Soukatsui!" **_

The two enormous blue fireballs met and exploded against each other, creating a large smokescreen. Ichigo took the opportunity to leap back and quickly gripped a strip of Zangetsu's cloth before swinging his Zanpakuto above his head, charging it as quickly as he could, creating a wind that began clearing the smoke in the process.

"**Getsuga Tenshou!" **the Hollow bellowed, his light blue Getsuga streaking out of the rapidly clearing smoke at Ichigo.

Now that Ichigo could see his opponent, he could think tactically. _It's too far to throw and hope for any chance of it hitting him, not with our Shunpo speeds. Best go for a wide area effect! _Ichigo smirked, and stopped spinning Zangetsu, catching the Zanpakuto in his hand as he swung it against Hollow Ichigo's Getsuga, deflecting it and unleashing his own. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Ichigo's Getsuga, far stronger than his normal ones, raced at his Hollow self, but the Hollow hadn't been standing still, doing nothing.

The spiritual manifestation of Ichigo's Hollow powers used Shunpo and appeared above and to Ichigo's right. **"… wait at the far heavens!" **Hollow Ichigo cried out, finishing the incantation. Two streams of blue energy streamed into his left hand, creating a shuddering blue orb. "**Hado 63: Soren Soukatsui!" **The orb suddenly turned into a circular stream of fiery blue energy whose diameter fluxuated between one and two meters wide, shooting forward at a speed comparable to Ichigo's Bankai. Both shots had been fired as one, creating a very powerful blast.

"Shit!" Ichigo yelped, trying to dodge. He mostly managed, but had to use Zangetsu to block when it would have clipped his arm. _I am SO glad Zangetsu is strong enough for this! _

"**Not bad, Ichigo!" **the Hollow complimented. **"Gotta say, that's a nice attack. Kinda like a Shinigami version of a Cero in a way."**

"Not bad yourself, Hollow me," Ichigo returned. "And thanks for the reminder that the Getsuga is much better close up!" He dashed up, attempting to strike his Hollow side with a Getsuga-enhanced Zangetsu.

The Hollow readied his own sword and Getsuga, clashing with Ichigo into another deadlock. He grinned as Ichigo brought his let hand onto Zangetsu as well, adding extra power. Ichigo was slowly but surely overwhelming him. _**Not for long… **_**"Bakudo 1: Sai!" **

Ichigo was hit by the point-blank Bakudo, but broke it before it could bring his hands behind his back. Even so, it lessened Ichigo's intensity for a split second, which is all his Hollow self needed to leap back out of Ichigo's reach and get into position. **"Let's take this to the next level, Ichigo! Ban-!"**

"Shit!" Ichigo quickly raised Zangetsu to horizontal level. "Ban-!"

"_**-kai!" **_

Outside Ichigo's mindscape, Urahara and Tessai waited. They had bound Ichigo's Hollowifying berserker form with Bakudo 99: Bankin, and now merely waited in the event that it would not be enough to hold him. Because Bankin wraps a foe head to toe in fabric, they had no idea if he was repeating his last transformation, or if there was something new in there. Either way, they weren't curious enough to find out.

"Do you think Ichigo will win this round as well?" Tessai questioned.

"Hard to say…" Urahara muttered. "I suppose it depends on how skilled Ichigo is when they are both at full power. Since he has the power of dual wielding with both swords in Bankai…" He paused, looking at Ichigo's bound body. "Ichigo's Bankai form is extremely powerful, and I cannot deny his strength when wielding a sword. But using two swords requires a different style, one he hasn't learned yet. So the question becomes, who is better at it? Ichigo… or his Hollow?"

A pulse of reiatsu alerted them to Ichigo, and they could see Bankin slowly crumbling under its immense pressure. "Ichigo must have gone Bankai," Tessai said aloud, taking on a battle stance.

"Ichigo has grown even stronger than the last time we did this…" Urahara replied with a smile, silently releasing Benihime into Shikai. "How much time do we have before he breaks free?"

Tessai eyed his Bakudo with a critical eye. "I give it three minutes," he finally said. "I hope Ichigo finishes this soon."

Back within Ichigo's Inner World, the orange-haired protector clashed against his Inner Hollow, black against white, twin swords fighting for supremacy. "Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo barked out, trying to overpower his Hollow half as his Tensa Zangetsu was engulfed in the powerful black Getsuga.

"**Ruthless, aren't we?" **the Hollow commented as he deflected Ichigo's attack to his right, twisting to the left to completely avoid the blow.

Ichigo smirked, turning the deflection into an all-out spin, letting Tensa Zangetsu slip forward from his hands until he was holding on the chain. As he spun, he charged the Getsuga further. "Only to horses that need to learn their place! Getsuga Tenshou!"

Hollow Ichigo barely managed to put up his sword in time to try to block the empowered Getsuga, and the white representation of Ichigo's Hollow powers was pushed back as the white Tensa Zangetsu struggled to dissipate Ichigo's energy attack. The Hollow took only a second to flip his Tensa Zangetsu upwards, deflecting the attack skywards. **"Not bad, Ichigo."**

Ichigo readjusted his grip on Tensa Zangetsu. "You're not half bad yourself, Hollow."

"**You've come far in using Zangetsu the way he was meant to be used," **Hollow Ichigo complimented with a grin. **"I'm glad; it means that when I take over, I'll be that much stronger!" **

"Thanks, but you should know by now… I am going to win!" Ichigo said seriously, with a small smirk forming on his face.

"**You wish!" **Hollow Ichigo's grin grew further as he dashed and slashed at Ichigo, who blocked it readily. **"Ready to take it a step further? I can't wait to fight someone at speeds even faster than this!"**

Ichigo smirked as he used Shunpo to dash back and begin swinging Tensa Zangetsu above his head, charging it with another powerful Getsuga. "As I thought, because I gained the ability to use your sword, you gained the ability to use mine."

The Hollow part of Ichigo's soul let loose a grin reminiscent of Kenpachi as he raised his hand. **"Bakudo 1: Sai!" **Ichigo wasn't even affected as he shrugged off the Bakudo like it didn't exist. Hollow Ichigo's grin only widened as he used Shunpo to try to slice Ichigo before his opponent could block. **"Of course I can use your sword, Ichigo! I am the Hollow part of your power, and I contain the Shinigami part within me!" **the Hollow laughed. **"Anything you can do, I can do!"**

Ichigo let out a genuine grin as he stopped spinning his sword, slapping it into his hand with a raging Getsuga covering it, slashing at his deadly foe. "Anything but get a tan, you mean!"

"**Hey!" **Hollow Ichigo sounded almost affronted as he leapt up in the air to avoid the silent Getsuga Ichigo had unleashed, but his own mischievous grin gave him away. **"I'll have you know that white is much better than boring old black! At least I don't look like I just came from a funeral!" **

"No," Ichigo agreed, slamming Tensa Zangetsu against its duplicate. "just an asylum for the crazies. I wonder where your straightjacket went?"

Both opponents pushed their weapons harder, using both hands to try to define who would be King this time. **"This is your mind, remember? If I'm crazy, what does that make you?" **

"Point to you," Ichigo conceded as he broke the deadlock, jumping backwards to put some distance between them. "Come, let us take this fight even higher!"

He and his Hollow half raised their left hands, calling forth another Tensa Zangetsu apiece. The second the new swords were manifested, both of them disappeared, moving at speeds far faster than previously, on par with Ichigo's Bankai while wearing his mask when he fought Grimmjow.

In the real world… "Awaken, Benihime!" Urahara said quickly, unleashing his Shikai as the high-level Bakudo restraining the berserker Ichigo was suddenly obliterated by a pulse of even stronger reiatsu. The reiatsu pulse that Ichigo had emitted was unreal in sheer power. _In this state, he might even beat my own Bankai! _Urahara had to admit, he was both frightened and awed by Ichigo's rate of growth.

"Bakudo 81: Danku!" Tessai bellowed, creating an enormous square Kido barrier that would block most reiatsu, including Kido attacks up to level 89. The barrier was mostly transparent, allowing him to see his Bakudo 99: Bankin shatter like dropped china. "Urahara-dono!"

"I know," Urahara replied softly. "He's summoned the second sword, and used it in Bankai. Be prepared for extremely high speed combat."

Just then, they saw the berserker Ichigo's Hollow form. It was, once again, the form of the lithe white lizard-man hybrid, but this time there was a black sword in its right hand, and a white in its left.

Urahara raised his Zanpakuto, and not a moment too soon, as less than breath later Ichigo's berserker body had struck it with black Tensa Zangetsu. "Sing, Benihime!" Urahara yelped quickly, slashing at the Hollow and unleashing the blood-red tiara-shaped attack.

The Hollow was thrown back, but managed to use the white Tensa Zangetsu to absorb the majority of the impact. It slashed at Urahara, and a silent black Getsuga rocketed at Urahara.

"Sing, Benihime!" Now, Urahara's trusty crimson shield blocked the majority of the attack, though a portion still managed to slice part of his hat, sending it flying. _How nostalgic, _Urahara thought to himself, remembering how the newly reborn Shinigami Ichigo had done the exact same thing. "Time to get serious, I think."

"Move over, Urahara!" a new voice yelled out.

Urahara skillfully blocked another one of the Hollow's moves, and quickly glanced at the voice. He smiled, recognizing the bone-straight shoulder-length blond hair of the leader, and all of his companions. "Good to see you."

Hirako Shinji grinned, gripping his Zanpakuto. "I said, move over! It's our turn to fight him!" The Vizard had arrived. "Hachigen, barrier!"

"Alright." With a clap of his hands, five barriers appeared around the berserk Hollow form of Ichigo, creating a cube to which he was bound.

"He's fast," Urahara warned. "I don't know how strong you are now, but don't undestimate him."

"I'll fight him first," Kensei volunteered. He eyed the berserker Ichigo with distaste. He much preferred orderly fights, and this Hollow appeared to be extremely bloodthirsty.

"Alright. We'll swap out every three minutes," Shinji ordered. "Except Hachigen. You're to maintain the barrier."

"Understood."

Tessai quietly approached his old Lieutenant. "Hachigen. I am glad you have continued your training. You appear to have truly surpassed me."

"Thank you, sensei." Hachigen sat down to meditate, allowing Kensei inside the barrier with a frown of concentration.

"Blow it away, Tachikaze," Kensei stated strongly. _Even I know better than to take on a taicho-level Bankai without releasing. _His Zanpakuto glowed, then shrunk down to a long survival knife, approximately 7 inches long.

His eyes widened as Ichigo was suddenly in front of him, and Kensei barely managed to block a strike from the beast's white Tensa Zangetsu. He leapt back, charging a large amount spiritual energy with wind, with the help of Tachikaze. It quickly formed a glowing white orb, which he shoved into Ichigo when the monstrous form pursued.

An enormous blue blast was unleashed, obliterating two more boulders behind where Ichigo had been. _I hope that got him, otherwise I'm dead already! _Thankfully for Kensei, it struck true and successfully knocked the Hollow form several meters.

Without further ado, Kensei quickly summoned his Hollow mask and put it on. It resembled a flat rectangular hockey mask covering his face, with three slotted holes lined down each side. At the left and right sides, it extended around, covering the sides and back of his head in the shape of a hexagon.

"Wow, mask and release already?" Shinji asked, incredulously.

"What the hell, Kensei?!" Hiyori yelled angrily. "He can't be that strong to warrant so much power!"

"_**You're wrong, Hiyori. I barely got him, and if he'd used both blades, I would be dead right now," **_Kensei replied, loudly enough to be heard by everyone. _**"Remember, he's in Bankai, with a Hollow mask, and we already know Ichigo's approximate reiatsu level WITHOUT either of those."**_

"Even so, we've fought him before with his Hollow mask in Bankai," Rose remarked. "He wasn't nearly this fast then."

Kensei narrowly dodged a slice, kicking Ichigo further away. Shinji frowned. "He didn't have the second sword then either,"he pointed out.

"Perhaps it compounds the effect of his Bankai?"Lisa postulated.

Kensei he quickly dodged to the side and punched the berserker in the head with his left hand, his Hollow-enhanced strength sending Ichigo flying. _**"It's lucky that this version can't think and plan too well."**_

The Hollow version of Ichigo screamed in an incoherent rage, stabbing the white version of Tensa Zangetsu into the ground before pointing three sharp claws at Kensei, a red orb of spinning Hollow energy quickly forming.

_Cero! _Kensei realized, but he was too far away to stop Ichigo from using it without cutting off his limbs. He powered up a Cero of his own to counter it.

Urahara watched in awe. _So strong! Who would be stronger? Myself, or one of the Vizard? Have I been slacking on my own training? _

Meanwhile, Ichigo and his Hollow self fought in the air, preferring the added maneuverability. _I have to finish this quick! _Ichigo could feel his heart pumping harder and faster than what ought to be good for him, his muscles were burning, his bones shuddered a little more at every impact. _I don't know how much longer I can last! _Ichigo decided to try something new. "Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo fired at his Hollow, slashing both blades across his body to create an extremely powerful Getsuga. Hollow Ichigo prepared a Getsuga in each blade to cancel it, but wasn't expecting Ichigo to appear behind him, another Getsuga at the ready as he slashed.

"**Attacking from two sides? Good idea, Ichigo, but you forgot the other avenues of exit!" **Hollow Ichigo slashed upwards at Ichigo while letting himself fall through the air. Naturally, Ichigo blocked, but that provided the extra momentum needed to the Hollow to escape Ichigo's first blast and put Ichigo directly in its path.

Ichigo was forced to expend his second Getsuga to cancel the first with a curse. Naturally, the Hollow took advantage of Ichigo's momentary distraction, and had Shunpo-ed directly in front of Ichigo, whose arms and swords were at either side of his body, having just completed canceling the Getsuga with one of his own. Hollow Ichigo smiled cruelly and slashed down with both swords.

Ichigo, to his credit, reacted swiftly, and managed to keep the blow from cutting off his arms by raising his twin Zanpakuto to block, but the muscles and tendons between his shoulders and neck had had been cut moderately, and Ichigo felt the bones in his arms crack, causing even greater pain as he struggled to hold his Hollow self back. "You took advantage of me being preoccupied with canceling my own attack, and landed a blow that almost killed me," Ichigo muttered, feeling out with his reiatsu to see how bad it was. _My strength has been cut significantly, and I'm at a huge disadvantage now. My only hope is to surprise him and spear him through! _

"**That, Ichigo, is why you only put yourself in that sort of position if you're sure you can keep your enemy between yourself and the attack," **Hollow Ichigo lectured. "**Not that you'll get a chance to use that! I can tell already, your arms have lost some of their strength; I cut too deeply on you! Admit it Ichigo, you've lost!" **He laughed, only to abruptly stop and narrowly avoid a crippling slash from the side.

"Don't underestimate me!" Ichigo hissed, eyes blazing in determination, ignoring the searing pain in his whole body.

"**I must admit, Ichigo, you continually impress me. Even critically injured, your strength being sapped, you still almost manage to win. I would say I am proud to call you King…"** Hollow Ichigo disappeared from sight, and Ichigo whirled on instinct, using both swords to block one of his Hollow's. **"… but I have stolen your crown!" **The Hollow slashed with his left Tensa Zangetsu, and bloodthirsty grin on his face.

Ichigo felt quite odd. He was bleeding, he had lost; he knew that. _Why doesn't this bother me more? And why doesn't this hurt? _He looked down, seeing a white Tensa Zangetsu embedded in his torso. Then he saw his feet slowly disintegrating. _I'm sure this should hurt, but I feel fine… _"Remember our deal, Hollow."

"… **My name is not Hollow." **

Ichigo felt a spark of curiosity as his limbs began dissipating as well. "I thought you didn't know your name?"

The Hollow smiled, looking a bit more like Ichigo now. **"That was then. My name… is Cazador de la Luna (Moon's Hunter)." **

Ichigo smirked, feeling his neck and head begin vanishing. "Then, King Cazador, you have two weeks to get as strong as you can in Hueco Mundo. Show them our power, because you won't get another chance!" With that, he was gone.

"**I look forward to your next attempt, Kurosaki Ichigo." **Cazador gave another bloodthirsty grin, turning as Ichigo's Inner World's sky changed to a starless night sky, one with a bright full moon shining down upon the sideways skyscrapers. However, the moon, instead of white, was blood red. **"For now though… I am King!" **

In the real world, Ichigo's berserker Hollow form froze. Seeing this, Lisa – the current Vizard fighting, now that Kensei was taking a break, stopped as well, expecting Ichigo to emerge triumphant.

Instead, Cazador stopped and took a look at himself. He was unique among all the non-Menos Hollows he and Ichigo had seen. Most of them were very dark colors, but Cazador saw that his body was almost sheer white, with red decorations. He flexed his claws. **"Interesting… I've got to give Ichigo credit, this form certainly feels incredibly strong." **He eyed his twin Zanpakuto curiously. **"I still have the Zanpakuto… does this make me an Arrancar?"**

The Vizard were frozen stiff in shock. They could definitely tell that was the Hollow speaking, and even if they hadn't heard the tones of a Hollow, the way it referred to Ichigo as someone different. "Ichigo… lost?" Lisa asked, astounded.

Cazador nodded at her. **"Barely, but yes. Guy's got spunk, though, and I'm sure he'll win the next time we fight." **He laughed. **"Ichigo's too strong and stubborn to do anything but! Oh, the fight will be glorious!" **

"Orders, Shinji?" Hachigen requested.

"…" Shinji was torn. This was an abomination, a Vizard who had lost to his Hollow, and was now a force of annihilation, with the powers of both Hollow and Shinigami readily available. On the other hand, Ichigo had confided that he and his Hollow had a deal, and the Hollow had already confirmed that he had not eaten Ichigo's soul, merely suppressed it for the moment. "… Let him go, Hachigen."

"Shinji?!" Hiyori screeched. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Ichigo will win the next time they fight," Shinji said with a frown. "Even his Hollow admits that. He'll be back in two weeks. In the meantime, let his Hollow grow stronger. If nothing else, it'll decrease the number of Hollows out there."

"What if it joins Aizen?" Love pointed out.

"Well, let's ask," Shinji suggested. "Oi, Hollow Ichigo!"

"**My name is Cazador." **Nevertheless, he cocked his head curiously at the Vizard. Cazador half-expected the Vizard to attack, and was honestly surprised they hadn't. **"What is it, Vizard?" **

"If I'm to call you by your name, my name is Shinji," the de facto leader of the Vizards replied. _I must be in a dream. I'm talking hospitably to a Hollow, and it's not attacking me. _"Anyway, my friend here has a question." He nudged Love.

The afro-wearing man sighed at Shinji's obvious deflection of the Hollow's attention. "Just wondering, now that you have your freedom for the moment, what are you going to do with it?"

Cazador was finding this rather surreal as well. _**Shinigami, well, Vizard and Shinigami, not attacking me and trying to make me bring Ichigo back... Are they really going to just let me go? **_**"Well, I'm really fucking hungry. Let me tell you, considering I've never BEEN hungry for anything but battle before, needing food is quite the odd sensation. I'd go find some humans out there, but they're weak-ass pansies, the majority of them. I want a challenge, and I'm no ordinary Hollow! Not to mention it'd break the terms of my deal with Ichigo for me to eat a human… So I'm gonna figure out a way into Hueco Mundo, and go on an all-you-can-eat buffet on Menos!" **Cazador was surprised to suddenly find a shoe in his face. It dropped, and he glared at Hiyori. **"What the hell was that?!" **

"Since the men are too fucking scared to ask, I'll do it!" Hiyori raged. "Do you or do you not have any thoughts about joining Aizen?!"

"**The thought did cross my mind for a bit," **Cazador admitted, watching the Vizard tense warily. **"But then I realized I'd have to serve someone aside from Ichigo, and that idea pisses me off! Speaking of, you never answered why you hit ME with your fucking shoe!" **

Hiyori smirked. "I felt like it."

Surprising everyone, Cazador chuckled again. **"Alright, I can respect that." **Then he spiked his reiatsu, reminding everyone that he was, at heart, a Hollow and had no problems killing them all. **"Just don't do it again or I'll shred your intestines!" **

Finally, Urahara's scientific mind could not take it any longer. "Hey, Cazador," he called cheerfully. "I'm curious, can you release the Bankai, or is that now your base Zanpakuto for you?"

"**Good question." **Cazador wasn't stupid – he wanted to know everything he could about his new form before he left for Hueco Mundo. _**It would suck to suddenly get killed by a newbie because I don't know how my body works! **_Cazador casually dismissed Ichigo's black Tensa Zangetsu and eyed his white one. He cautiously attempted to release the Bankai, and suddenly a small plume of smoke enveloped him.

Cazador could feel his body reshaping itself, and in an instant, it was done. Tensa Zangetsu was gone, reverting back to the elegant cleaver of Zangetsu's Shikai. His lizard-like body was gone as well, showing Ichigo's own body, with minor changes. There was a Hollow hole in his sternum, and the eyes were no longer Ichigo's brown on white, but Cazador's amber on black. The top left part of their Hollow mask, the part with red stripes on a white background, was the only part of the mask remaining, attached from the hairline down to the eyebrow. What the mask did not cover was revealed to be Ichigo's own face, with a maniacal grin. Cazador's clothes had also changed – he wore neither the Arrancar uniform that Aizen's army wore, nor Ichigo's Shinigami robes. Instead, he wore a simple white sleeveless vest that he left open, and relatively tight crimson leggings. Cazador was shoeless as well, and Zangetsu was carried on his back much the same way Ichigo had carried his version. A close inspection would show that Cazador's toenails and fingernails were both a little longer and sharper than most.

"Ah, there we are," Cazador said, stretching his limbs. "Much better, I'm more familiar with this form, even if I'm not as strong in it." His voice was smoother now, more like Ichigo's, even if it didn't have the odd dual-voice effect Ichigo had when he wore his mask. "Hmm..." His grin widened as he slashed out into midair, creating a small Garganta instinctively. "Adios!" Before anyone could say anything, he had jumped inside, disappearing towards the endless sands of Hueco Mundo.

----------------------------------------

Relatively short chapter, I know, but I think the fight makes up for it. In any case, Hollow Ichigo now has a name! For people who call him Ogihci or Ogichi or Shiro or any of the other popular variations, I refer you to the original Japanese manga, where his kanji is merely the mirror image of Ichigo's own. That does not translate quite right to those common names. So I decided for something new.

Therefore, for a name, I had a few criteria. Firstly, it had to be Spanish. In the manga and in the anime, all Hollow-related techniques appear to be in Spanish, all Quincy techniques in German, and all Shinigami techniques in Japanese. Secondly, it had to include something along the lines of "warrior" or "hunter" or "berserker". Finally, it had to relate to what we already knew. Zangetsu translates roughly to Cutting Moon, and the Getsuga Tenshou means "Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer". Therefore, since Zangetsu and Hollow Ichigo were both part of Ichigo's powers, they must have similar bases.

From there, I suddenly recalled that Athena, the Greek goddess of the hunt, was represented by the moon, and from there, it flowed together. Moon's Hunter, or Hunter of the Moon. I know enough Spanish to read and write it, not speak and hear it, so it was a simple matter to translate. Cazador de la Luna, Cazador for short. Thoughts?

In terms of the fight, hope the banter is just as good as their last fight. I had random bursts of inspiration, which certainly helped.


	9. The Price of Power

Sorry for the long delay. Anyway, before the chapter, some replies to reviews.

I got several reviews correcting me about my mythology. Yes, it was Artemis who was goddess of the hunt and moon. I apologize for my goof.

UNTensaZangetsu asked several questions. In response....

I wrote that chapter (Chapter 4) before I found out the Vizard have such a short limit, which I find hugely disappointing. I mean, why stop at 3 minutes? Seriously! That's not nearly enough for a long battle, like the one with Aizen here. If you're gonna have Hollow powers, take advantage of them! In my endeavor to keep relatively close to canon in terms of power and ability (except with where my ideas and story have changed that), the Vizard will indeed have their 3-minute time limit.

As for their Hollow Zanpakuto, only Ichigo has the ability to use it currently. The Vizard never tried to take them, and now their Hollows are suppressed so very much that it's nigh-impossible for them to try now. Which could be the reason why the Vizard have such a low time limit?

Yes, the mask is going to change with every evolutionary step Cazador gets, except for to Gillian. It's my theory that the the Hollow's mask from when they were ordinary Hollow transfers to their Gillian form, and is only changed when the Gillian evolves beyond that. I have little proof but circumstancial evidence. That said, it's easier to write.

As for whether Cazador will still get all the abilities Ichigo does, the response is sorta. In his Arrancar form (unreleased), then yes, he can use them, but they'll be weaker than if Ichigo were to use them. His released form will not be able to.

The same goes for Ichigo gaining Cazador's abilities. When in Shinigami form, he can only use Shinigami powers. In his Vizard form, he can use both Shinigami and Hollow powers, though the Hollow powers will be weaker than if Cazador were to do them.

My theory goes like this. It's like Black and White, and shades of grey. Shinigami form is Black. Vizard form is Dark Grey. Arrancar form is Light Grey. Hollow form (or released Arrancar, as their sword contains the majority of their Hollow powers) is White. All forms with some Black can use Shinigami power. All forms with White can use Hollow power. Their strength using them depends on the blend.

The only exception to this is the Getsuga Tenshou, which is Zangetsu's power and both Ichigo and Cazador can use this equally well. Hopefully this makes sense.

Next, a few people made note that Cazador's name is almost a direct ripoff of "Shadows Are Rising" by Twin Shadows. I can honestly say I had never read the fic before, and that it's extremely amusing and gratifying to see someone thinking along the same lines I am. That said, his version is Luna del Cazador. Mine is Cazador de la Luna. "Hunter's Moon" and "Moon's Hunter" respectively.

No, Ichigo is not going to be winning every other battle with Cazador. It'll get too predictable that way! Nah, I have other plans, though I will reveal that Ichigo will win the next one.

All other questions will have to wait, as it's now time for the chapter!

Chapter 9: The Price of Power

"Alright, we're done for tonight," Yoruichi announced. "You're getting much better, Chad-kun."

"Thank you, sensei," the gentle giant rumbled lowly as he leaned against a tree to recover. "I appreciate you taking the time to train me."

"It's a sensei's privelige to help a student eliminate a weakness and turn it into strength," Yoruichi replied with a smirk. She was in human form now – it had been almost a week since Chad had arrived in Soul Society, and every day the young man was getting faster. They had progressed to spars today, and while Chad was still unable to land a blow on the Goddess of Flash, he was getting closer.

Chad, on his part, had realized that transforming his arm affected more of his body than just what the armor covered. His reflexes were faster, his body stronger and more durable, his mind processing information just a little bit quicker. This worried him slightly, but as he hadn't noticed any change in his own character, Chad figured that he wasn't slowly changing into a living Hollow.

El Brazo Derecha del Gigante had changed in his several spars with Yoruichi. Before, his arm had had white lines separating the black from the dark magenta, but those lines had disappeared. The shoulder extension had become more pointed as well, and the arm's design became far more intricate, with the red and black forming patterns. This upgrade had prompted a large increase in Chad's speed, durability and strength.

In regards to his search for his Abuelo, Chad felt he was getting closer. They had reached District 56 the day after he'd heard the tip from the kind stranger at the bar. Unfortunately, the district was far enough north that they sometimes had to defend themselves from more violent districts, and so most of the people who had been there at the time of Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa's presence had either died, or moved away. The others hadn't heard of him either, but Chad persisted in his search. Remembering the stranger's words, he and Yoruichi had continued northward, finally stumbling upon a promising conversation in District 68.

_Flashback_

_"Its been quite some time since one of those lost children have stumbled in here," a kindly bartender murmured as Chad walked in. "Young man, do you come from up north? We hear precious little ever since children and old men stopped fleeing from those lands."_

_The shaggy-haired youth shook his head negatively, holding up a picture. "I am looking for this man, Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa." _

_"Can't say I've heard or seen him before, but in these parts that's not exactly unusual."_

_End Flashback_

Chad was undaunted, however, as the conversation had hinted that Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa had succeeded in his plan to create a safe haven for children. He and Yoruichi had continued north, with Chad defeating yet not killing the various challengers that tried to intimidate or kill him. Today, they had heard from Districts 75 through 79 that there was a group who took it upon themselves to take in children, and the group was situated in District 80. Yoruichi had stopped Chad from dashing straight there, however.

_Flashback_

_"We will go tomorrow, Chad-kun."_

_"But, why?" Chad questioned, clearly anxious to go. _

_"The nights out here in these districts are nothing we should take part in," Yoruichi had answered quietly. "Here, nights are considered the time for rapists, thieves, murderers, and turf wars. If we want to be looked at favorably by this organization, we should appear in daylight. Now, prepare yourself!" _

_End Flashback_

Chad awoke the next day at dawn, fully rested. Eating some provisions that they had purchased a few districts prior, he was unsurprised to find Yoruichi already awake and waiting in cat form. "Shall we?" the cat proposed.

The giant of a man merely nodded and used his Paso del Viento, disappearing from the clearing. Yoruichi followed from a distance. Arriving on the outskirts of the outermost northern district, Chad slowed to a brisk walking speed. Yoruichi followed behind by quite some distance. He had barely been walking more than five minutes when a lithe shirtless, heavily scarred man approached. He appeared close to thirty, and had obviously not shaved in quite some time judging from the growing beard. "Who're you?" the man demanded. "Never seen you 'round here."

"My name is Sado Yasutora. I am merely passing through," Chad rumbled calmly.

"Just passing through my ass!" the man scoffed. "There's no district beyond this one! What could you possibly be looking for?!"

"I am looking for my grandfather," Chad replied honestly. "I have heard he may be in this district. Perhaps you have heard of him? Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa."

Instantly, the man's scowl grew deeper. "Yeah, I heard of him. He's changing this place, an' I don't like it! This is the district of men, where the only law of this land is the law you can make with your own strength!"

"Is he not following that law, then?" Chad queried. "If he is using his own strength to protect the women, children and the elderly, then isn't that the law he is enforcing?"

"Shut up! You don't know nothing, Sado!" He raised his left arm, using his right to trace a particularly nasty-looking scar on his left shoulder going partway down his side. "See this?! I got this scar fighting for my life against the monster of a man, and it was in that fight that I discovered the rush, the thrill of combat! If things keep up the way your damn grandpa wants them to, then everything will be too fucking peaceful!"

"Why is peace so bad? Is life not precious?" Chad contended.

The man spat on the ground to his left. "You don't sound like you're afraid to die, yet you're spouting that same bullshit," he said slowly, eyeing Chad. "You look plenty strong, you might even be good enough to survive out here. Why not just take what you want?"

"Why are you so quick to put down my grandfather's ideas?" Chad countered. He had to admit, he was slowly becoming frustrated by this man's constant degradation of his Abuelo's teachings.

"You ask an awful lot of questions!" the man commented, his voice coated in irritation. "Fine! If that old decrepit fart's ideas are so good, then let them beat me and my whole gang! You against all of us! If you win, hell, we'll even show ya where he is. You lose, you die!"

"I accept your terms," Chad said simply. "Call out your men."

The man turned to the side, put two fingers in his mouth and blew a shrill whistle. A mere half-minute later, Chad was surrounded by upwards of fifty men. "You ready, fucking tree-hugger?" one of the men taunted.

Chad raised his right arm, allowing the red and black armor to paint itself up from his hand to his shoulder. "El Brazo Dereche del Gigante," he murmured, "the manifestation of my faith in my Abuelo's teachings."

"What are you, some kind of Shinigami?" one soul asked, drawing his sword.

"Naw, can't be. Not wearing the robes, see?" a nearby one drawled. "But he does have a weird power, I'll grant ya that."

Chad shook his head. "Can we just get on with this?"

"Alright, men, attack!" the boss yelled. The mob roared its approval and rushed in.

The fight was over in hardly any time at all. All of Chad's speed training proved itself when he effortlessly knocked out the entire crowd, until only he and the boss were left. Chad had nary a scratch, and the men had all been knocked out and not permanently injured.

The boss, instead of looking scared, only looked more excited. "Finally, a strong one! My name is Pretamaru! Show me what you got, Sado Yasutora!" He rushed in, throwing a right jab which was blocked, before trying to follow it up with a powerful kick to Sado's thigh, hoping to break the bone.

Chad showed little reaction to the blow – he'd been hit harder before, even before he'd manifested his powers. Instead, the gentle giant forcibly grabbed Pretamaru's hands and used his armored right arm to hold the mob boss up by the wrists. "Yield," Chad quietly ordered, his voice serious. "Yield, and take me to my grandfather."

The gang's boss may thoroughly enjoy fights, but he was not so stupid as to not know when he'd lost. Pretamaru felt as though he'd damn near broken his foot when he'd kicked Chad's leg – it was like kicking a steel girder. _There's no way I can win. _"Fine, but if he's really your grandpa, you're not gonna like this…"

"How so?"

Pretamaru sighed. "He's being held captive by a rival gang, and more people join him all the time. I've lost some of my best people to them, cuz they want to be part of the power that captured the heart of the revolution."

Chad's expression hardened. "Take me there. Now."

"Fine, but you gotta protect me! I'm no match for them! I hear that some of them used to give that Shinigami taicho, I think his name was Kenpachi, a good fight, and that means they're damn near gods of the sword!"

Chad set the man down and glared. "Move it."

Pretamaru swallowed hard. "Yes, sir."

Forty minutes or so later, Pretamaru had led Chad to a mansion on top of a large hill. "In there?" Chad questioned.

"Yeah. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm getting out while the getting's good!"

Chad let Pretamaru run. Eyes narrowed beneath his shaggy hair, he used Paso del Viento again to appear at the front door.

"Password?" came the test question.

In response, Chad used his armored arm to punch through the door, then twisting so he could open the door himself. The door answerer gaped at him, or more specifically at the arm. _I suppose the arm is rather strange-looking to them, _Chad admitted, _but the staring is getting irritating. _"Excuse me, have you seen this man?" he queried, holding up a picture of his Abuelo. "Someone out there told me you guys had the pleasure of his company."

The man in front of Chad visibly gathered his courage and smirked at the newcomer. "Yeah, I seen him. He's downstairs, but you do realize you'll never get to him, unless you're a prisoner yourself!"

The next instant, Chad buried his unarmored fist into the man's diaphram, making the gang member keel over as the breath was knocked out of him. "I'm sorry, but I can't have you calling for backup." Chad finished him with a chop to the neck, knocking him out. With that, he began running downstairs.

A few minutes later, Chad had made it to the chambers, where several people were kept prisoner in cells. "Who're you?!" the first one who saw him demanded. "You don't look like one of THEM!" There was suddenly much noise as everyone rushed to the bars to get a good look.

"My name is Sado Yasutora," Chad introduced himself. "Indeed, I am not part of any gang – I am merely looking for my grandfather." For what felt like the millionth time, Chad got another picture out of his pack and held it up. "Has anyone seen him?" He began passing them out.

One of the prisoners, a few cells down, began laughing as he received his copy. "You fool!" the prisoner cackled. "You're too late! He was here alright, but he was taken out this morning! They're going to kill him at noon in front of the building he made with his own hands, in front of the children he tried to save!"

Chad dropped the papers he had in shock, anger and despair and rage warring within him. _I need to get there in time! _"Tell me where he is, I beg you!"

"Not a chance; if my gang had caught him, we'd have done the same thing!"

Chad saw red as rage won out. He reached through the bars with El Brazo Dereche del Gigante and held the man up by his neck. "WHERE IS HE?!" he roared. He vaguely felt his left arm tingle, but ignored it for the moment. Every cell fell silent, even the prisoner. "Tell me, or I swear I will snap your neck, and the neck of every one here! You have ten seconds. Ten."

All the prisoners suddenly erupted in chaos. "Tell him!" "For the love of Kami, tell him!" "I don't wanna die!"

"Nine." The tingle in Chad's left arm grew more insistent. Chad steadfastly ignored it. _I have more important things to worry about right now. _

"Don't kill me!" "I'm only here cuz I didn't want to join these bastards!" "Come on, man, tell him!"

"Eight." Chad noticed the man held in his grip was glaring at him defiantly. "Anything to say?"

"Fuck you!" the man spat on his arm, and Chad tightened his grip, making it more difficult for the man to breathe.

"Seven."

The hall was suddenly quiet, watching in fear as the prisoner's hands scrabbled at Chad's hand futilely, trying desperately to get the giant's grip off of him.

"Six."

"I think I know where he is!" a small voice cried out.

Chad immediately let the man drop as he turned to the source of the voice – it turned out to be a boy, about seven years old. "Please, tell me," Chad asked gently, his anger gone as if it had never existed. He didn't even notice as the strange feeling in his left arm faded.

"I just remembered, there's a big farmhouse a few miles west of the town outside, you can't miss it! It's the only place where there are adults and children working together to make it bigger! If you let me out, I'll take you there!" the boy babbled.

Chad let out a smile. _Finally. _"Stand back." The boy quickly did so, with wide eyes. Chad stretched his arms for a moment before gripping the top of the thick bar with his armored arm and quickly snapped off the top. Then he did the same with the bottom, completely taking the bar off. Tossing it carelessly to the side, Chad picked up the boy and carried him in his arms. "We're going to be going very fast," the giant warned, "so don't be scared."

"Ok!" The boy snuggled into Chad's arms, but kept his head poked out so he could see. .

"Wait, aren't you going to free me too?" the stubborn prisoner whom Chad had choked for a short time demanded. "I told you when he was going to be executed!"

Chad looked over his shoulder and glared with his single visible eye. "And why would I free someone who would have just as gleefully killed my Abuelo?" With that, he used Paso Del Viento to disappear.

Less than a minute later, he was outside the mansion. "Which way?" Chad asked.

The boy pointed a little ways off from the city. "That way!"

With that, Chad dashed off with Paso del Viento, going as fast as he could. For his part, the boy was enjoying the ride. Once every couple of minutes, Chad would make sure he was going the right way. Finally, Chad could see the farmhouse himself. "It's a good thing Yoruichi-sensei pounded speed into me," he murmured, glancing at the sun. _It's about ten o'clock… I've got some time._

Chad came to a stop outside the farmhouse and set the boy down. "That was fun, Sado-san!" the boy said with a wide smile.

The giant of a man smiled back. "Come, let's see if they'll let us in." They walked to the door and knocked.

"Password?" came the query. The voice was masculine, experienced but not particularly old-sounding. Chad had to guess middle-aged.

Chad rolled his eyes behind his shaggy hair. "Why does everyone keep asking that?" he wondered with a little exasperation leaking into his tone. "Listen, I heard that de la Rosa was captured, and I want to help."

"How do we know your intentions are as you say?" the man behind the door demanded.

"He's ok!" the boy piped up. "He came and rescued me from that gang you keep warning me about!"

"What? Creoro, is that you?"

"Yep!" the newly identified Creoro chirped.

The door opened cautiously, as the man peered out. He let Creoro in quickly before staring at Chad, trying to judge his worth. "What's with the arm?" he asked bluntly.

Chad blinked and glanced at his right arm. "Oh."_I left it active…_"My apologies, that's my power. I used it to save Creoro. Excuse me." He deactivated his power, and the black and red armor seemed to melt down his arms to his hands, where it disappeared, revealing his normal arm.

The man took another few seconds, but finally nodded. "You can come in. The others are outside working the fields at the moment, but they'll be back for lunch at noon or so."

Chad quietly entered and closed the door behind him. "I apologize for making you uncomfortable, but Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa… was my Abuelo when he was alive. I was looking for him to help me with a troubling problem before I heard he was in trouble. Please allow me to help."

"Why didn't you help him then when you rescued Creoro, then?" the stranger questioned suspiciously.

"The old man had already been taken out by then, oji-san!" Creoro told him, tugging on the man's shirt. "I like Sado-niisan, please let him help? Maybe he can stay after?"

The door guard stiffened, then looked at Chad sternly. "He wasn't there?"

Chad shook his head. "Not according to the other prisoners. He'd apparently been taken out by then. Supposedly, he's to be publicly executed in front of this farm, at noon today."

"… when all the men are tired and weary of working the farm," the guard connected. "We won't be able to stop them then, not without help."

"That's where I can help," Chad told him with a small amount of pride leaking into his voice. "As long as there aren't any Shinigami in the gang, and they don't expect me, I should be able to just grab him and get him away. I have a speed technique much like the Shinigami Shunpo."

"That could work…" the guard finally sighed. "I'm sorry for treating you as I have; I've lived in this district for so long, it's become instinct to be hostile to everyone new. Listen, my name's Lonace. I haven't used a last name in so long, I'm afraid I've forgotten it."

"Sado Yasutora." Chad inclined his head. "Creoro, would you go tell the other workers everything? Ask them to come back as fast as they can. I'm sure they want to help too."

"Sure thing, Sado-niisan!" With that, the hyper boy was off and dashed through the door.

Chad sat down in a nearby chair and ran a hand through his long, shaggy hair. "Something wrong, Sado-san?" Lonace questioned.

"I'm… a bit nervous about seeing my Abuelo again. What do you say to someone who you've buried, mourned over, and moved past many years ago?"

"Well, I imagine he'll feel the same way," Lonace replied, seating himself opposite his visitor. "It's been just as long for him as it has for you, and in his perspective, he lost you the same way you lost him. We don't get to watch over you from here in the afterlife."

"Never thought about it like that…"

His arms burned, his fingers bled as he blinked a mixture of blood and sweat away. Ishida Uryuu stared calculatingly at his almost too-calm parent in the secret training room underneath the hospital. Ishida Ryuuken was mostly untouched, though there were a few holes in his clothes due to near misses on Uryuu's part. However, Uryuu had multiple scratches, including a shallow one directly above his left eye.

"Have you only grown this much, Uryuu?" Ryuuken asked tonelessly. "I would think that you would be far stronger, with how long you have trained."

Uryuu grit his teeth. "Then let me show you my skill."

"Show me." The two of them disappeared using Hirenkyaku once more.

Uryuu fired almost three dozen arrows at once at his father, having realized by now that it was only doing this that would grant him any chance of a hit. Ryuuken countered by firing over a hundred at him with a single shot, over an area twice as wide as Uryuu was tall. What was even more impressive, however, was the fact that Ryuuken had not used his other hand to draw the arrow, merely his reiatsu manipulation. Uryuu flashed away yet again, firing more arrows even he began murmuring an incantation.

"Tilt the goblet to the west…" He fired another few arrows before snatching one of his Quincy silver tubes from the utility belt around his waist. "Emerald Grail!" Uryuu called out, flinging the liquid-like spiritual energy at Ryuuken, which then transformed into a powerful blue blast, obscuring his view of Ryuuken. Not waiting to see if that worked – which he doubted it would – Uryuu used Hirenkyaku again, readying several more powerful arrows in his bow and quickly firing them into smoke where Ryuuken had been, in the hopes that he would connect with a lucky shot.

However, when the smoke cleared, Ryuuken was not there. _Now where is he? _Uryuu thought grimly, looking around and feeling with his spiritual sense.

"That was better, Uryuu." The calm voice coming from directly behind him would have surprised the teenager in question if Uryuu hadn't already sensed him. The boy turned around to see the appraising look Ryuuken was giving him. His clothes were certainly far more damaged, even if Ryuuken himself appeared unharmed. "Perhaps I can fight a little more seriously."

Uryuu's eyes did widen at this, before narrowing as he blinked more blood-tainted sweat from his eye. _Shit, he's still not fighting seriously?! _Resolutely, he pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Glad I could give you a good fight," he bit out sardonically, trying to ignore the pain from his bleeding fingers. _I need a better glove… _

Ryuuken sighed and shook his head. "You'll need to be far better than this to 'give me a good fight,' Uryuu. Prepare yourself!"

Halfway across Karakura Town, in a different secret underground training room… "What do you mean, Ichigo became a Hollow and disappeared to Hueco Mundo?!" an outraged Tatsuki demanded.

"Maa, maa, it's not that bad, really," Urahara tried to reassure.

"How did this happen?" Inoue asked quietly. She'd guessed, ever since Ichigo's reiatsu had suddenly disappeared from her senses, that he'd disappeared from this world.

Urahara sighed. "Ichigo-kun had to fight his Inner Hollow again last night, and he lost. His Inner Hollow, apparently calling himself Cazador, said he'd be sating his hunger on Menos Grande in Hueco Mundo, the Hollow dimension." He paused to scratch his chin. "He must really respect Ichigo if he's not gonna go after Ichigo's loved ones like normal Hollows do…"

"So, how long till Ichigo takes over again?" Tatsuki queried.

Urahara shrugged. "Cazador mentioned that they fight once every other week, so probably in two weeks time."

"Two weeks?" Tatsuki repeated. "What if Aizen takes advantage and attacks?"

"What are we going to tell the Shinigami?" Inoue pointed out.

"I'll tell them that Ichigo's undergoing two weeks of non-stop training with Yoruichi," Urahara replied, having already thought of that eventuality. "As for Aizen Sousuke… I think, once he hears the news, he'll try to recruit Cazador with the lure of power." He gave a downright mischievous smirk. "But he'll be in for a surprise…"

At that very moment, Cazador sat back against a "tree" in a forest he'd found, his hunger fully sated for the time being. The trees in this forest were made of quartz, however. "Ah, that hit the spot." He'd just finished eating a few dozen Gillian – Cazador didn't want to fight any Adjuchas yet until he'd gotten the hang of his Bankai form. For that matter, he wasn't quite sure how to get to that form again. He'd tried using Bankai the way Ichigo and he used to, but nothing had happened.

Cazador sighed, and with a few moments of focus, summoned Zangetsu's spirit to manifest in front of him. "Oi, Zangetsu, what's the deal? Why can't I use Bankai?"

"Bankai is a Shinigami skill, and you are not a Shinigami. You are not even Vizard. You are Arrancar, and therefore must release the way they do," Zangetsu explained simply.

"And how do I do that?" Cazador demanded, frustrated. "And does this mean I can't use any of the old Shinigami skills anymore? No Kido, no Getsuga Tenshou, no Shunpo, nothing?"

"My power is still the Getsuga Tenshou," Zangetsu informed his Hollow wielder, "and your Kido is still usable, though weaker than if Ichigo were using them. Shunpo may be a bit more difficult, though I would look into the Hollow equivalent. In regards to releasing as an Arrancar, perhaps you should go ask." With that, he disappeared.

Despite his irritation, Cazador knew he'd get nothing more out of the sword spirit. He couldn't help but get the feeling that he should already know the answer, like it was on the tip of his tongue, but Cazador just couldn't put the words to it. He suddenly snorted. "I wonder if Ichigo felt like this when he was trying for Shikai, and he couldn't hear Zangetsu's name?"

Cazador sat and crossed his legs, thinking back to when he remembered Grimmjow release. "Grind, Pantera," he murmured. "Huh, that sounds like a Shikai release more than anything else… Ichigo and I got our Shikai with just Zangetsu's name… Well, worth a shot."

The Arrancar stood up, brushed off his pants, and gripped his blade. "Zangetsu!" he cried out. His sword thrummed in his hand, but it did not suddenly become Tensa Zangetsu. "Damn it, I'm close, I can feel it!"

_Urgh… my head… I wonder if this is what a hangover feels like? _

**_Ichigo, that you? _**

_Who else would it be, you overgrown infection? _

**_Yep, it's you. You certainly recovered faster than I did! I was out for a week, you were only out for a day! Color me impressed. _**

_You have no color, remember?_

**_So it'll be easy!_**

Cazador grinned when he heard Ichigo groan. _I think it's because you and Zangetsu were originally part of my soul, not the other way around. And I don't have to fight Zangetsu to manifest, we are both here at the same time. Or at least, I think he is… Oh, there he is, fighting off a… Is that…? Kami damn it, Cazador! What are all these Gillian doing in my head?! _

**_Our head,_**Cazador corrected.

_Fine, granted, you ARE in control… so let me reiterate. What are all these Gillian doing in OUR head?!_

**_That's cuz I ate them. Their power is supposed to be added in mine, though I haven't felt any boost yet. _**

_Ignoring the question of just how you eat a Hollow the size of a skyscraper when you're only the size of a human being, I suppose I'm just going to have to put down those Hollows, ne? Zangetsu, hold up a sec! _

**_Have fun!_**Cazador replied cheerfully. Still feeling rather full, and not wanting to risk a stomach ache, he decided to go explore the forest a bit. He hadn't gotten far when suddenly he felt an extremely minor boost to his power. **_Ichigo, did you just finish killing one of the Gillians?_**

_Getsuga Tenshou! Yeah, why do you ask? Keep it quick, I'm a bit busy here! _

Cazador once again felt another boost, though like before, it was tiny compared to what he already had. **_Never mind, just keep doing what you're doing._**

_Why, thank you for giving me permission! Hado 33: Soukatsui! _

Cazador mentally cut the connection, thinking privately now as he continued on. **_Interesting. Apparently Ichigo and I have to work together for me to get stronger. I eat the Hollow, he slays it in the Inner World so it doesn't have a chance to take over. I get the power, he gets the experience I do. So we're both going to get stronger from this. _He grinned. _Now I'm looking forward to that fight even more!_**

A figure suddenly appeared a few meters in front of him. "Who are you?"

The figure was human-shaped, with an antelope-like Hollow mask, a fur coat, and a heavily used, torn Shinigami robe. Cazador's eyes narrowed, betrayal in his eyes. "Vizard! I should've known it was too good to be true!" He leapt back and readied his Zanpakuto for battle.

"Vizard?" The figure shook his head. "No. But who, or rather what, are you? You appear human, yet your reiatsu has elements of both Hollow and Shinigami."

Cazador quietly assessed the figure's reiatsu. It was quite high, but didn't have a trace of Hollow power in it. **_Huh, just a powerful Shinigami then._**"Have you never heard of an Arrancar? Broken mask, Hollow hole, Zanpakuto, human figure?" he asked, using one hand to point at each characteristic as he identified them. "Otherwise known as a Hollow with Shinigami-like powers?"

"I have heard of them, but you are the first one I have ever seen," the figure admitted. "All the Arrancar I have heard of live above here."

Cazador blinked. "Above?" He looked straight up. Sure enough, there was a ceiling, which appeared to be supported by the thick quartz trees growing around. "Huh, imagine that. I'm new here, only arrived yesterday or so, so I'm still learning my way around."

"We are in Menos Forest. Here is where general Hollow, Gillian and some Adjuchas reside. The other Adjuchas, all the Vasto Lorde and Arrancar live above," the figure explained shortly.

Cazador merely nodded. **_This is good information to have._** "So, what do I call ya, stranger?"

"Ashido."

"Cazador de la Luna."

"Tell me then, Cazador… at what level of Hollow evolution are you?"

Cazador looked up, thoughtful. "If I had to say, Gillian. Maybe Adjuchas. It's impossible for me to tell for sure, as I can't exactly look at myself and go, 'Oh, I'm hundreds of feet tall! I must be a Gillian!' or 'Oh, I was a Gillian once, but now I'm smaller, faster and stronger. I must be an Adjuchas!'"

"I see. Your reiatsu levels betray you, though. You have sufficient reiatsu to be considered a low- to mid-level Adjuchas," Ashido pointed out.

Cazador looked a bit sheepish of all things. "Well, ya didn't ask me how strong I was, just which level of Hollow evolution I was at. As for my high reiatsu levels… long story, don't want to get into it."

The Shinigami appeared to stare through the mask at Cazador, as if assessing him. "You seem different from most Hollows. Much less crazed, at the very least."

"You haven't seen me get battle-lust yet," Cazador replied with a wave of his hand. "I do enjoy my battles, but you're the first intelligent conversation I've had in quite some time."

_Hey! _

Cazador had to suppress the urge to laugh at Ichigo's offended tone. "There is also the fact that I am quite sated with the Gillian I ate earlier. Still digesting, as it were. I would imagine that the fact that I have Shinigami powers also lessens the hunger that Hollows feel, but I wouldn't know for sure as I don't recall ever being a normal Hollow."

"I am Shinigami, the Hollow's natural enemy. Why aren't you attacking, to make sure I don't purify you?" Ashido sounded almost puzzled behind the mask and nigh-emotionless voice.

Cazador grinned. "For one, you aren't a sufficient threat. While I'm sure you would make for an interesting battle, the fact that you aren't attacking me says that you're not interested in a fight, which makes me uninterested in fighting you."

"I see. Do you plan on returning to the human world?"

Cazador noticed that the man had subtly tensed. **_He'll probably attack depending on the answer. No matter, I'll stick with the truth._**"Not really. Complicated situation, that."

The Shinigami relaxed. "Then we have no reason to fight. Goodbye." He Shunpo-ed away before Cazador could say a word.

"Huh." Cazador scratched his head. "Odd guy, that Ashido." **_Wonder what a Shinigami is doing here, though?_**

_Aside from Aizen and his group, you mean. Didn't you see his bare feet and torn robes? He's obviously been here for quite some time. Probably left for dead by Soul Society,_Ichigo reasoned.

**_Yet another reason not to like them. How ya doing on those Hollow? _**

_They're dead now. They weren't that hard, Cazador, you know that! _

**_Yeah, yeah. Say, any idea how to release Zangetsu? _**

_What, you can't use Bankai? _

_Indeed he cannot. He is an Arrancar, and therefore must use the Arrancar release, _Zangetsu explained.

_Makes sense. Care to join us, Cazador? It's a little strange talking at the sky. _

**_I'll be right there._**With a mental tug, he pulled himself into the Inner World.

"Welcome back, temporary King," Ichigo greeted with a bow. "Nice outfit. Glad to see you're finally looking different from me. Was beginning to think you had a thing for me."

"Wouldn't that make you a narcissist?" Cazador shot back with a smirk. "Anyway, any ideas?"

"What the hell happened to your voice?" Ichigo asked, surprised. "You sound, well, a lot more like me!"

"Ah, I think that's because I'm in my Arrancar form," Cazador postulated. "I'm pretty sure I'll get my old voice back when I use Resurreccion. Speaking thereof, answer the damn question!"

Ichigo looked up at the night sky in their Inner World and scratched his chin. "Well, Grimmjow used a release phrase and the name of his Zanpakuto, like a Shinigami using Shikai…"

Cazador shook his head. "I already thought of that! We got our Shikai just by knowing and saying our sword's name. Tried it, nothing happened."

"Well, seeing as how Zangetsu looks the same, and appears to have the same name, it's not a problem with that part…" Ichigo reasoned. "Zangetsu, I've wondered for a while now. Everyone else seems to have a release phrase. I mean, Hitsugaya has that, 'Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru,' and Rukia has 'Dance, Sode no Shiraiyuki.' Hell, even Byakuya has 'Scatter, Senbonzakura.' Do you have a release phrase?"

"I do," Zangetsu acknowledged. "You did not need it as a Shinigami, as I am a constant release type Zanpakuto. You would have only used it once, which I find… impractical. That, and you were extremely new to the Shinigami business. Would you have really taken a pose and said some release phrase with my name?" 

Ichigo looked away, silently answering the question.

"So, what's the release phrase?" Cazador asked eagerly.

A minute later, Cazador re-emerged from his Inner World with a maniacal grin. "Now, who to test it on…" He suddenly sensed a large increase in reiatsu. "Ooooh, someone strong's fighting! Feels kinda familiar, too…" He dashed in the direction of the reiatsu, grin even wider than before.

A dimension away, Chad checked the clock. _11:45… _"It's almost time." A couple of the farmers peered through the windows.

"I see the bastards," one of them said. "Everyone ready?"

The group nodded as one. Chad stood up and activated El Brazo Dereche del Gigante. "Remember the plan," Chad rumbled lowly. "You all distract, I use my high-speed technique to dash in and save him, then we all present a show of force."

A few minutes later, they heard a voice. "Come on out, you pacifistic cowards!"

Several people's fists clenched, but once more they heard Chad murmur, "Remember the plan." They quietly exited, and several of them gasped.

"Oh sweet Kami."

"How could they?!"

"Those bastards!"

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

_Time to go. _Chad slipped out the back and used Paso del Viento, speeding towards his Abuelo… only to be stopped by a Shinigami blocking his path with Shunpo. _What the hell? _

"You will go no further!" the Shiniigami stated with a bloodthirsty grin. Once more, Chad felt his left arm tingle as anger filled him.

"That is my grandfather there," Chad protested with a deathly calm, his eyes narrowed as he surveyed the situation. _Two more Shinigami, both apparently low level. They don't have fukutaicho sashes… A couple of dozen normal gang members. _He couldn't see his Abuelo yet – everyone was blocking his sight.

"Oh really?" The Shinigami cackled. "Hey boys, we got the old man's grandson here to watch the show!"

"I'm taking him."

"No you're not," the Shinigami grinned, drawing his Zanpakuto. "You're going to stay right there and watch him die."

"You're in my way," Chad commented, his voice beginning to thicken in anger, El Brazo Dereche del Gigante tense, his fists clenched. "Move."

"Make me!" the Shinigami taunted. "I'm a Shinigami, you're just a fucking peasant! Hey boys! Get the old man ready!"

Without warning, Chad's right fist slammed into the Shinigami's head, empowered further by Chad's reiatsu. The Shinigami went flying. "Here's how things are going to work," Chad said quietly, his anger palpable as his reiatsu levels rose. "I'm getting my Abuelo. You are all going to move, or I will smash you the same way I did that Shinigami. Am I understood?"

"Perhaps you should see your Abuelo first, before you make any decisions like that," a second Shinigami suggested with a smirk. "Bring him out front."

As soon as Chad saw Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa, his eyes widened. The poor man's body bore the scars of intense torture, he was emaciated, but worst of all, his arms had been cut off, and then his shoulder burned to keep the man from bleeding to death. He was thrown to the ground by the two people who had brought him out front. "Abuelo…" The man was unconscious.

Chad's eyes closed as hot tears trailed down his cheeks, and cold rage filled his soul as he kept his head bowed. "You… you are all…" Chad's head came up, his sole visible eye burning with an unholy anger. "You are all going to pay for what you've done!" He held his left arm up, and a white substance emerged from his left first, traveling up Chad's arm to his shoulder, and forming a slightly curved spike. A single red stripe traveled from his fist to his shoulder as well, circling the spike. "El Brazo Izquierda del Diablo," Chad named his new arm, making a fist with it and feeling the sheer power flowing through it. "Symbol of my will to attack."

"Fancy name," a random gang member commented. "What's it gonna do?"

Following his instinct and his desire for vengeance, Chad focused his reiatsu into the tips of the five fingers of his left hand, and then clenched his fist. With a single reiatsu enhanced jump, he was above the mob, falling directly towards the center, his left arm cocked back.

Everyone moved out of his way. _It won't matter, _Chad thought darkly. _You will all pay dearly. _He punched the ground as he landed. "La Muerte."

For a moment, nothing happened, but then the ground was pressed down over a meter deep in a pattern that was not immediately recognizable. But Chad knew that if someone were to take an aerial look, it would be easily seen as a huge skull, a circle two meters wide surrounding the point of impact forming the mouth.

A moment later, the screaming started. In that single move, Chad had obliterated the majority of the gang members who had come. Those who had been caught in the pattern, had been crushed into an almost unrecognizable mass of flesh, blood and bone. Only two lucky gang members had had the foresight to move further away, both of whom were the conscious Shinigami.

"M-m-monster!" one of the Shinigami cried out in horror, turning to run away. The other quickly joined him.

Chad used Paso del Viento to appear directly in front of the Shinigami, scaring them even further. "And where do you think you're going?" Chad queried in a pseudo-calm voice. "Do you honestly think you can run from me?"

The Shinigami, in their panic, drew their Zanpakuto and tried to cut Chad down from either side, hoping their teamwork would pull them through. Chad merely blocked with his armored arms. They weren't even scratched. "I will have justice," Chad announced loudly. "You have tortured, maimed, and almost killed my Abuelo. And for what? Fun?! To simply kill you seems far too quick a release for monsters like you."

Chad quickly snatched the Zanpakuto and broke them in two in one stroke with his empowered arms. Then he gripped each Shinigami by the neck tightly and held them up. "No. Instead, I will hunt you. You will never know peace. The first time I catch you, you will lose your thumbs, denying you the use of your swords. The second time, I will break every single bone in your fingers before I crush them into powder. The third, I will do the same to your toes. If I see you again after that, I will cut off your hands, and then your feet. You will lose more and more parts of your body until you are nothing more than a torso and a head, and then I will leave you for a few years with these gentlemen before I have my friend restore your body so we can do it all over again."

Chad glared at them with all his might, putting on his most demonic aura, letting his Hollow-like reiatsu flow freely around him. Judging by the slowly growing wet spots on the Shinigami robes, he had made his point. "Live in fear, always looking over your shoulder, and you may survive another day with all your limbs intact. And if you dare to commit suicide… let's just say that not even death can save you from my fury," Chad uttered, throwing them to the ground. "You have fifteen seconds to get out of my sight. Take your friend with you."

Eyes wide, both Shinigami scrambled to their feet and high-tailed it out of there, quickly gathering their friend before using Shunpo to go as fast as they could in any direction. Chad sighed before releasing his arms' transformations, returning them to normal. He had no intention of following through on his words. "Yoruichi-sensei, I know you're there."

A black cat appeared by his side as though it'd always been there. "Chad-kun, you can be pretty scary when you want to be."

"Yoruichi-sensei, please alert your protégé, Soifon-taicho, to take them in for questioning, please."

"One step ahead of you. Those Shinigami have already been caught by the Onimitsukido." Yoruichi's voice sounded almost smug in her cat form.

"I have one more request. Please travel to the human world and get Orihime… she can restore his arms. I… wish to stay here to care for my Abuelo in the meantime."

"No problem. See you soon, Chad-kun." The cat Shunpo-ed away, and Chad sighed again to himself before turning to the people who Oscar Joaquin had recruited to help in his vision.

To their credit, they had already begun carrying their leader inside. Chad quietly approached, unsure if he was welcome after the gruesome display he'd put on. "How is he?" he murmured.

"Not good at the moment, but you'd be surprised what we can live through now that we're dead," one of the stronger-looking men said firmly. "We can mostly fix him up with enough time, but his arms are gone for good I'm afraid."

"One of my friends is capable of restoring his limbs," Chad contradicted. "She'll be here in the next few days, depending on how fast the messenger travels. Would you mind if I stay here with you for the moment? I will earn my keep. I… I want to see and talk to my Abuelo, when he awakens."

Several of the man exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, one of them shrugged. "You did what you did because of your anger, right? As long as you keep your temper under control, and help us out in the field, it's fine by me." One by one, the others voiced their agreements.

Chad bowed low to them. "Thank you." His emotions were a whirlwind, but right now he felt grateful and confused. _That power… _He stayed outside as the everyone else either went to continue their farming, or stayed behind to help nurse Oscar Joaquin back to health. He sat down on the porch and looked at his now bare left arm. _What… happened to me? I would never act like that normally. I don't kill! Then again, I'm never that angry, and it did happen to my Abuelo… That made it personal. _

"No," Chad murmured, shaking his head. "Abuelo's teachings… my vow to never use my strength for anything but defense of another… I'm glad Abuelo didn't see that." He hung his head in shame. "He would be so ashamed of me… I'm glad I finally activated the arm, but is this power worth the price?" He stood up again. "It's a good thing I saved Abuelo; I could use his advice." _I hope he wakes soon. _Determined to keep his mind off his troubling problem, he set off to go help the other men in the fields.

That night, in Karakura town, Hitsugaya Toushiro raised one brow in skepticism. "Urahara-san, you honestly expect me to believe that Kurosaki Ichigo just up and left for a two-week session with Yoruichi?"

"Does it matter if you believe it?" Urahara asked cheerfully. "That's the official report you have to make to the Soutaicho. 'According to Urahara Kisuke, Kurosaki Ichigo agreed to spend two weeks with Shihoin Yoruichi for emergency training, leaving Karakura town in the capable hands of several other Shinigami.'"

"Fine, that'll be the official report," Hitsugaya grumbled. "Now can you tell me the truth? What happened to Kurosaki-san?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Urahara replied, pulling out a small fan and holding it up to hide his mischievous smile.

"Urahara. I know he has Hollow powers, and I'm not going to tell the Soutaicho," Hitsugaya said bluntly, hoping the shock factor would cause the shopkeeper to reveal something. "What. Happened?"

Urahara blinked, folded his fan and sighed. "Very well. This must stay with us, I hope you realize. And if I find that you have told anyone, even another taicho…" He narrowed his eyes, giving his most serious look. "I will find you. Not even the Soutaicho would be able protect you from me, and no one from Soul Society will ever find us again."

Hitsugaya merely nodded.

"Ichigo-kun has temporarily become a Hollow."

"What?!" The 10th Division taicho yelped uncharacteristically. "How did this happen?! How do you know it's temporary?! Is he still here, is he going to fight us?!"

"Maa, maa, keep it quiet," Urahara shushed. "In order, his Inner Hollow fought him for control and won. I know it's temporary because the Hollow form of Ichigo said it was, which matched up with what Ichigo himself told me. No, he's in Hueco Mundo, and is more interested in eating other Hollows to get stronger right now."

Hitsugaya took a deep breath and resumed his normal calm features. "Is he going to join Aizen?"

The banished Shinigami shook his head negatively. "No, Cazador – that's the name of Ichigo's Hollow form – said he didn't like taking orders from anyone but Ichigo. So relax, go with the official story. He'll be back in a couple of weeks, stronger than ever."

"Alright. I need to go file the official report now, so goodbye, Urahara-san." Hitsugaya Shunpo-ed away.

Blood dripped freely onto the floor as Ishida Uryuu fell to his knees, physically and spiritually exhausted. His Quincy bow flickered, then dissipated into spirit particles as Uryuu's concentration slipped. His fingers had been cut into so much that he had no strength left to pull back and fire arrows, he had used all of his Quincy spirit capsules, and his body felt like it was burning from the inside out for gathering large quantities of spiritual energy from his surroundings for such a prolonged fight. Uryuu had nothing left – he had gone far past his limit, and it was all he could do to stay conscious. Even that fight, he was slowly losing, as blood slowly poured from his wounds. _From now on, I will bring more medicine, _he weakly swore to himself.

"Hmph," Ishida Ryuuken said calmly, though he was not without wounds himself. He had been pierced a few times in his legs, and once in his left shoulder. The wounds weren't deep – his own reiatsu gathering skills allowed him to absorb Uryuu's arrows before they could punch completely through. _I won't admit it aloud, but my son has progressed very quickly during this fight. It looks like he's reached his limit though. _"Perhaps next time you will actually be a challenge." While he said it in his usual monotone, he meant it as a compliment. _To have progressed so quickly now, I wonder how skilled you will be when you heal from this encounter? _

"Next time…" With that, Uryuu lost the fight, and fell over, unconscious. Ryuuken swiftly picked him up and used Hirenkyaku to take him to the medical station in the Quincy underground training chamber. With modern medicine combined with Quincy spiritual healing skills, Uryuu would be completely healed in a day or two.

"Foolish Uryuu…" If anyone was nearby and conscious enough to hear that, they might have heard the undertone of parental concern as Ryuuken tended to his son's wounds.

Cazador finally made it to the source of the reiatsu he'd sensed before – he had been sidetracked by a fit of hunger, and gone on another Gillian eating spree to satisfy his appetite. By the time he'd finished, the reiatsu was gone. At first, Cazador had been disappointed, but after a while the reiatsu clashed again, this time nearer than before. Hiding behind a tree and suppressing his reiatsu as best he could, he got a good look of who was fighting.

To his surprise, he saw two Arrancar going at it, one of whom Cazador recognized. The Sexta Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, was fighting a tall, lean Arrancar. The Arrancar had an eyepatch on his left eye and had a spoon-like hood that looked more decorative than anything else, as it did nothing to hide or protect his bone-straight black hair. The Arrancar also wielded a unique weapon that would have resembled a spear, were it not for the crescent moon-shaped blade pointing outwards from the end. There was an identical blade pointing inwards, fused to the back of the other blade. In Cazador's opinion, it was a very impractical weapon for most things. **_I mean, seriously, that looks like it's meant for beheading, seeing as the sharp end in on the inside of those blades. _**

_I could see it being on a wall somewhere as a ceremonial weapon, _Ichigo contributed. _And I dunno, if someone knew how to use it that could be quite useful. _

**_I suppose you could use the tips of that thing for stabbing and tearing, _**Cazador conceded, eyeing the weapon.

_I was thinking that in order to block it with a normal sword, stop it in its tracks, they would have to get inside that crescent, _Ichigo pointed out. _A quick sideways tug and then SLICE! Off with the enemy's head. _

**_Fair point. What about the inside blade then, the one pointing back at the guy? _**

_Maybe for if he gets too close? _Ichigo suggested. _After all, the weakness of any spear user is if someone gets too close for them to stab. More than that, I'm wondering who that other Espada is. He's gotta be an Espada if he's giving Grimmjow a hard time, though the latter hasn't used Resurreccion yet. We should keep watching, see if one of them kills the other. That would make our lives a lot easier in the long run. _

Cazador frowned. Ichigo had a point. If their enemies were killing each other off, why interfere? **_They do seem to be somewhat equally matched, _**he observed, seeing Grimmjow use his Zanpakuto to knock the strange weapon upwards long enough for his left hand to fire a red Cero blast at point-blank range. The unknown Arrancar was mildly burned, but had a manic grin on his face as he continued attacking Grimmjow from out of the smoke, landing a cut on the blue-haired Espada's left arm.

_Grimmjow did say before that he was on par with the 4th Espada, Ulquiorra, _Ichigo recalled. _Since this is obviously not Ulquiorra…_

**_This is probably the 5th Espada, _**Cazador finished with a grin. **_Unless he's gotten strong enough to take on the 3rd, which is doubtful. _**

_Do we have the power to take him on? _

**_We might, if I use Resurreccion. If we let them weaken each other first, though…_**

Cazador could sense Ichigo considering. _While it could work, I don't like the idea. That's not how I want to fight my battles._

**_Me either, but it's an unusual opportunity to eliminate an Espada. _**Cazador rationalized. 

After another moment, Ichigo made his decision. _Let's not attack yet. We don't recognize that 5th Espada, right? That means he's not attacked us, and I don't think either of us wants to just kill someone like that when he's not ready to fight at his best. Who knows? Maybe he'll work with us. _

**_What if Grimmjow wins? He DID invade earlier with the sole purpose of killing us and your friends. _**

Ichigo's voice hardened. _If Grimmjow wins, I'll leave it to you. If you want to kill him and eat him, fine. His power will be a good addition. If not, then maybe he'll make an appropriate ally against Aizen. He did seem to hate him when we fought. _

Cazador nodded silently.

"I've had it with you, Nnoitra!" Grimmjow yelled, frustrated. "I'm trying to get a good bite to eat, and you keep attacking me!"

"Then kill me if you can, kitty!" the now-name Nnoitra replied with a wide grin, attempting to skewer his opponent, who skillfully dodged. "Or let me kill you!"

Grimmjow slowly began to smile. "Aizen won't like this…" he said seriously, although his own lust for battle was beginning to make itself known as the pressure of his spiritual energy grew larger.

"Aizen can kiss my ass!" Nnoitra replied. "Now get serious! I want to see if you really have the power to take me on!"

"You asked for it!" Grimmjow jumped back and brought his blade across his body, as though going for a sweeping slice. He took his other hand and ground his nails across the blade. "Grind, Pantera!" Reiatsu surrounded him, and when it disappeared, he was in his Resurreccion form, exactly how Cazador remembered it.

"Oh, good. Let's see if your might compares to mine! Pray, Santa Teresa!" Nnoitra howled. When the smoke cleared, he looked almost exactly the same, except he now had four arms, and a curved pair of horns atop his head, the left longer than the right, resembling a crescent moon. The spoon-like hood was gone, and Nnoitra's unique weapon was gone. Each hand held an enormous scythe-like weapon.

**_Interesting… _**Cazador thought with a grin. **_Looks like speed versus power. Who do you think will win, Ichigo? My bet's on Grimmjow. _**

_That depends. Is Grimmjow strong enough to punch through Nnoitra's Hierro? Or is Nnoitra fast enough to catch Grimmjow with at least one of his arms? Grimmjow was on par with our single Bankai Vizard form, _Ichigo reminded him.

Grimmjow stiffened, his panther-like senses alerting him to a new smell. "Nnoitra, there's another Arrancar over there. A strong one, too. Might even be a challenge for you. Maybe it's one of Aizen's?"

As much as Nnoitra wanted to fight Grimmjow, he wasn't stupid. If there was a strong Arrancar nearby, that meant two things. Either Aizen was spying on them, or there was an Arrancar that could be competition. In either case, he had to die if Nnoitra wanted to continue his fight with Grimmjow. "Pesquisa," he murmured, putting a finger to the ground and pulsing with his reiatsu. A few moments later, he stood up again. "Yeah, definitely a strong one. Feels like a complete Arrancar, like us. Come out, Arrancar!"

"Gladly, I was getting tired of sitting and watching." Cazador leapt out and stood a distance away from the others. **_Even I know these are bad odds. _**

Grimmjow was agape. "What, Kurosaki?! You're an Arrancar?!"

_Lie! Tell him I'm not here! _Ichigo practically screamed in his head.

**_No shit. _**"Actually, I'm Cazador. Kurosaki? Who's that?" Cazador queried convincingly.

"Must've lost your memories when you turned into a Hollow," Grimmjow muttered, thinking aloud. "Also explains your power, and could explain why you're an Arrancar… although who was powerful and gutsy enough to turn a Shinigami of your old strength into a Hollow is someone I don't want to mess with."

"Speak for yourself!" Nnoitra argued. "That sounds like a great fight!"

"As much as I enjoy being talked about right in front of me," Cazador began irritably, "why don't you introduce yourselves?"

"Grimmjow," the blue-haired Arrancar introduced himself, feeling a little odd for speaking to someone who looked exactly the person who he was training to defeat. "Quinta Espada, working for Aizen Sousuke."

"Nnoitra, Quarta Espada," the other said easily.

"How long have you been a Hollow?" Grimmjow queried.

"Not long," Cazador replied. "Maybe a day or two. Hard to tell time here…"

"A day, and you're an Adjuchas?!" Nnoitra asked incredulously. _He has to die! He might even become Vasto Lorde before me if he continues like this!_

Cazador shrugged. "Adjuchas level, maybe. I think I'm just a Gillian though. Was eating those earlier, and they filled me up."

"Die!" Nnoitra cried out, as he used Sonido to attack Cazador from the side, swiping at him with his two left arms.

Cazador's eyes widened, and called on his Shinigami power to use Shunpo, just managing to get out of range. He grinned. "You want a fight, you've got one!" He drew Zangetsu from his back, the cloth wrapping around his right arm as he held Zangetsu horizontally, in the same position in which Ichigo would use Bankai. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he looked down his sword at Nnoitra. "Tear the sky asunder, Zangetsu!"

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OK, yes, giving Zangetsu a release phrase is a LITTLE overdone. But I figured that Cazador kinda needs it, considering that he's an Arrancar and can't be in a constant release state, and Bankai IS a purely Shinigami skill. Hope my explanation for why Zangetsu didn't tell Ichigo his release phrase to start makes sense.

Pleae keep in mind that Cazador is now a Gillian. He barely noticed the change, as he was already pretty damn strong. It's the change to Adjuchas that will prompt a large increase in power.

And now, we finally see what happened between Grimmjow and Nnoitra when Nnoitra decided to hunt him. Yes, he's very persistent. Aizen is not unaware, as you will see next chapter.

Read and Review!

NeoRyu777


	10. Evolution

Hey all, sorry for the long wait. Had a hell of a time with college finals.

Because of the long wait, and the length of my story, a quick summary of recent events seems in order.

Recently, Ichigo lost his second fight against his Inner Hollow, and then learned his Hollow's name was Cazador de la Luna. Cazador discovered that because Ichigo was a Shinigami, when he had taken over he was already an Arrancar. He immediately left to Hueco Mundo and began to eat, almost immediately becoming a Gillian. After some initial confusion as to his sudden inability to perform Bankai, Cazador met up with Ichigo and Zangetsu in his Inner World and gained the release phrase required to activate his Resurreccion. Not long later, he encountered Nnoitra and Grimmjow, the 5th and 6th Espada - yes, I made a typo last chapter. Sorry. They were both in Resurreccion and fighting. Nnoitra had been stalking Grimmjow for some time, and was seeing if Grimmjow had truly been growing stronger as he boasted. Much like Kenpachi, Nnoitra lusted for a good fight, even if it would break Aizen's rules.

Upon sensing Cazador, Grimmjow warned Nnoitra, who called him out. Nnoitra attempted to kill Cazador upon discovering that he was Adjuchas-level power while being only a Gillian Arrancar. Cazador has just called out his release phrase, "Tear the sky asunder, Zangetsu!"

Hitsugaya Toushiro, taicho of the 10th division, talked to Urahara, who confessed the truth of Ichigo's sudden disappearance. Hitsugaya promised not to reveal it, instead reporting that Ichigo was training with Yoruichi.

Chad has unlocked his Brazo Izquierda del Diablo, but realized that it changed his mindset drastically after he killed his grandfather's tormenters. He is now confused and desperate to talk to his Abuelo for guidance. He has requested Yoruichi to retrieve Inoue to restore Oscar Joaquin's arms, which had been removed by the tormenters.

Ishida began training with his father, Ishida Ryuuken, after promising upon his Quincy honor that after the current war, he would focus more on the living world, than being a Quincy. Their fight came to a close last chapter, with Ryuuken winning, but Uryuu has gained valuable experience and developed his skills during the fight. Ryuuken is currently treating Uryuu's injuries.

Chapter 10: Evolution

When Cazador re-emerged from the plume of reiatsu his Resurreccion had created, he had transformed into a mixture between his Arrancar form, which was essentially human in shape, and his anthropomorphic lizard-like body that he had first found himself in when Cazador won against Ichigo. His vest was gone, instead replaced by a white scale-like armor with intricate red tattoo-like markings that began from his Hollow hole. The armor encompassed Cazador's entire torso, but ended at the shoulders, where frills that would befit any lizard grew to either side and around the back of his neck.

Cazador's hair was longer now, down to his shoulders in length. Down his arms were crimson wavy lines, exactly as they had been in Cazador's original Hollow form. His hands grew slimmer and longer, resembling claws, while his bare feet had changed shape, each foot now having three claws, like a bird's talon or a reptile's hind claw. His crimson leggings had gained a white pattern to them mirroring that of the crimson on white of his armor.

Behind Cazador was a thick, powerful white tail about five feet long, with the same blood-red wave pattern as on his arms, though the tip was purely that red color. The tail was only about two-thirds as long as the one his purely Hollow form had had, but Cazador was glad for that – it was just long enough to be useful in battle, without being so long that it could easily be used against him.

Cazador's mask had changed as well, reforming the top half, down to the upper jaw, so only Cazador's lower jaw to his chin was visible. The left half was almost completely red, with only a few traces of white, and the right half was white as bone. Zangetsu had become Tensa Zangetsu, the familiar black Japanese long sword that had led Ichigo to defeat Kuchiki Byakuya, and Cazador himself.

Cazador smirked arrogantly as he held Tensa Zangetsu in his hand, confident in his win. **"You want to play, Nnoitra? Let's play!" **Inwardly, Cazador was glad his voice had returned to his own Hollow voice – it felt strange hearing Ichigo's tones from his own lips.

"Not a bad Resurreccion," Nnoitra admitted. "You might even be able to beat the old cat over there." Grimmjow growled. "But there's no way you can cut through my Hierro!"

Cazador grinned wickedly even while listening to Ichigo talk rapidly in his head.

_You're in full blown Hollow form now – I don't think you can use much, if any, Shinigami powers here. No Kido, no Shunpo, _Ichigo thought quickly.

_You are correct, _Zangetsu concurred. _The Shinigami power left within your body is insufficient for any practical usage, save identifying you as an Arrancar. _

_**Well, that sucks! Guess it's time to wing it then! **_Cazador dashed with all his Resurreccion-given speed at Nnoitra – and this speed was not insignificant, even minus Shunpo. It was on par with Ichigo's Shinigami form Shunpo speed. He swung Tensa Zangetsu, only to be blocked by two of Nnoitra's scythes, and two more were swinging back at him. _**Move, damn it! **_Cazador demanded of his body, pumping reiatsu through it.

To his surprise, his Hollow reiatsu instinctively formed a pattern based on Cazador's need, and he found himself out of the scythes' reach, a sudden minor booming sound echoing from where he'd been. _What was that?_Ichigo demanded. _That almost sounded like you broke the sound barrier! _

Grimmjow smirked, recognizing Cazador's sudden stop as surprise. "Was that your first time using Sonido?"

"**Sonido?"** Cazador repeated, burning the word to memory. _**Must be that high speed technique I just accidentally used. **_

_I imagine that most basic Hollow techniques are first done instinctually, _Ichigo mused.

_**We can ponder it later; right now, I have someone to fight! **_**"No matter," **Cazador replied to Grimmjow with a wider grin than before. **"Now for the ultimate question, strength or speed?" **He disappeared in a burst of Resurreccion-enhanced Sonido, appearing behind Nnoitra and slashing with all his strength.

Unexpectedly, Nnoitra used the top two of his four arms to block by flipping his scythes over his shoulders, catching Tensa Zangetsu even as Nnoitra moved to try to tear Cazador's weapon out of his grasp. Cazador Sonido-ed away just in time to avoid being cleaved in two by the third of Nnoitra's arms.

Unwilling to give up the fight, Cazador reappeared at Nnoitra's left side. **"Getsuga Tenshou!" **

Nnoitra didn't even get the time to curse as one of his arms completely obliterated by the technique, though he did manage to Sonido away before his torso was injured. _Damn, he's better than I thought. I MUST kill him, or he will kill me! If not now, then when he has evolved to Adjuchas! _Nnoitra thought furiously, channeling his reiatsu to the stump of his missing arm. _I'll just save this for when I have an opportunity… _

"**Getsuga Tenshou!" **Cazador cried, suddenly appearing within Nnoitra's guard, too fast for the Espada to block or counter…

Or so Cazador thought. Suddenly, he was impaled in the stomach, through his scale-like armor, by another hand. _**One, two, three… four? I know I destroyed one! **_**"What… the hell?" **Ignoring the pain, he tried to cut off Nnoitra's head with his blade.

Nnoitra used the hand to throw Cazador away before he could finish decapitating his foe. "Regeneration is such a useful ability," Nnoitra gloated confidently. "With my Hierro powerful to stop most anything, and my regeneration to quickly heal up anything that gets through, I'm unstoppable!"

Cazador got to his feet, his own high speed regeneration already mostly done healing up his injury. **"What do you know, sounds like we have something in common," **Cazador observed with a maniacal grin. **"I know it takes quite a lot of reiatsu to regenerate an injury, especially one as grievous as losing an arm. So tell me, Nnoitra…" **He hooked the end chain link from the hilt of Tensa Zangetsu on one of his fingers and began twirling it around, building up another Getsuga. **"How many times can you regenerate it before you're out of power?" **

"I won't need to!" Nnoitra cried out in success, seeing Cazador's open stance as a sign of weakness, rushing in and attempting to slice Cazador in three with his two right arms.

Cazador merely disappeared, reappearing behind Nnoitra, and slightly to the left. **"Too slow. Getsuga Tenshou!" **

Nnoitra was suddenly hit point blank by an extremely powerful Getsuga, even more powerful than the one that had taken his arm. It sliced into his back, cutting very deeply into it despite his Hierro. However, between his Hierro and regeneration abilities, Nnoitra was not out of the fight yet, and spun around on his heel to cut off Cazador's left hand.

Cazador completely ignored the loss of his free hand and stabbed with his sword, which was glowing darkly with the power of yet another Getsuga. It pierced Nnoitra's right shoulder before Cazador viciously swung downwards, cutting off both of Nnoitra's arms this time before disappearing with Sonido, reppearing on the other side and using a point blank Getsuga to completely obliterate the other two of Nnoitra's arms.

Cazador barely used Sonido in time to narrow avoid being impaled in the stomach again by a third arm on Nnoitra's left. _**Wait, what?**_He backed off to regenerate his free hand, and to figure out what had just happened. **"Hiding your power, are we?" **

Nnoitra extended the third left arm, and then a third right arm. "Yeah, I have six arms, not just four." With a flick of his wrists, the other two suddenly had scythes of their own. "It's a pity I didn't catch you with that – you truly are quite fast, but I refuse to lose to a newborn Hollow!"

Grimmjow watched with narrowed eyes. _A battle of attrition, it looks like, _he thought to himself. _They both have regeneration, and they're both insane enough to completely ignore any wounds that don't interfere with their ability to attack. _

"**Heh," **Cazador chuckled. **"No matter. I'm faster than you, and I can cut you. Your Hierro means nothing to me. All you have are six weapons. You've lost this one way or another. If you win, you've succeeded in taking out a Gillian Arrancar. Well done," **he added mockingly. **"If you lose, it's even worse!"**

"Who cares about reputation?" Nnoitra countered. "I just want a good fight!"

Cazador grinned widely. **"Now you're talking. Getsuga Tenshou!" **

Nnoitra put all of his arms up to block the Getsuga, using his weapons to hide the fact that his mouth was open, and his tongue – tattooed with the number five – was sticking out. He quickly charged a Cero and fired, moving his weapons just out of the way.

The Cero pierced through the Getsuga, covering most of the distance to Cazador before he realized what was happening. It took Cazador by surprise, but Cazador narrowly managed to escape the full brunt of the Cero, losing his left foot despite Sonido. Shunting more reiatsu to regenerate it, the orange-haired Arrancar smirked. **"A Cero? Nice improvisation. Betcha mine is better." **

"Ha! Fine then, Gillian, show me your Cero!" Nnoita invited mockingly.

His left foot almost completely regenerated now, Cazador put his right foot back, twisting himself so he was looking down his left arm, which was pointed directly at Nnoitra. He pointed the middle three claw-like fingers at his foe and focused his power. A tri-focused crimson orb, spinning clockwise from Cazador's point of view as some of the energy spun off, began growing at the tips of his fingers. **"Cero!" **Cazador bellowed triumphantly as he fired it.

Nnoitra's eyes widened as he felt the amount of power in that Cero, and he knew, even if he would never admit it, that his own Cero didn't match up. The Espada-only Gran Rey Cero would completely dominate it, however Nnoitra didn't want Aizen to interrupt his fun. While fighting regularly occurred among normal Hollows, and use of Resurrecion could be attributed to training, the Gran Rey Cero was expressly forbidden in Las Noches and even use of it in Menos Forest would prompt an immediate investigation, and test to see if the opponent was worthy of joining the Espada. This was the last thing Nnoitra wanted to happen.

Nnoitra managed to dodge, but once again lost one of his arms – in this case, the lowest one of his right side. "This is getting old, Gillian!" Nnoitra taunted. "You hit me, I lose an arm or two, I hit you, you lose a limb, we both regenerate and start anew!"

Cazador waggled his fingers at Nnoitra. **"Perhaps so, but you apparently haven't realized… I do my damage more consistently, and I have far more reiatsu left than you do, if my senses are correct. I will win this battle of attrition, and then devour you!" **

"Nnoitra, I'm disappointed," a voice suddenly rang out. Everyone there turned to face a new figure in Aizen's outfit. If Cazador's senses were telling the truth, this character had no Hollow power in him whatsoever. This was only enhanced by the fact that Cazador could see glimpses of the usual Shinigami black colors underneath the loose white uniform. _**Shinigami. Ichigo, is this Aizen? **_

In Cazador's Inner World, Ichigo shook his head. _That's not Aizen. _

_**Not Tousen either, **_Cazador replied with narrowed eyes, not that anyone could see behind his mask.

_Must be Ichimaru Gin, the third traitorous taicho, _Ichigo deduced.

_**Huh. **_Cazador quickly inspected the figure. Gin had silver hair with a slight purple tint, while his body was quite slim. His eyes were curiously narrowed to slits, and given the slightly mocking smile on his face, his expression could easily be placed on a fox's face. **"Who're you?" **Cazador demanded.

"Me? I'm Ichimaru Gin," the traitor responded cheerfully. "As you plainly deduced, I work for the same person these two do."

"**It is rather obvious, given that you all wear the same uniform, with minor alterations," **Cazador replied sarcastically. **"So why are you here? Putting a leash on these two rabid dogs?" **

Grimmjow bristled. "Rabid dog am I?!" He only just managed to contain his urge to lunge and try to rip Cazador's throat out. "As soon as Gin's gone, I'm gonna…!"

"You'll do nothing," Gin responded in that same cheerful manner. "Not yet, in any case. Anyways, I've given you my name, what's yours?"

"**Cazador de la Luna."**

"Tell me, Cazador, how did you become a complete Arrancar?" Gin asked curiously. "The only ones I've seen are those created through the Hougyouku."

Cazador shrugged. **"I just remember waking up as a Hollow, and when I relaxed I looked rather human. Maybe there's more than one of these, what did you call them? Hougyouku? Whatever, I'm out to go eat some more; fighting made me hungry."**

"Would you be interested in joining us?" Gin proposed. "If you were able to fight on even grounds with Nnoitra you'd at least be the Sexta Espada, though you would have to be tested."

Grimmjow growled at the idea. _He goes, he dies. I will find and eat him, and work my way up to Aizen so I can kill him! _

"**Not interested in the least in belonging to any organization in which I'm not the King," **Cazador replied bluntly. **"You have nothing to offer me, and I don't feel like working for anyone but myself. Even if I did feel like working for someone else, you're obviously a Shinigami, and I bet your ruler is one too. That means that you must've betrayed Soul Society, and how could I trust a traitor not to kill me when my back is turned? No, I refuse to work for you." **

The smile on Gin's face never dimmed. "Oh well, if that is your choice, I suppose I can't force you. Grimmjow, Nnoitra, we're going back to Las Noches now. Aizen-sama will be most disappointed. He was anticipating a new, powerful Espada since you both felt the need to use Resurreccion."

Grimmjow sighed and returned to his pre-Resurreccion state. Nnoitra did the same after he realized that he wouldn't get to fight anyone now. Seeing this, Cazador followed suit – he wanted to keep his Shinigami skills available, even if they were watered down a bit. _**I'm still far more skilled at Shunpo than I am at Sonido, **_Cazador recognized. _**I'll need to practice using Sonido and Cero faster. **_

Ichigo remained silent; he was busy looking through Cazador's eyes, keeping a wary watch for trouble; he and Zangetsu had long since dispatched the Hollows that Cazador had consumed.

"My, you look exactly like Kurosaki Ichigo!" Gin exclaimed in surprise. "I should have realized from the orange hair…"

"Grimmjow had the same reaction," Cazador replied. "Maybe he was turned into a Hollow, and that became me? It doesn't matter."

Gin's grin grew wider. "Aizen-sama will be most pleased with this information, even if you don't join. I will likely see you later, Cazador de la Luna." He vanished with Shunpo, and the two Espada quickly followed suit.

Cazador shrugged. "So, those were the fifth and sixth Espada? Hmph. Seventh through ninth must suck almost as bad as Yammy."

_They must have some sort of skills, or they wouldn't have become Espada, _Ichigo reminded his alter ego. _Don't underestimate them. _

"Whatever. I'm gonna go eat some more; like I said, fighting made me hungry." He grinned. "Time to start going after Adjuchas."

* * *

"Orihime-chan."

"WHA?!" Inoue jumped in surprise, spinning around to see Yoruichi the cat. "Don't scare me like that!" she said, breathing hard and trying to get her heart to stop trying to hammer its way out of her chest.

"Sorry." Yoruichi sounded more amused than anything else. "You up for a trip to Soul Society? Chad found his grandfather, but he needs your special brand of healing. It may take a few days to get there."

Inoue's face hardened as she nodded. "Alright. Let me just pack a lunch, leave a note for Tatsuki, and let's go."

Several minutes later, they arrived at Urahara's, and opened the gate to Soul Society.

* * *

Meanwhile, Chad returned to the farmhouse from working the fields, immediately going to check on his Abuelo. He vaguely registered everyone else doing the same. _He really is loved by these people, _he realized fondly. _Good. _"How's he doing?" he rumbled to the man who had been tending his Abuelo's wounds.

"Better than we expected," he answered with a smile. "His will to live and heal must be quite strong."

Chad smiled back. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was his will to protect us all."

"Ha! That would be just like him, wouldn't it?" laughed one of men that Chad had worked with in the fields.

"Oi, Sado-san, when did you say that your special healer would come by to fix his arms?" another asked.

"My messenger likely made it to her by now, but she doesn't have a high-speed technique. It will likely take her a few days," Chad murmured. "With luck, she arrives before Abuelo wakes, and he will never know that he lost his arms at one point."

"Yeah…" The mood turned somber. "Masataro, please let us know if Oscar wakes up?"

The healer smiled and nodded. Chad felt his stomach rumble – he had not eaten since breakfast earlier. "Sorry…" he muttered. "Any chance of some food?"

"Of course. We keep some food in stock just in case anyone with spiritual power comes to us," Masataro replied. "A few of the children do, as a matter of fact. Please, go eat. It's the least we could do for you saving our leader."

* * *

Hitsugaya Toushiro was not having a good day. He'd finished reporting to Yamamoto-soutaicho, and had been denied temporary reinforcements to replace Kurosaki Ichigo's presence. He'd sent Abarai Renji to fetch the Quincy Ishida Uryuu to discuss the possibilities and implications. Shortly thereafter, Renji had returned and announced that he couldn't find Ishida, and Rukia couldn't sense his reiatsu anywhere.

"Damn it, could this get any worse?" Toushiro murmured under his breath.

"Hitsugaya-taicho!" Matsumoto Rangiku, Toushiro's fukutaicho, rushed in. "Inoue Orihime has disappeared!"

_I need to learn to stop tempting fate, _Toushiro thought bitterly. "Are there any clues as to her whereabouts?"

"She did leave a note to her friend Tatsuki. It mentioned that Yoruichi-sama had taken her to Soul Society to heal someone," Rangiku replied swiftly, procuring the note from in between her breasts.

"So let me make sure I've got this straight. Kurosaki Ichigo is training with Yoruichi-sama, Sado Yasutora has been in Soul Society for an unknown purpose, Ishida Uryuu is nowhere to be found, and now Inoue Orihime has gone to Soul Society as well?" Toushiro put his forehead down on the table he was working at. "So now it's completely up to us to defend Karakura town."

"I don't like the odds, taicho," Rangiku conceded.

"Nor do I, Matsumoto. Nor do I." He looked at her piercingly. "You and Rukia find the Quincy. I don't care how you do it, just do it."

"Yes sir!" She disappeared with a flash of Shunpo.

Toushiro got up and made his way to the interdimensional communicator. "Looks like I need to talk to Soifon-taicho."

A few minutes later… "Hitsugaya-taicho, I am quite busy. What is it you need?" Soifon asked, getting to the point.

"I need you or one of your Onimitsukido to locate Yasutora Sado, and persuade him to return to Karakura Town. In the last twenty-four hours, both Kurosaki Ichigo and Ishida Uryuu have vanished, and they are taicho level Ryoka. We need someone to fill in the gap, and Yamamoto-soutaicho has denied my request for Shinigami reinforcement."

"I understand. I will contact you again when we have located him."

* * *

"Urgh…" Ishida Uryuu groaned as he awoke. He began to sit up, trying his best to ignore his aching muscles. Blinking, he located his glasses on a bedside table, and he put them on. The first thing he saw were the bandages on his fingers. _Bandages? _He suddenly remembered his fight with his father. _I see. Tou-san must've healed me after I passed out. _He clenched his right hand into a fist. _I barely even touched him! Is this my limit?!_

He took a deep breath and calmed himself. _Anger is not useful at this moment, _Ishida reminded himself. _Now I know where I stand in terms of ability. The next step is to analyze my weaknesses from that fight. _Coldly, logically, he began to list them. _My fingers began to bleed and weaken after my Quincy bow cut through the gloves I wore. Tou-san was able to fire arrows without his second hand – I must work on that. He was also capable of firing far more arrows at once than I can at this time. He was faster than I am with the Hirenkyaku, and his arrows were faster, stronger. _

Uryuu nodded to himself. _Speed, quantity and quality of arrows, and the ability to fire the Quincy arrows with only one hand. Those were the skills he displayed, along with his incredible tolerance to continuously drawing spiritual energy. He didn't use a single piece of Quincy equipment. No Seele Schneiders, no silver tubes, nothing but his own bow and arrow. Strength and speed will come with experience – if I understood my father's words correctly, he implied we would fight again. But firing with one hand will take practice. _

Uryuu lay back down, resting. _First though, I must finish recovering. I doubt my body can handle drawing any significant amount of spiritual energy for some time. _In the meantime, he reached into his backpack, which his father had been kind enough to allow Uryuu to bring along, and pulled out one of his school texts. He began to st udy, feeling rather productive.

* * *

"No."

"Ishida-san, my taicho merely wants a status report on your son. Namely, where is he, or lacking that, will he be able to respond to an Arrancar attack in the near future?" Matsumoto Rangiku asked reasonably.

"And what makes you think I know where my son is?" Ishida Ryuuken asked, peering over his hands at the two Shinigami in his office.

"Because you are both Quincy, and while we may be unable to locate Ishida Uryuu, only a spiritually adept person would know how to hide another," Rukia responded. "We have already checked with Urahara Kisuke and his underground chamber, and he suggested that perhaps Uryuu-san had come to you for training. That follows what we know of him."

_That meddler! _"He did indeed come to me for training, and he is currently recovering. I am not certain when he will be at full health once again, but have you forgotten? Quincy do not like Shinigami. We do not work with Shinigami. Perhaps your time would be better spent getting _Shinigami _reinforcements."

"Hitsugaya-taicho has already attempted just that, with failure. The majority of our forces remain in Soul Society to prevent Aizen's forces from attacking our home," Rangiku explained. "Besides, would you not call it necessary to work with us to protect your own home? Karakura town appears to be Aizen's next target."

"Should it come to that, I will protect the hospital," Ryuuken conceded. "But why is Uryuu so needed?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo, the resident Shinigami Representative here for Karakura Town, was taken by Yoruichi-sama for emergency training," Rukia replied. "Please note that this was not by our decision, it is something the two of them apparently decided to do."

"That said, he and Ishida Uryuu are the only taicho-level combatants here that are not under a power limiter," Rangiku added. "Lacking one is bad, lacking both is a disaster waiting to happen."

"Unless you or Urahara-san take their place in the event of an invasion," Rukia corrected. "If Uryuu-san needs to recover from training with you, then your help would certainly be welcome. Urahara-san has declined helping unless absolutely necessary."

"Then I too, will help only when absolutely necessary," Ryuuken said with finality. "Uryuu will return when he is ready."

Rangiku and Rukia glanced at each other, recognizing that they were being dismissed. In tandem, they Shunpo-ed away through an open window.

"Not good," Rangiku said to Rukia as they dashed back to report to Toushiro. "I don't think we'll be allowed to keep our limiters off. You've got it easy, Rukia, you don't have such a limiter."

"One of the few good things to happen for Nii-sama keeping me from being promoted to a seated officer," Rukia replied with a sigh. She looked up, her face determined. "We'll just need to prove that we can take care of things until Ichigo and Uryuu return."

"Don't you find Ichigo-san's disappearance a little strange?" Rangiku queried. "I don't know him that well, but he seems like he wouldn't just up and disappear without telling anyone."

Rukia nodded. "Yeah. But he's also not one to turn down advanced training if it could help protect his friends. If I know him, he's probably training himself to the bone under Yoruichi, like Hitsugaya-taicho said. Last time, he achieved Bankai in just two days, and had learned Shunpo. I wonder what he'll be able to do after this training?"

"You're right," Rangiku said, reassured.

Rukia was glad at least one of them believed her words. _Despite all this, I'm worried… He mentioned that his battle with his Inner Hollow was only days away. He disappeared right around the time he said he'd have to battle. Could he have lost? _She shook her head. _No, I can't think about this right now. I've already lost Kaien-dono to a Hollow I couldn't protect him from, I won't lose Ichigo too!_ She looked at the setting sun. _Come home soon, Ichigo. _Her eyes hardened.

* * *

Inoue smiled. "Hey there, Kenpachi-san!"

"Oh?" The incredibly tall taicho of the 11th division turned to view his addresser. "Hello, Inoue. Is Ichigo with you?" He gave a bloodthirsty grin. "I'd love to spar with him again."

"Afraid not," Inoue replied cheerfully. "I'm actually on my way heal someone. Yoruichi-sensei said it could take a couple of days to get there…"

"That's too bad," Kenpachi responded. He scrutinized Inoue. "You look stronger than before."

"I am!" Inoue replied with a grin. "Been training with Kurosaki-kun and Chad and Uryuu."

"Now THAT'S interesting," Kenpachi said, his grin returning. "Would you care for a spar? If you've been training with Ichigo, even a little bit, you might just be strong enough to take me on."

"Sorry," Yoruichi the cat interrupted, "but she really does need to go heal Sado Yasutora's grandfather. We won't be back for several days."

"Nonsense, I'll take her there personally if it means we can spar later," Kenpachi insisted.

"Yay! Ken-chan gets to fight big-boobie-chan!" Yachiru, Kenpachi's extremely child-like fukutaicho, piped up from his shoulder.

"Hi Yachiru-chan!" Inoue greeted.

"Kenpachi-taicho, don't you have to take care of your squad and toughen 'em up a bit?" Yoruichi argued. "Besides, if we were really in a rush, I could take her there faster than you ever could. I'm planning on using this opportunity to train her to discover her own high speed technique."

"Bah, she's human!" Kenpachi pointed out. "She can't use Shunpo, and she can't use whatever Hollows use. The only way she's going to get faster is by doing it the same way I do, hard physical training and learning to use reiatsu to strengthen the legs instinctively."

"He has a point, Yoruichi-sensei," Inoue reluctantly concurred. "My powers are a healing bubble, a defensive shield, and a slicing attack. Between those powers, all of my Shun Shun Rikka is used." She looked up and put a finger to her chin in thought. "I suppose I could ride my Santen Kesshun if I needed to, but that would mean sacrificing my defense ability…"

"That depends," Yoruichi pounced on the idea. "How large can you make your Santen Kesshun?"

Inoue glanced at her in surprise. "I've… never really thought about it, actually. I've always just made them large enough to cover what they needed. The largest I've ever done is about Kenpachi-san's height, I suppose. The larger they are, the more reiatsu they take. Why do you ask?"

"I was thinking that if you could make your shield curved, you could protect yourself while flying on it," Yoruichi suggested.

Inoue bit her lip. "I'll talk to my Shun Shun Rikka and see what we can do. Kenpachi, I'm honored that you want to fight me, but I'm afraid our match will have to be postponed."

"Meh, that's fine. Get stronger, girl, I want to fight you the same way I fought Ichigo." He grinned. "You Ryoka are getting more and more interesting. Later." He stalked off.

"Bye, big-boobie-chan!" Yachiru waved goodbye.

"Bye, Yachiru-chan!" Afterwards, she turned to Yoruichi. "In the meantime, let's get to Chad's grandfather. Santen Kesshun!" Her golden triangular shield appeared, resting a few inches above the ground. Stepping on it lightly, Inoue tested to see if it could support her weight. When it did so without any apparent difficulty, she got fully on it and sat down. "Yoruichi-sensei, would you please lead me to Chad?"

The cat jumped into Inoue's lap. "Sure."

With a thought, the shield-turned-transportation rose up into the air above the buildings and rushed to the exit from Seireitei. Half an hour later, Inoue began to sway, and the shield flickered. "Land!" Yoruichi commanded. Inoue quickly did so, stepping off her shield before allowing her fairies to return to their hairpin state.

"Ooh boy I'm dizzy," Inoue giggled, sitting down and leaning back against a boulder.

"You've drained too much reiatsu to continue flying like that," Yoruichi told her. "We shall rest here for the night. Well done, by the way – you've taken us almost halfway there. We're in District 36."

"That's good." Inoue said absently, her eyes drooping from exhaustion.

The Goddess of Flash took pity on the girl. "Sleep, Orihime-chan."

"Alright." And Inoue dropped off in seconds, her head falling forward towards her chest.

The cat blinked once and shook her head. "I shall keep watch."

* * *

Ichigo jumped back from the Adjuchas that Cazador had eaten just a few minutes before. This Hollow appeared to be a large human-porcupine blend, and its fighting style involved long distance attacks, usually throwing the spike-like needles that kept regenerating from its back. Ichigo was having a hard time getting close, and the Getsuga Tenshou wasn't fast enough to catch him. At least, not in Shikai form. Ichigo didn't want to go Bankai, not if he didn't have to. He could sense Zangetsu's agreement; Bankai was overkill, while beating the Adjuchas in Shikai would be a test of skill.

"Not bad," Ichigo complimented, dodging another set of a dozen spikes. "But you're no match for me. Getsuga Tenshou!"

"Haven't you learned by now that that's not going to work?" The porcupine Adjuchas taunted, nimbly dodging, only to find Zangetsu piercing his head. The Adjuchas disintegrated, its power becoming Cazador's.

Ichigo shook his head, pulling on the cloth from several meters away. The blade practically leapt back into his hand. "Man, Cazador was really onto something when he showed me how useful throwing Zangetsu could be…"

"Indeed," Zangetsu's true spiritual form agreed from nearby. "While I do prefer being wielded as a blade instead of as a flail, it is an effective long distance attack."

"Especially for high speed piercing instead of cutting," Ichigo continued with a nod. "I prefer the Getsuga Tenshou, but it is rather visible, and hiding you behind the Getsuga seems like a powerful strategy."

Zangetsu merely nodded. "Ichigo, Cazador de la Luna is growing stronger and faster with every Hollow he consumes. For you to win your next battle, you too must grow stronger." 

Ichigo nodded, but sat down next to a nearby flagpole. "We can spar in a few minutes then, partner. In the meantime, tell me a bit more about yourself? I'm curious."

Zangetsu gave a rare smile and leapt onto the flagpole, both Ichigo and he staring up in the sky, looking at the blood red moon. "As much as I enjoy being your Zanpakuto, I miss forests, seeing the simple beauty of nature."

"I don't get to see too much of that back home," Ichigo commented. "Comes with living in a suburb, I suppose. I'm not sure I see the appeal."

"It is difficult to describe," Zangetsu conceded. "Perhaps the best way is to simply experience it." 

Ichigo glanced around, seeing nothing by sideways skyscrapers under the crimson-hued moon. "How would I go about adding to the variety here? Maybe put a park or two, or something?"

"Your Inner World evolves as you do," Zangetsu said simply, as if that explained it all. And in a way, it did.

Ichigo's brows furrowed as he thought heavily. "So, because I haven't seen very much of nature, and don't understand the appeal, there are no forests, or lakes, or anything else? But if I began to spend time there, and have it begin to affect my personality, then part of my Inner World would change?"

"Correct. Remember, Ichigo, that no one stays the same forever. Change is a very large part of life."

Ichigo merely nodded. This was a lesson that he knew well. "Change cannot be avoided forever," he added. "It is the ability to adapt to change that marks the most successful in any aspect of life."

"Indeed." 

They spent several minutes in comfortable silence. "Do you enjoy stargazing?" Ichigo suddenly asked.

"Very much. Especially where there are no artificial lights to hide the light of the stars," Zangetsu replied. "The view is quite exquisite." 

"Really? I didn't know that. Maybe I'll have try it sometime; I stargaze from the roof of my house, but there are lots of lights, so maybe I'll see if there is a good forest I can stargaze from."

A Hollow roar disrupted their relaxation, and Ichigo jumped to his feet. "Well, looks like Cazador certainly isn't slacking off!" He readied his weapon. "Guess I better give it my all too!"

* * *

Cazador grinned as he faced off against another Adjuchas. He'd taken several minutes to relax after feeling his latest evolution to Adjuchas. Funnily enough, simply eating an Adjuchas was enough to transform, instead of eating dozens of Gillian. Cazador liked it. _**More efficient. Maybe I WILL get to Vasto Lorde in this single session of control. **_Becoming an Adjuchas had created quite a significant increase to his power, and that was a feeling the Arrancar liked very much.

Only one part of Cazador had changed in his pre-Resurreccion state, and that was his mask. Before, a red-on-white patterned mask had covered only the top-left part of Cazador's face, the part between his hairline and his eyebrow. Now, the mask had changed, and covered his entire forehead, with what looked like two jagged crimson hooks facing each other on a white background. _**I wonder what my Resurreccion mask looks like…? Hell, I wonder how my Resurreccion has changed! **_

Just a minute ago, Cazador had jumped down and taken a bite out of an Adjuchas before slaying it with Zangetsu. He was a bit disappointed – he'd expected the Adjuchas to at least put up a decent fight. _**Oh well. At least this other guys looks like he's ready to go. **_

"Who the hell are you?!" the Adjuchas, this one looking remarkably like an enormous 16-legged spider, demanded. "You're obviously an Arrancar, so why aren't you up in Las Noches with Aizen-sama?!"

"The name's Cazador." He grinned. "And your name, is food. Show me what you've got!"

* * *

And that's that in terms of the chapter. Yes, it is a bit short, but I felt there was plenty to go on in here. Some fighting, some character development. That said, let me go over a couple of things.

Yes, Cazador is now an Adjuchas. Does anyone honestly think that's too fast? To go from Gillian in one chapter, to Adjuchas in another? Would you expect any less from Ichigo's alternate personality? I mean, seriously, Ichigo has gone from unseated officer level (when Rukia gave her powers to him) to fukutaicho level (during and after fighting Renji), to taicho level (see Ichigo versus Byakuya Bankai fight) in less time than it takes for a nobody to finish through Shinigami academy! To compare against Hollow evolution, the equivalent is going from a newborn Hollow to Gillian to Adjuchas. Given that Cazador has Ichigo's power at his disposal, plus his own not inconsiderable power, plus their skills at wielding Zangetsu, I figure it had to happen pretty quick. Don't worry though, he won't get to Vasto Lorde yet.

In regards to Inoue flying with her Santen Kesshun, it's something I randomly thought of while writing this chapter, and it makes a level of sense once you think about it. She can reject external forces. The stronger the force, the more reiatsu it takes. I can also think of no reason why the fairies can't fly while maintaining the shield. I already had her ride the shield down to land softly once, and even outright mentioned rejecting gravity - this happened in Chapter 4. So, I can't think of a good reason she can't ride the Santen Kesshun where she needs to go. The only problem could be her reiatsu reserves - unlike Ichigo, who has monstrous reserves and can stand on air to his heart's content, or Ishida, who can replenish himself using the environment's energy from using Hirenkyaku, or even Chad, whose reserves must have grown quite large as well during his training to fire his energy blast at will, she has a relatively small pool of reiatsu, and I feel that the shield would take more energy to constantly use than the airwalking technique. So she can't use it for long, hence why she couldn't go for more than half an hour.

I was happy to have an opportunity for more Zangetsu/Ichigo bonding time. As for Zangetsu preferring nature, that's actually canon. Take a look at his Bleach wiki article if you don't believe me. I figured that stargazing was a logical step, and something both of them enjoyed. I have seen, in anime, Ichigo sitting on the roof, looking at the stars. Throw in Zangetu's own name (Cutting Moon) and I figured that enjoying watching the heavens was plausible.

Kenpachi fighting Inoue? Now that would be an interesting match. He slashes. She blocks. He keeps striking the shield, she keeps blocking, but uses Koten Zanshun to strike Kenpachi from the side. Only concern would be Inoue collapsing from Kenpachi's force of reiatsu, being so much more intense than her own. But I figured Kenpachi's interest in Inoue was plausible, since Inoue admitted she trained with Ichigo, the only person to tie against him without his eyepatch.

Next, Yachiru's nickname for Inoue. That's also canon, along with "Squishy". Please do keep in mind that her father figure is Kenpachi, and he is hardly a good role model in regards to restraint. Plus, she IS only a child.

Finally, Cazador's new mask. This is actually a fragment of his new Hollow form's mask, the one that managed to kick Ulquiorra's ass after the Arrancar blew a hole in his chest with his Instananeous Cero in his Resurreccion: Segunda Etapa form. Yes, yes, I've heard it described as an open-ended heart before, but you kinda need the entire mask to see that. That said, I'm still trying to figure out what his Resurreccion form would be in that case. Hmm.

A hint of what's to come: I'm considering having Ichigo's mask usage come in stages, similar to his sword. I mean, there are STAGES for a Zanpakuto. Default (aka Sealed), Shikai and Bankai. Ichigo's default is Shikai. Why should the mask be different? So, it'd have the Gillian mask (bone white on the right, red tattoo-like markings on the left), and then when that's not enough, Adjuchas mask (the one where he kicks Ulquiorra's ass in), and eventually, Vasto Lorde mask (undecided how that'll look). Not sure yet, just something I'm considering. I might throw that idea completely out the window and instead focus on other thoughts, like "Do I want Ichigo to be able to use Resurreccion? How would he do so? Is that too overdone? Hmmm...." Anyway, I've never seen a "mask in stages" idea, so I'm looking for opinions on this.

OK, think I got everything. Please read and review!


	11. Perspective

Hey all, thanks for waiting so patiently. The inspiration for this one came pretty smoothly, and I've already got a head start on the next Chapter as well.

_nakama_ - This word doesn't really have a good English translation. It indicates a relationship that is greater than friend or best friend, closer to family or comrade than anything else.

Chapter 11: Perspective

Inoue Orihime groggily woke up in an uncomfortable position. She blinked, seeing the earth practically flying before her eyes. "Eh?" The memories came back to her then. _Oh, right, going to go save Chad 's grandfather. _

"Ah, you're awake," Yoruichi greeted from behind Inoue, who suddenly realized that she was being carried over the woman's shoulder. They came to a stop so Yoruichi could set the busty human down.

"Where are we?" Inoue asked after being set down.

"Right now? We should be in District 62, though we're close to were asleep for quite some time," Yoruichi responded. "At dawn, I changed from my cat form into my human form and began to carry you here. Remember, our target is District 80."

Inoue nodded her understanding. "Shall I start to fly us again?"

"Hell no!" Yoruichi said sharply. "You're still recovering from reiatsu depletion, and we need to pick up some food for us."

Inoue looked down. "Right," she whispered.

The cat-turned-human immediately realized she had sounded a bit harsh. "Listen, Orihime, you've done nothing wrong; we needed to see how far you could go using your shield for flying, and we found out. But it's never a good idea to use a large amount of reiatsu immediately afterwards, and we do need to eat to regain our strength," she explained.

Inoue nodded. "Right," she said again, this time a bit more cheerfully.

"Alright then, let's go to the nearest village. It should be in this direction," Yoruichi mused, shifting into her cat form and leading the way.

* * *

Cazador frowned as he sat down, leaning against a nearby quartz tree within Menos Forest. "These Adjuchas are weak," he muttered. "I haven't needed to even use Sonido, and my Cero is like a one-hit kill." He glanced down at himself. "None of them can even cut me when I let them. Is this how Kenpachi feels all the time? Surrounded by weaklings who cannot even focus their intent enough to cut through my Hierro?"

He sighed. _**If this keeps up, I might as well let Ichigo take over again. At least in our Inner World, I can fight Ichigo, and he always puts up a great fight. **_He shook his head. The last few times Cazador had attempted to garner the location of a Vasto Lorde to fight, his opponents had known nothing, or at the very least not divulged any information.

"Wait a minute!" Cazador jumped to his feet. "That Ashido guy said the Vasto Lorde and stronger Adjuchas were above Menos Forest, living on the surface." He looked up. "Only question is… how do I get up there?" _**Maybe if I use a Getsuga Tenshou and try to slice my way to the surface?**_

_I wouldn't recommend trying that, _Ichigo warned. _We have no idea how thick the barrier is. We know it's not particularly thin, as Hollows come in all sizes, and we haven't seen or felt a single tremor come through. Who knows? It could be miles thick! _

Cazador frowned again. _**You've got a point. Perhaps Ashido knows. **_

_Good idea, but how're you going to find him, baka? Menos Forest is huge, and we already saw that he's incredibly skilled at Shunpo. He could be anywhere, even places we've already looked!_

_**He's gotta have a place to stay to rest, **_Cazador reasoned. _**He is a Shinigami, and unlike Hollows, Shinigami need to rest and eat to regain their strength. **_

_Point, _Ichigo conceded. _Unless he has more than one of 'em, which would make sense if the Hollows have figured that out. _

_**Do you have a better idea? **_The Hollow challenged.

…_No. _

With a smug smirk, Cazador used Sonido to disappear in a random direction, reaching out with his spiritual sense to find another Adjuchas to interrogate.

* * *

Aizen peered over his interlocked fingers at his Quinta and Sexta Espada. "So, Kurosaki Ichigo has become a Hollow? A powerful, fully transformed Arrancar no less?"

"Yes, Aizen-sama," Nnoitra replied. "Unless he has a twin or something."

"But he has no memories of his former life?"

"None that we could tell, Aizen-sama," Grimmjow answered. "He didn't remember me at all. And the mask fragment was definitely from the one when Kurosaki fought me, so I'm positive that it's him."

"This could be the break I have been waiting for," Aizen mused. "That's one less taicho-class Shinigami blocking the way to Karakura town…" He smiled. "No, not yet."

"Aizen-sama?"

"I don't believe he has lost all of his memories for good," the master manipulator began. "Or perhaps Urahara Kisuke is trying to plant a spy in our midst. I believe a test is in order. Grimmjow, Nnoitra, you are dismissed. Ulquiorra."

Grimmjow and Nnoitra both bowed lightly to Aizen before slowly leaving, wanting to listen. The Quarta Espada walked in expressionlessly, not the least bit perturbed at having been caught listening by his master. "Yes, Aizen-sama?"

"I have a new assignment for you. Kidnap at least one of Kurosaki Ichigo's friends, and bring him or her here to Las Noches." Aizen's smile grew slightly. "Perhaps the woman, or the weakling from your memories, the one with the strange arm. I leave the method to you."

"I hear and obey, Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra bowed and walked from the room.

"Che," Grimmjow scoffed under his breath as Ulquiorra passed him. "Apathetic bastard…"

"Perhaps," Ulquiorra agreed at a normal volume in his emotionless tone. "But you will never surpass my power, no matter how hard you strive."

Grimmjow growled, but knew better than to try to fight Ulquiorra this close to Aizen. "One day I will prove you wrong. And that day is coming, I swear it!"

* * *

Ishida Uryuu pushed his glasses up his nose as he set his books inside his backpack. There was no more pain when he moved, and if his intuition was correct, then he was fully healed. Getting up from the hospital bed experimentally, Uryuu nodded to himself. He began to unwrap the bandages from his arms and hands. While the skin felt a little tender, there was hardly a scar on his body from where he'd been wounded. Even his fingers looked as though he hadn't abused them in that fight two days ago.

"Excellent," the Quincy murmured, continuing to unwrap the bandages around his legs, to find much the same condition as on his arms – tender to touch, but healed enough for the moment. He pulled on his school pants and looked at himself in a nearby mirror by a sink. After a few moments' consideration, he left the bandages around his abdomen and pulled on his shirt. "Time to train."

Uryuu confidently made his way to the training room where he and his father had had their fight. He was proud that he had at least managed to wound his father, but Uryuu refused to let his growth end there. Letting his Quincy cross fall from his hand so it hung from his wrist, Uryuu summoned his Quincy bow in his right hand. Keeping his dominant left hand at his side, he aimed the bow in a random direction and focused his mental energies, gathering more reiatsu.

It was easy enough to form an arrow, but keeping it aloft against the bowstring was difficult without using his left hand to hold it there. A bead of sweat trickled down Uryuu's forehead as his focus was split, trying to maintain the bow, the arrow, keeping the arrow aloft, and pulling it back against the bowstring. The arrow inched back slowly. It took a few strain-filled minutes, but the arrow was finally in position. With a thought, Uryuu released the arrow.

The arrow flew true, but it was not as strong, nor as fast as arrows he could fire when using both hands. Uryuu frowned. _My father must have truly impressive mental discipline to fire so many powerful arrows at one time with only one hand. _As much as he hated to, Uryuu was growing to respect the man's power, even if he didn't respect his father as a person.

Uryuu, in his concentrated focus on his task, had no idea that Ishida Ryuuken was watching from behind a corner, observing Uryuu's progress. Ryuuken shook his head, smothering the smile that threatened to form on his face. _Impressive, Uryuu. It took me years of training under your grandfather to progress to the point where I could fire arrows one-handed. Yet after only one training session, you've already grasped the concepts. Perhaps you do deserve that title of "genius."_

Once more, Uryuu raised his bow and summoned an arrow. "This is similar to the Sanrei Glove training," he murmured to himself. "The Sanrei Glove trained my focus and power to be able to absorb and shape reiatsu despite the glove producing an artificial repellant to reiatsu. This one-handed firing will train my focus further. Perhaps when I have mastered it, I will be able to use one hand to fire arrows, and one to use the Quincy silver tubes in tandem." Uryuu narrowed his eyes in concentration as he slowly managed to pull back the arrow using only his power. "I refuse to be left behind! Not by Kurosaki, not by Tou-san, not by anyone!"

He released another arrow and immediately began again. Flashes of memories ran through Uryuu's head: Kurosaki defeating that Menos Grande shortly after gaining his powers, Kurosaki's Bankai, his Hollow mask granting that insane level of power, Kurosaki fighting head to head with that incredibly fast Espada, the bitter acknowledgment that Kurosaki was stronger than he was. More flashes, from much longer ago: those disappointed, stern looks from his father, his grandfather dying before his very eyes… "I will prove my worth," Uryuu whispered to himself as he struggled to pull back the arrow. "That I promise, on my Quincy Pride."

* * *

"He's awake!"

There was a veritable stampede as everyone in the farmhouse rushed to see the newly awakened Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa. They looked at the recovering man, smiling to see him alert. "Welcome back, old man."

"My children," Oscar murmured with a smile. "I am glad to have returned, but I know not how it happened. Please, someone, tell me what has happened since I was taken?"

"Those bastards were going to execute you right in front of us, in this building we have worked so hard together in," Lonace told him, his voice as tight as his fists. "But a man named Sado Yasutora heard of this and came to warn and help us. He claims to be your grandson."

Oscar's eyes widened visibly. "Yasutora? My boy, is that you?"

The crowd of men and children parted, allowing Chad to pass. He'd been in the back, nervous with anticipation. "Abuelo…"

Oscar smiled. "Yasutora, it is you. I am glad to see you again. Come give me a hug."

A lone tear of happiness trailed its way down Chad's face from his right eye as he kneeled by the bed and hugged his Abuelo. "I have missed you, Abuelo."

"I have missed you too, my boy. You've certainly grown into a veritable giant!" Oscar replied as he got a good look at him. "How did you find me? Did you die?"

"No, Abuelo, I still live," Chad answered. "So much has happened since you left the living world, it is a long story."

"I eagerly await your telling," the old, now armless man said with a smile. "I see we've grown in number during my time away. I'm proud of you all, thank you for continuing my dream. One day, we'll make this district the most peaceful in all of Soul Society!"

The men all cheered. "We're going to go tend the fields now, Oscar. We'll be back soon," one of the men told him informatively before they filed out. Chad remained behind.

They remained quiet for several moments. "How are you doing, Abuelo?" Chad asked, looking guiltily at where his grandfather's arms should have been.

Oscar caught where his grandson was gazing. "I won't deny, losing my arms is a blow to my pride," he said softly, "and I fear becoming a burden to the people I have tried so hard to protect."

Chad smiled. "A friend of mine is coming to restore your arms. You'll have them back soon."

Oscar looked shocked. "It sounds like you truly do have much to tell."

Chad nodded. "The story begins shortly after your death in the living world. I moved back to Japan…"

Some time later, Chad finished telling the tale of how he'd become friends with Ichigo, how he had awakened the latent powers in his right arm, and their rescue of Kuchiki Rukia. He described the tight-knit group that had formed around Ichigo, Ishida, Inoue and himself, and the revelation of finding his powers were similar to a Hollow's. Chad related his insecurities of suddenly being unable to uphold the vow he and Ichigo had made to each other, to fight for each other, to watch each other's backs. He explained how Urahara had pointed out that it was likely that Oscar was in Soul Society somewhere, and Chad finished with his search for his Abuelo.

"… After some time searching with Yoruichi-sensei, we found clues pointing towards the North 80th District, and we came straight away, keeping our ears to the ground for more information. After arriving, I found out from one of the local gangs that you were being held hostage, and I rushed to save you, only to find that you had already been removed from the prison to be executed," Chad revealed. "A boy held in prison there told me where to find this place, so I rescued him from there and came straight here, with time to spare." He fell silent.

"There is more," Oscar said after a moment, observing Chad's posture. "Something painful."

"There is." Chad swallowed. "When they came to execute you, and I saw that you had been tortured, that you arms had been taken from you, I… I snapped. I showed you my right arm, El Brazo Dereche del Gigante. My left arm also transformed." He closed his eyes and activated his left arm. "El Brazo Izquierda… del Diablo."

Oscar leaned back against the bedframe in surprise. "Of the devil?" he queried. "Why that name?"

"While my right arm draws power from my will to defend, my left comes from my will to attack." Chad's eyes shut tightly beneath his long shaggy hair, fearing his Abuelo's response to what he was about to say, but unable to keep from saying it. "In my rage, I transformed my arm for the first time. And I killed everyone but three Shinigami, in wrathful vengeance of the injustice they had inflicted upon you. And then I told them to run, to fear always that I would come for them, to live their lives in terror that I would come to exact my revenge. I broke my vow of never raising my fists for anything but defense of others!" Chad looked up, hot tears of shame trailing down his cheeks as he deactivated his arm.

"Yasutora…"

"I gained the power I was looking for, but at the cost of what? My humanity? My conscience? I have betrayed you, Abuelo! You spent so long teaching me to use these strong arms of mine to protect others, as you protected me from the beating I so rightly deserved all those years ago! But here, I have become a killer!" Chad released a choked sob. "I _wanted _to kill them, I felt _satisfaction_ when I did! What does that make me?!"

"It makes you human."

"What?" Chad gasped. To his surprise, Oscar was looking at him with kind eyes.

"It is human to feel strongly for those you care for, Yasutora. You saw them and saw people who had inflicted a great deal of suffering purposely and willfully on others. More than that, you saw someone who you respected and loved brought to the verge of death. It is natural to desire revenge, and to take it when your emotions were at their darkest. But look at how you are now, feeling sorrow for taking lives. You are no monster, no devil. You are my boy, Sado Yasutora." Seeing his grandson's self-doubt still lingering, Oscar decided to try a different tact. "This Kurosaki Ichigo… if his family had been taken by Aizen's forces, and tortured to demoralize him, how would he react?"

Knowing that his Abuelo was trying to teach him once more, Chad thought hard about the scenario. "… I think he would snap," he finally said. "Ichigo would unleash his full power and kill them all in a dark rage, or die trying."

Oscar nodded. "And knowing that your best friend, your comrade-in-arms, your _nakama_ would have done the same thing you did, can you honestly say that such actions are inhuman?" Chad shook his head negatively. "I thought not. I too, have killed someone," the old man admitted quietly.

"What?"

"I was young," Oscar recalled. "Cocky, foolish. But strong, very strong. Much like you were once, my boy. I was part of a gang, and we took pride in our petty thefts, our muggings… But then something happened, and everything spiraled out of control." His eyes glazed over, reliving the event. "We'd just managed to rob a small-time store when suddenly my mask was ripped off from behind me and I was punched from behind. The owner of the store had anticipated the robbery and had been lying in wait. My parents didn't know anything of my activities, and I was suddenly afraid of what would happen if the owner revealed my identity to the police." He closed his eyes. "I am not proud of what happened next. As if thinking along the same lines, two other gang members pounced him and held him against a wall. Our leader handed me a gun… And I killed that innocent man, fear overwhelming me."

"What happened next?" Chad asked quietly.

"I had nightmares for weeks. On some days I thought of turning myself in to the police. Others I tried to rationalize killing him, tried to ease my guilt, with failure. We never told a soul, but I quit the gang not long later. I was always seeing the man's face everywhere I looked, my hands never felt clean; I couldn't take anymore. A couple of months later, I saved a young child from being run over by a car, and I felt a little better. I realized then the true purpose of strength is not to establish one's dominance, but to protect."

Oscar shook his head to clear it of old memories. "I am very proud of how you have grown, Yasutora." Oscar smiled. "You have become a man strong not only in body, but in character. Your left arm, El Brazo Izquierda del Diablo, you said it was made from your will to attack. Something you must understand, Yasutora, is that protection is not made up solely of defense. No matter how strong the shield is, without eliminating the threat the shield will crumble."

Chad recognized the argument from when Inoue had had her own troubles accepting the will to hurt others, and scolded himself for not remembering it. He hugged his grandfather again. "Thank you, Abuelo." Both men could tell that Chad was thanking Oscar for many things in that simple sentence, but neither said anything more.

A knock on the door interrupted the two of them. Chad opened it, to find Inoue and Yoruichi. "You arrived quickly," he said in surprise. "Abuelo, this is Inoue Orihime; she's here to heal your arms."

"It's a pleasure to meet a beauty such as this," Oscar said with a grandfatherly smile. "Please, call me Oscar."

Inoue smiled back. "You ready?" At the nod, she brought her hands to her hairpins. "Souten Kisshun!"

Mere minutes later, Oscar stared in wonder as he stretched his arms. They felt as strong or stronger than when he'd lost them. "That is truly an amazing power," he murmured in awe. "Never stop reaching for the sky, young lady; you have the potential to do much."

Inoue blushed prettily. "Thank you, Oscar."

"No, thank you, Inoue," Chad said earnestly, going so far as to bow lightly in her direction.

"Chad! There's no need to bow to me!" Inoue protested, flustered. Chad rose and smiled at her.

"Chad, it is time; you must return to the living world," Yoruichi suddenly said. "I got a status update while I was there; Ichigo's gone missing and Uryuu's training with his father. You have gained the power you sought for; it is time to protect your town with it. The Onimitsukido are coming to fetch you."

"Go, my boy. Your friends need you," Oscar ordered gently. "I'll be here next time you come around."

Chad smiled. "I will see you soon, I hope."

"I'm sure you will."

With that, Chad, Inoue and Yoruichi headed out. "Chad, we must make haste back to Karakura," Yoruichi emphasized. "Aizen could attack at any time, now that Uryuu and Ichigo are not available for combat. I will carry Orihime-chan; follow me as fast as you can!"

Before Orihime could voice a complaint, Yoruichi had suddenly picked her up and dashed off with godlike speed, proving once again that she deserved her title as the Goddess of Flash. Chad frowned, transforming both of his arms and began using Paso Del Viento. To his satisfaction, he was much faster than when he'd only used El Brazo Dereche del Gigante. He was not as fast as Yoruichi, but the Shunpo master slowed her pace enough for Chad to keep up.

"We'll arrive at the Seireitei in a couple of hours at this rate," Yoruichi called out as they passed a district. "Think you can keep up the pace?"

"It shouldn't be a problem," Chad replied honestly. "With this second arm, I feel like my power has grown enormously!"

"Good; I feel you'll need that power soon."

* * *

Cazador was unsurprised when he saw Ashido suddenly appear in front of him in an impressive display of Shunpo. "What is it you want?" Ashido asked tonelessly.

"I want out of Menos Forest. Show me how to reach the surface," Cazador requested.

"Very well." Ashido Shunpo-ed away, and Cazador followed using Sonido. Eventually they came to a stop near a tall cliff. Ashido pointed at a small, difficult-to-see tunnel high up the cliff and to the left. "The way to the surface is there; you may find your way blocked by Adjuchas, however."

_Ask him if he wants to come with us, _Ichigo suggested. _It's always useful to have an ally. _

Cazador thought about it for a few seconds. Then he gave a mental shrug. "Oi, Ashido. Care to join me? You might grow even stronger up there."

"No. I will remain down here. I seek to reduce the number of Hollows that travel to the living world, and the most common of them are simple Hollows and Gillians," Ashido explained shortly.

Cazador shrugged. "Alright, if that's your thing. Thanks for showing me the way out." He Sonido-ed up and into the tunnel before anyone had a chance to stop him. _**Time to chow down on the more powerful Adjuchas, and maybe a Vasto Lorde!**_

_Be careful, Cazador. Vasto Lorde are supposed to be even stronger than taicho-class Shinigami, _Ichigo cautioned.

_**Right, right. **_The Arrancar found himself at the end of the tunnel quickly enough, and looked around. Endless sands, as far as the eye could see, except in one direction. In that direction was a palace-like structure. "I take it that's Las Noches?" Cazador murmured. "It looks pretty far away; must be enormous."

"It is."

Cazador blinked, before instinctually blocking a strike from his side with Zangetsu. His opponent appeared to be quite similar to a bear, except the claws were much sharper, and the fur looked like it was made of needles. Despite having been caught unawares, Cazador grinned. "You're stronger than those idiots in Menos Forest."

"Of course I am!" the bear roared, firing a patch of needles from his chest at Cazador's face, forcing the Arrancar to dodge. "Sate my hunger, you wannabe!"

"I think not," Cazador said with a smirk, using Sonido to appear behind the Adjuchas and slicing into and through the bear's left shoulder, cutting off the arm. Snatching it up, he took a bite from a non-needle-coated part and then killed the bear-like Hollow before it could attack. He paused, passing judgment on the Hollow's strength. "Better," Cazador finally determined. "But not strong enough, and still ruled by hunger. Must not have been an Adjuchas long."

_Indeed, _Ichigo agreed, having dispatched the Adjuchas within their Inner World easily with a well-placed Getsuga Tenshou. _That one was all strength and no speed. So, Cazador, pick a direction. _

Cazador frowned. _**Well, we know what's in the direction of Las Noches. Aizen's Arrancar, made up of Adjuchas, perhaps a Vasto Lorde or two. Some of Aizen's servants, I imagine. **_

_Yeah, _Ichigo agreed. _We could go that way and start taking some of those servants out, but that would draw Aizen's attention back to us. Question is, is the benefit of killing and eating those servants worth the risk? _

_**Maybe. I… Hold on. **_Cazador blinked. Not too far off, to his right, he could see what appeared to be a child being chased by three Hollows. "What the hell?" He used Sonido to dash over and check it out. Quickly noticing a Hollow mask remnant on the child, he realized. "A child Arrancar?" he asked incredulously.

"Who're you?!" the thin, purple Hollow with white body armor, gloves, and insect-like head – complete with mandibles – demanded.

"Cazador de la Luna," Cazador greeted. "I don't suppose you guys are with Aizen?"

His words visibly brought all four Hollows in front of him into a state of terror. "Nel-sama, be ready to run, don'tcha know," the large one with black polka-dots and an enormous tiki mask whispered to the young Arrancar. "We'll distract him and meet up with you later."

"Yeah," the first one agreed. "We'll handle this Espada."

Cazador laughed aloud. "I'm no Espada!" he corrected with a manic grin. "Just an Arrancar that doesn't like Aizen. See, I'm not even wearing that damned white outfit! Tell me, who are you?"

All four Hollows, including the child-like Arrancar, sighed in relief. "I'm Pesche," the purple one introduced. "The polka-dotted one is Dondochakka, and our master here is Nel Tu-sama. The big guy here is Bawabawa." The enormous blind-looking sandworm seemed to smile and nod at its name, making incoherent noises that seemed to indicate a "Nice to meet you."

Cazador nodded. "How did Nel here get chibi-sized?" he asked curiously. "I thought all Arrancar had adult bodies."

"Yeah, how did Nel get like this?" the green-haired Arrancar asked in a childish voice. Nel was quite small, with jaw-length hair and a crimson line that stretched from one side of her face to the other under her eyes. Nel's Hollow mask remnant was the front part of a skull, but it was on the top of her head, worn akin to a hat. There was also a long scar between her eyes and reaching up to where the Hollow mask remnant was cracked. The crack was quite long, and it appeared as though some of the mask's teeth had been forcibly broken. Cazador found himself curious about it. _**What happens to an Arrancar if his mask remnant is further damaged? **_

_Maybe that's the reason Nel turned into a child? _Ichigo theorized. _We know that removing some of the mask allows Hollows to acquire Shinigami powers by becoming Arrancar, and the Arrancar's Hollow powers are stored in a Zanpakuto. Perhaps taking too much of the mask off results in losing too much Hollow power to sustain one's previous form? _

_**Well, it's safe to assume that Nel was transformed through the Hougyouku, **_Cazador pointed out, watching in mild amusement as Dondochakka and Pesche tried to placate a stubborn Nel without giving away her history. _**Perhaps the mask was damaged after, and Aizen put a Kido on her to keep her this way as an experiment? Too see if the Arrancar could acquire more Shinigami power if the mask was taken off further? **_

_Feasible, _Ichigo allowed.

"So, I see you don't want her to know about who or what she was before she was transformed," Cazador finally observed. "Why is that? Maybe Nel will stop bugging you if you tell her why."

Pesche bowed his head, reluctantly answering. "Nel-sama… before you became the child you are now, you were a soul who desired for peace and goodwill, but were forced to fight, bringing you sorrow."

"We tried to keep your past from you so your memories would not return, so you would not be forced to fight again, don'tcha know," Dondochakka explained.

"Nel was an Ethpada once, wasn't Nel?" the Arrancar asked quietly, her lisp making itself known.

They spent several moments in silence. "… Yes," Pesche finally confirmed. "You were betrayed and backstabbed by two Arrancar, one of them an Espada of lower rank. They broke your mask further, and you transformed into the Nel you are today. Then Aizen and all of the Espada left you for dead."

"Please, don't ask any more," Dondochakka pleaded. "We kept your past from you to protect you, don'tcha know."

"But how's Nel supposed ta protect her fwends?" Nel insisted. "Nel wants ta keep her fwends safe too!"

Ichigo felt for her; they seemed to have the same wish to grow stronger, not for themselves, but for their precious friends. Cazador didn't quite understand; he sought power for himself, to become the strongest. However, he had come to respect Ichigo, who had grown as strong as he had so far in his motivation to protect.

"I dunno about you, but I think it's rather stupid to keep her weak like this." Cazador looked up as he stated his opinion. "The Espada are growing stronger and Aizen won't be happy till he has everything. He'll kill or subjugate you if you're not strong enough, and then look how happy you'll all be."

"Nel shouldn't have to fight!" Pesche insisted, the yellow eyes behind the mask narrowing angrily at the newcomer.

"Maybe, but isn't that her choice to make?" Cazador pointed out easily, not worried about the reiatsu Pesche was leaking. _**He's not strong enough to give me too much trouble. **_"Just because you have power doesn't mean you have to fight, but it certainly makes it easier to survive if someone brings the fight to you. And it sounds like if you tried, she'd recall her power quickly enough."

"Aren't you happy this way, though?" Pesche asked Nel desperately.

The former Espada smiled at her friend. "Nel's vewy happy with her fwends. But if Nel was an Ethpada, then Nel must have enemies." She looked down and used her toe to draw circles in the sand of Hueco Mundo. "Nel has to gwow up sometime."

Both Dondochakka and Pesche looked down at this. "Alright, Nel-sama… We will help you remember who you once were," Dondochakka relented.

"Your full name… is Nelliel Tu Oderschvank, former Espada Tres," Pesche revealed.

Cazador and Ichigo had the same bug-eyed expression upon hearing that. _Former Espada TRES?! _Ichigo exclaimed, sputtering. _Sweet Kami above!_

_**No kidding, **_Ichigo's Hollow agreed dumbly. _**This brat… used to be stronger than me? But her reiatsu level is so low! So much lost power, for a mere crack in the mask?! Note to self: never, ever let my mask be damaged! **_

Nel's reaction was a bit louder. "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

* * *

_I should have stayed in Soul Society and done the damn paperwork. _Histugaya Toushiro sighed. Suddenly, the interdimensional communication device they'd built rang. Toushiro quickly answered, looking at the large two-way viewing monitor. "Yamamoto-soutaicho!"

"Hitsugaya-taicho," the wizened commander greeted formally. "I have some news that I felt you may be interested in."

"Yes, soutaicho?"

"I recognize that it is difficult to be away from Soul Society at this time, and even more so as I have denied your request for reinforcements to compensate for the disappearance of Substitute Shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo and the Quincy, Ishida Uryuu," Yamamoto began. "However, this may lighten your spirits somewhat. Hinamori Momo-fukutaicho has awoken, and would like to speak to you." He stepped away from the monitor and allowed the image of a slightly-ill looking girl to step forward.

The girl was about 5 feet 3 inches tall, with her black hair pulled into a small bun, although she let some hair frame her face on either side. Her eyes were kind and soft, looking as though she deserved to be a healer instead of a fighter.

_Momo! _Toushiro thought in surprise. "Shouldn't you be in bed? You don't look like you've fully recovered yet."

Momo smiled weakly. "Hitsugaya-taicho, I'm almost completely better. I've been asleep for a while."

"That you have," Toushiro conceded, his memory flashing to checking up on his childhood friend as she lay in a coma from Aizen's sudden betrayal. He felt another flash of anger at the traitor before brutally quashing the emotion.

"I wanted to apologize," Momo said quietly. "I shouldn't have attacked you that night, and I should have listened to you… You were right, and I wasn't thinking clearly."

Toushiro looked slightly away to his left, trying not to show his embarrassment. "Don't worry about it; it doesn't bother me. It was a trying time for all of us."

The girl smiled, this time a bit more genuinely. "Thank you for accepting my apology, Hitsugaya-taicho."

While Toushiro tried his best to look cold and aloof, his eyes still betrayed a hint of concern to his long-time friend. "You should get back to bed now, if that's all you needed to say, Hinamori-fukutaicho. The way you look now makes you look like a little kid. You need to get more rest if you want to grow older."

Momo snorted. "You shouldn't be talking, Hitsugaya-kun!"

"It's Hitsugaya-taicho," Toushiro reminded her softly, trying to gently remind her that the soutaicho was still in the vicinity, and it was best to keep to formalities for the moment.

That seemed to remind her of something else, however. "Hitsugaya-taicho… are you going to fight Aizen-taicho?" Momo asked quietly.

"If it comes to that, yes," Toushiro answered honestly. "Hinamori-fukutaicho, Aizen betrayed us. Everything we have seems to indicate that he was the leader of the rebellion, and I doubt he's going to stay in Hueco Mundo."

"That can't be!" Momo exclaimed, her eyes watering as she shook her head in rejection of the idea. "Not Aizen-taicho…"

Toushiro's eyes softened a little. _I need to get through to her. The Aizen we knew is dead, or never existed to start._ "Hinamori… I've gotten more information since I arrived here in the living world. I've heard some things about what he did over a hundred years ago, long before Ichimaru Gin or Tousen Kaname became taicho. I don't think either of us ever knew the real Aizen," he finished quietly.

"What did he do?" Momo asked, fearing the answer.

"… He experimented in giving several Shinigami forbidden Hollow powers, and then framed another Shinigami. Due to Aizen's actions, they were all to be executed, but they managed to escape. Aizen was never suspected."

Momo's eyes hardened. "Who told you such dreadful lies?!"

"They are not lies," the hard voice of Yamamoto interrupted as he reappeared behind Momo. "It is a point of shame that we were fooled by Aizen's deception, and we attempted to execute Urahara Kisuke, taicho of the 12th Division and founder of the Technology Bureau. Urahara managed to escape to the living world with the aid of Shihoin Yoruichi, and made himself untraceable using a modification of a recently-invented gigai. The Shinigami who acquired the forbidden Hollow powers also escaped." Yamamoto's head bowed slightly, the closest he would come to expressing sorrow. "We lost many strong Shinigami that day, and Urahara has rejected my invitation to rejoin our ranks."

Momo's eyes were wide. "But, why?! Maybe Aizen had a good reason!"

"If so, he should have come to me," Yamamoto said firmly. "He did not, and therefore should have been executed one hundred years ago. Hinamori-fukutaicho, return to your quarters and rest. That is an order."

Momo's posture slumped in defeat. "Yes, soutaicho." She left quickly.

"Yamamoto-soutaicho, you're in communication with Urahara-san?" Toushiro asked, slightly surprised by the development. He'd always seen Yamamoto as a die-hard traditionalist, and not sending a squad to acquire and imprison Urahara was rather unusual. All rogue Shinigami were captured by the 2nd Division, and Toushiro knew that Soifon held no love for the ex-taicho, though he was unclear on the details.

"Indeed. The reason I have not sent you any more forces, Hitsugaya-taicho, is to lure Aizen to the living world. Urahara-san is now collaborating with us for a special project I commissioned, that will allow all of the taicho and fukutaicho to fight at their full power in the living world without interfering with the humans there," Yamamoto revealed. "We shall face Aizen's forces in the final battle there."

"What about the Seireitei then?" Toushiro inquired with a frown. "If all of us are going to be in the living world, what would keep them from infiltrating Seireitei? If they are after the King's Key like we suspect, then it would not be prudent to leave the original unguarded."

"Of course. The question of who will stay and who will fight in Karakura is one that is still being debated, but Aizen will die in this battle, even if I have to unleash my Bankai to do it," Yamamoto uttered darkly, opening his eyes beyond the slits he normally kept them at.

Toushiro couldn't repress a shiver of unbridled fear. He'd seen Yamamoto's Shikai a couple of times over the years, and that was scary enough. As an ice-type Zanpakuto wielder, the phrase "Reduce all creation to ash, Ryuujin Jakka!" had given him nightmares the night he'd seen it. That much fire and raw heat could remove almost all moisture from the air very quickly, rendering Toushiro's own Bankai almost completely helpless. _Yamamoto's Bankai must be downright terrifying. _

Yamamoto's eyes narrowed again to their usual slits and he continued normally. "Soifon-taicho has met with Shihoin Yoruichi and two of the Ryoka. Curiously, Kurosaki Ichigo was not among them. Do you have an explanation for this, Hitsugaya-taicho?"

Toushiro looked directly into Yamamoto's face through the viewing screen. "I cannot know for sure," he lied coolly without hesitation, "but is it not possible that Yoruichi-sama set Kurosaki a task to complete and was training the other two Ryoka in the meantime? Nevertheless, I will consult with Urahara-san and see if he is hiding the truth."

Yamamoto nodded. "Good. The Ryoka will be arriving in the living world shortly. Do you have anything else to report?"

Hitsugaya nodded. "Now that Kurosaki is gone, fewer and fewer Hollows appear by the day. I suspect that Kurosaki's lack of proper control over his reiatsu is to blame, and propose that he receive additional training to rectify that weakness when prudent."

"Denied," Yamamoto immediately responded. "Kurosaki is strong enough to defeat mid-level taicho as it is, and has no real tie to Soul Society. We have already made ourselves potential enemies by attempting to execute Kuchiki Rukia. While Aizen's voice acted for the Central 46 in that instance, giving Shinigami powers to a human is still against our laws. Kurosaki refused to abide by those laws, and inspired many of my own forces to rebel. Though it was a good thing that he did in this instance, if Kurosaki grows too strong, he could become a threat as large if not larger than Aizen. I suspect that several of my own Shinigami would defect and join him in that event, which would cause a civil war far more disastrous than our current war."

_You're not wrong, _Toushiro thought to himself. "I believe I understand, soutaicho, but why have you not taken action against Yoruichi-sama if that is the case? She is believed to be training Kurosaki, after all."

"Shihoin Yoruichi does have positive ties to Soul Society, and maintains friendly camaraderie with Soifon-taicho. It is my intent that Yoruichi instill respect and trust for Soul Society into Kurosaki, so that he may one day join us as a member of the Gotei 13," Yamamoto explained.

Toushiro nodded. "I understand, soutaicho. He would become a powerful asset to the Gotei 13."

"Have you more to report?"

"No, soutaicho."

"Dismissed."

* * *

"Alright, go," Yoruichi ordered Chad and Inoue as they approached the Senkaimon, the gate back to the living world. "I'm going to stay here in Soul Society; Urahara has me supposedly training Ichigo, and I'm going to do some digging around. I'll return to the living world as soon as I can."

"Understood," Chad acknowledged. "Inoue, let's go."

"Right."

The pair began running into the Senkaimon, and entered the Dangai, a small dimension between the living world and Soul Society. It was a creepy dimension, consisting of only a single path, while the walls on either side pulsed and moved, as though they were inside a living creature. It was far too dangerous to touch the walls; they had a current of spiritual energy that attempted to consume anything that touched them, as Ishida and Ichigo had experienced firsthand during their first time in the Dangai. However, it served as a highly effective barrier to Hollows, who were often far too large, which made the Dangai an efficient way to traverse between the living and spirit worlds.

"Inoue, what happened to Ichigo?" Chad rumbled after a minute of running.

"He… he turned into a Hollow," Inoue told him, her voice cracking.

"What?!" Chad exclaimed.

"It's only temporary, according to Urahara," Inoue quickly clarified. "Everyone's confident that Ichigo will be back soon."

"I see."

"Interesting." Chad and Inoue froze, recognizing the voice. A few meters in front of him, a Garganta opened, and Ulquiorra stepped though, his usual uncaring expression still on his face. "Kurosaki Ichigo has become a Hollow? I had my doubts when Aizen-sama told me… thank you for your information."

"Ulquiorra-san, what do you want?" Inoue asked, a little afraid.

"I have been ordered by Aizen-sama to take at least one of you hostage, to test if the Hollow form of Kurosaki Ichigo truly has lost its memories of Kurosaki Ichigo's life," Ulquiorra explained matter-of-factly. "As I am still curious if your group can successfully defeat Yammy's Resurreccion form, I will grant you two a choice. Who shall I take?" He looked piercingly at the pair of humans with spiritual powers. "I will take at least one of you; the two of you combined could not hope to defeat me at your current level."

Chad and Inoue looked at each other. "I should go," Chad told her quietly. "My powers are like a Hollow's anyway; I'll likely be stronger in Hueco Mundo, and this could prove useful if Ichigo retakes control and attempts to free me."

Inoue shook her head. "No, Ulquiorra should take me. You're needed in Karakura to protect everyone. You're a lot faster and better at fighting than I am, especially as you got your new left arm. Besides, if Kurosaki-kun does try to save me, he's going to get hurt, and might need my healing. There are other healers on our side in Karakura, but none in Hueco Mundo."

Chad frowned, understanding her point but not wanting to admit it. "Would your hostage be expected to fight?" he asked Ulquiorra directly.

"No. If I understand Aizen-sama correctly, the hostage will be kept imprisoned within Las Noches. It would be counterproductive to put the hostage's life in imminent danger if we need the hostage to lure Kurosaki Ichigo's Hollow," Ulquiorra replied coolly. "Futher, if we were going to kill you, Aizen-sama would have asked me to simply kill you here."

Inoue nodded and stepped forward. "I'll be your hostage. Let Chad continue to the living world."

"Very well. Enter the Garganta. It will take you directly to your holding cell in Las Noches"

Inoue approached Ulquiorra and the Garganta, before looking over her shoulder. "See you later, Chad." _Don't die before I get back. _

Chad nodded. "See you later, Inoue." _Don't you die either._

Inoue's eyes glinted with understanding before she took a deep breath and entered the Garganta. With a small gesture from the Arrancar, the Garganta closed behind her. Ulquiorra paused before creating another Garganta. "How interesting... I had expected her to show more fear," he murmured.

"Inoue's come a long way," Chad agreed. "I think she was afraid, but she was committed to this since you said only one of us could go on. We have faith that Ichigo will rescue her. If there had been no hope, then we would have fought you to the end."

Ulquiorra cocked his head to the side. "What is this faith you speak of?"

Chad paused to consider the question. "It's a feeling based on trust. When I say that I have faith in Ichigo, it means that I trust him to do everything within his power to accomplish something. In this case, to rescue Inoue."

The unfeeling Arrancar's eyes narrowed pensively. "How do you know he has sufficient power?"

Chad shrugged. "I can't know for sure."

"This idea of faith seems foolish," Ulquiorra finally said. "It is based on the fragile bond of trust and understanding of another's personality. You do not have the power to accomplish your own goals, so you wish someone else to accomplish them for you. How is Kurosaki Ichigo even to know of the girl's capture?"

"Perhaps it is foolish," Chad conceded. "But perhaps not." He activated his right arm. "This arm's power is based on my faith in my Abuelo's teachings; that strength's purpose is to protect. The stronger my faith and will, the stronger this arm's power is."

Now Ulquiorra's face changed very subtly. His eyes glittered with interest as he stepped towards Chad. "How curious; a feeling given physical manifestation through reiatsu manipulation?" He stopped in his tracks, his facial expression changing slightly once more, this one more of a grimace than anything else Chad had seen him express. "How unfortunate; Aizen-sama is waiting for me to report after having captured the girl. Tell me, boy, what is your name?"

"Sado Yasutora."

"I will remember you, Sado Yasutora. I feel I have learned something more about humans and emotions. Don't die before we have a chance to discuss more," Ulquiorra ordered flatly before opening a Garganta and entering it, the Garganta closing behind him.

Chad shook his head. _I wonder, is it a good thing or not that Ulquiorra is interested in me? _He began running again through the Dangai, rushing to return to the living world. _Urahara must be alerted. Perhaps he can contact Ichigo. _

* * *

"You were certainly quick, Ulquiorra," Aizen complimented mere minutes later, taking in the sight of the powerful Arrancar kneeling a few meters away.

"The Shinigami were foolish enough to let both Sado Yasutora and the girl into the Dangai without any reinforcements," Ulquiorra informed his master.

"I see. Out of curiosity, why did you not take them both?" Aizen inquired from his throne where he sat languidly.

"Alone, despair will overwhelm the female and keep her from fighting against her fate. Together, they may have encouraged each other and attempted to escape," Ulquiorra responded smoothly. "Also, news of her capture will demoralize their fighters, knowing that two of their fighters were completely helpless against one of yours."

"Well thought out as always, Ulquiorra," Aizen replied with a smile. "You are dismissed."

"Aizen-sama." Ulquiorra stood and withdrew from the room.

"Kaname, what is your opinion on this matter?"

Tousen stepped to the side into view from behind Aizen's throne. "I dislike taking hostages on principle," he said simply. "However, I can see how it follows the path of least bloodshed, by determining now if Kurosaki Ichigo's Hollow is a threat."

"Thank you for your understanding," Aizen said softly. "Now, to complete the test, this Cazador de la Luna must be notified of the girl's capture." He smirked knowingly, and with a snap of his fingers, an Arrancar appeared. "Ah, Rudobon."

"Aizen-sama!" Rudobon fell to one knee, silently swearing his fealty once again. Unlike all the other Arrancar, Rudobon's mask was still fully formed on his head, despite his otherwise completely human-shaped body. The mask itself was lean, with thin, wide slits of eyes, and long, slightly curved horns, but aside from that it looked fairly unremarkable.

"Please fetch Zommari Leroux; I have a task for him."

* * *

And that's a wrap! Aizen is going to send Zommari, Espada 7? Who thought that Grimmjow would be the one chosen? I certainly did, but this idea just came up and I couldn't resist!

In regards to "Espada Tres", I found this discontinuity frustrating. Every other Espada has used the same style. "First" - Primera (Starrk), "Second" - Segunda (Barragan), "Fourth" - Quarta (Ulquiorra), etc. Why did Harribel introduce herself as "Espada Tres"? It should have been "Tercera Espada"! However, that is how Harribel introduced herself, and so I can't help but assume that Nel did the same. Maybe there's a reason for it, I dunno.

Ulquiorra's speech to Inoue about looking for a person's "heart" came to mind when I was thinking of Ulquiorra's order to capture someone. However, Inoue was not alone this time, and Ulquiorra had a chance to meet and talk to Chad, whose powers depend entirely on his will and feelings. I thought this was a brilliant chance for an enlightening conversation between them; Ulquiorra's expression finally changing was a sign of his curiosity, and reluctance of leaving behind what may have finally provided his answers. Can you imagine being SOOOOOOOOOOO bored, nihilistic even, and having only one thing you're curious about but unable to do any sort of research about? And then having the answers right in front of you but not being granted the chance to learn them? I think I'd scream, you?

I dearly hope I did not paint Chad as being too weepy or anything, but he's been tearing himself apart over this. Having never killed anyone myself - something I am extremely glad for - I had to use my imagination on how Chad would react. Oscar's backstory, of course, is my own creation. Not exactly my best work, but I had to play with it, and this is how I finally got it to work.

As for the revelation of Ishida's character, think about it for a minute. He learned the Quincy skills from his grandfather. His grandfather died because the Shinigami didn't show up, and Ishida wasn't skilled enough to help. Along comes Ichigo. Still new with the power, Ichigo is able to take down a freaking Menos Grande when Ishida couldn't. Ever since, Ichigo has been able to do more and more, progressing at far faster a pace than Ishida. The final straw was Uryuu finding that his father, Ryuuken, was so much stronger than Uryuu was, despite having supposedly given up the Quincy ways. I think it'd be easy for Uryuu to develop an inferiority complex.

Anyway, read and review!

Hint of what's to come:

_Ichigo's eyes hardened. "Cazador. How do you feel about another deal?"_


	12. Control

Sorry for the long delay in updating. Been VERY busy lately. Yay for real life problems!

Chapter 12: Control

"Urahara-san!" Chad exclaimed, emerging from the Senkaimon within Urahara's basement. Naturally, the shopkeeper was waiting for him.

"Sado-kun?" Urahara sounded genuinely confused. "Where is Inoue-chan? I thought she was with you?"

"She was, but the Dangai was invaded by an Espada," Chad quickly explained. "Ulquiorra took her as bait for Ichigo's Hollow!"

Urahara's eyes widened. "That's bad. That's very, very bad. Especially with her powers of reality rejection… Did Ulquiorra hint that they knew about her powers?"

Chad shook his head no. "Do you have any way to contact Ichigo?" the large young man queried.

"No," Urahara responded distractedly, obviously thinking of what to do. "… No matter how I look at it, we have to send in a rescue party. Ichigo is strong, but I don't think he's strong enough yet to just take Inoue-chan from Aizen's grasp, not if Aizen is expecting him."

"I'm going," Chad half-stated, half-demanded.

"Of course. Ishida-kun will probably join you if we can contact him," Urahara mused.

Chad blinked. "Huh?"

"Ishida-kun has been training with his father, who cut him off from all external contact," Urahara quickly explained. "Ishida Ryuuken is probably at the hospital at this time if you wish to talk to him. I will contact Hitsugaya-taicho and Soul Society and see if they will offer reinforcements."

His face set to a determined mask, Chad nodded. "I'll be back." With a thought, he activated both arms and vanished with a Paso Del Viento.

Urahara blinked, then smiled. "That's new. It looks like he's gotten much stronger." Then he too disappeared, flickering into a Shunpo.

Chad dashed to the hospital and to the nearby park before he felt another presence behind him. "And who are you, with that strange Hollow-like reiatsu?" a cold voice asked. "I highly advise against attacking my hospital."

Chad turned around to see a man who looked like an older version of Ishida Uryuu, with a slightly more rounded face. "Are you Ishida Ryuuken?" Chad rumbled.

"I am."

_Thank Kami! _"I need to see Ishida Uryuu. Something grave has happened, something he must know!"

"As I told those two Shinigami, Uryuu will come back when he is ready, and not before," Ryuuken stated with a glare.

"Would you please grant me an audience with him?" Chad pleaded. "I'm not here to force him to come back, but to inform him of the fate of one of our friends!"

Ryuuken narrowed his eyes at Chad, pushing his glasses up his nose. Finally, he nodded. "Stay right here. I will be back momentarily." Ryuuken disappeared with a flash of Hirenkyaku.

A few minutes later, Ryuuken reappeared. "Uryuu will be along shortly."

Indeed, a scant minute later, the younger Quincy arrived. "Chad?" Uryuu asked in surprise. "When did you get back?"

"Just now, but there's no time!" Chad fervently answered. "Inoue's been captured!"

"What?!" Uryuu gasped. "Details, now!"

"Inoue and I were in the Dangai, returning from Soul Society. Ulquiorra appeared, and said he was on orders from Aizen to kidnap at least one of us as bait for Ichigo. We argued briefly, but Inoue was the one taken," Chad summarized.

Uryuu nodded. "Right. Where is Kurosaki?"

"Already in Hueco Mundo. I'll give you details along the way," Chad told him. "Urahara's currently trying to get reinforcements from the Shinigami."

"Don't count on any help from them," Uryuu told him bitterly.

"Don't forget that Rukia and Renji are Ichigo's friends too," Chad countered.

Uryuu's eyes widened at the rebuttal, but then nodded. He turned to his father. "Thank you for the training, Tou-san, but I must go."

"What is so special about this girl, this Inoue?" Ryuuken questioned coldly.

"…She has the power to reject reality within a limited area of effect," Uryuu answered reluctantly. "If Aizen gets that power…"

Ryuuken's eyes widened, then narrowed. "I see. Go, then, Uryuu. Use my training well."

"Thank you, Tou-san. Let's go, Chad." Remembering that Chad didn't have a high-speed technique, he began running normally through the streets.

"You're slow." Uryuu was surprised to see Chad dash past him in a speed comparable to his own Hirenkyaku, though it was still slower.

Uryuu rapidly caught up, however. "Looks like you've gotten a lot faster." He eyed Chad's new arms. "And stronger."

Chad grunted an affirmative. "Yoruichi-sensei is a sadistic trainer."

Insecurity crept slowly into Uryuu's thoughts. _Could Chad have surpassed me as well? _Uryuu shook his head, focusing on the present. _Orihime comes first. _

Several minutes later, they arrived back at Urahara's shop, where most of the Shinigami had gathered. "Ah, Sado-kun, Ishida-kun," the shopkeeper greeted. "I was just explaining the situation…"

"And?" Uryuu looked at the short, white-haired taicho. "Will you help?"

Hitsugaya sighed. "Ishida-san, I owe Inoue-san my life. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that I, and the rest of the Shinigami stationed here, need to stay here to help protect the living world from Aizen."

"Hitsugaya-taicho!" Rukia stepped forward. "I am going with them."

"What? Kuchiki-san, did you not hear what I just said?" Hitsugaya asked, his voice low and his eyes narrow.

"I did, but even with me gone, you still have five perfectly capable Shinigami, two of whom can use Bankai," Rukia pointed out. "I only have Shikai, and my ice powers are not as developed as yours. I am not really needed here, and Orihime is my friend." She shook her head. "I cannot just leave her there!"

Suddenly, a cell phone rang. Everyone blinked as Matsumoto Rangiku answered her Soul Society-issued cell phone. "Matsumoto here. Yes. Yes. But sir! … Understood. I will pass along the information."

"What was that about?" Ikkaku asked bluntly.

Matsumoto did not look happy. "We have new orders. We are to return to Soul Society. To ensure we comply and return to Soul Society safely, they are sending Kuchiki-taicho and Zaraki-taicho to escort us all."

Rukia and Renji looked positively mutinous. Glancing at them, Hitsugaya was reminded of Yamamoto's words in their previous conversation. _Kurosaki Ichigo, how is it you gain our loyalty so easily, so effortlessly? _"Kuchiki-san, Abarai-fukutaicho, I don't like it either, but the alternative is making Soul Society our enemies while we chase after your friend who may or may not be rescued by Kurosaki, Ishida-san and Sado-san."

Renji clenched his fists in helpless anger. "Don't wait for us," he bit out bitterly to Uryuu and Chad. "We'll catch up if we can."

"When we can," Rukia corrected, meeting her childhood friend's eyes fiercely.

Renji nodded at her in acknowledgment. "We WILL catch up," he assured his friends. "One way, or another."

Uryuu's hardened eyes flashed. "Very well. Urahara, please open the way to Hueco Mundo. If we cannot count on the Shinigami, there is no point in waiting. I should've known better than to count on _Shinigami_ to aid a _Quincy_ and a spiritually gifted _human_." He was gratified to see all the Shinigami save Rukia and Renji flinch.

"That's not fair, Ishida-san," Yumichika responded, running a hand through his hair. "You're judging us all on the orders of our boss. For all you know, he's organizing a powerful force to invade Hueco Mundo as we speak."

"_That's not fair, Yumichika-san," _Uryuu mocked. "Your people judged all the Quincy because our leaders were ignorant and refused to negotiate with you Shinigami. For all you knew, they could have been devising a way to modifying our Quincy arrows to not completely obliterate a soul from existence. If you can paint an entire race with a single brush, why can't I? And don't even give me that shit about 'That was then, we've changed since then.' You're being led by the same people, governed by the same laws. Change doesn't happen until you want it to happen, and so far I've not seen a single Shinigami save Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia who showed a shred of compassion of the plight of my people."

There was silence for several moments as the Shinigami, even Hitsugaya, tried to formulate an argument. Finally, Hitsugaya looked Uryuu straight in the eye. "I cannot refute your argument, but allow me to reveal part of our soutaicho's plan as he revealed it to me."

"I'm listening."

"Yamamoto-soutaicho plans to lure Aizen and his forces here to the living world, where special provisions will be made to ensure the population's safety, while allowing our strongest forces to launch a full-scale assault sans limiter," Hitsugaya related. "If I am right, then this is the reason for our being recalled now, to leave virtually no protection in the living world. You could use this as a powerful distraction to infiltrate the enemy's base of operations and rescue Inoue-san."

Uryuu's mind whirled. "That… is quite an opportunity."

"Indeed," Chad murmured aloud, his own not-insignificant intelligence easily appreciating the chance being given to them.

"Hitsugaya-taicho is correct," Urahara stated solemnly, pushing back his hat so his face could be seen clearly. "I completed the preparations to protect the living world just earlier today, prior to Chad-kun's return. If you'll follow me, I'll open the way to Hueco Mundo. I highly suggest you find Ichigo before infiltrating Aizen's base of operations." He walked back into his shop, and the only two non-Shinigami in the group followed.

* * *

Cazador was feeling uneasy. He had been for the last few hours that he had traveled with Nel and her former Fraccion, and that troubled him. "Something… something has changed," he murmured.

"Eh? Cazador, you say something?" Pesche asked.

_**Perhaps these guys know something I don't? **_"Something feels different," Cazador admitted. "I'm not sure what, but I'm positive that something bad has happened."

"Something bad?" Dondochakka repeated. "Like what?"

Cazador had not been in control of Ichigo's body long, and didn't really have the experience required to draw the more common analogies. However, he decided to try anyway. "It's like… like suddenly having this feeling like your enemy has some ace up his sleeve, or like you're just about to step into his trap, but you just don't know it yet." He knew those feelings from personal experience. _**Ichigo really is a tricky, stubborn bastard when he wants to be. **_

Pesche looked up, one bony hand on his chin. "That's rather specific. I suppose it comes down to, whoever your enemy is, what could possibly change to give him an advantage?"

Cazador fell silent. That was actually a damn good question. _**A more powerful Arrancar?**_

_Maybe Aizen invaded Karakura already and we weren't there to help fight back? _Ichigo suggested darkly.

Cazador shivered. _**That's a chilling thought. What's wrong? You're not normally this morbid. **_

_You're not the only one getting this bad feeling about things, _Ichigo informed him with a strained voice. _At times I get the crazy feeling of familiarity, as though there's the barest of scents of something I should recognize. It's like I should know what it is, but the answer keeps eluding me. It's taking every shred of patience I have not to try to take back my body right now and check on my friends. _

Cazador blinked. He suddenly had a suspicion, a horrible suspicion of the truth. _**Does that feeling get stronger when I do this? **_He purposely reached out with his spiritual sense, feeling out the reiatsu in the air.

Cazador could swear he could feel his mental partner perk up. _Yes, it's much stronger this time! _Ichigo paused. _Wait. If the feeling is stronger when you're sensing reiatsu…_

_**Then you're probably detecting traces of one or more of your friends, **_Cazador finished grimly. _**Which explains my bad feelings as well. **_

_They're going to use my friends to lure us in, _Ichigo agreed tightly.

"Um, Cazador? You're leaking more reiatsu than usual, don'tcha know?" Dondochakka pointed out nervously.

Cazador's eyes narrowed, making Dondochakka jump back in fear. "We're not alone," the orange-haired Arrancar muttered. "Show yourself!"

A new Arrancar Sonido-ed several meters front of Cazador. "Impressive that you could detect me," the newcomer complimented, his voice a low baritone. The Arrancar was tall, muscular, bald and extremely dark-skinned, and his mask fragment seemed divided into two parts. Atop his head lay a single line of small spikes along the crest, and he also wore a thick bony necklace. He wore Aizen's uniform with obvious pride. "My name is Zommari Leroux, Septima Espada. I come bearing a message from Aizen-sama."

"What is the message?" Cazador inquired with a scowl, mirroring Ichigo's own.

"Aizen-sama wishes to invite you to join our cause, and to inform you that a human girl, Inoue Orihime, will die if you do not appear before him within the next twelve hours," Zommari relayed.

_Inoue!_ Ichigo's voice was full of worry.

Cazador frowned. He knew without asking that Ichigo would break their deal in a heartbeat if it meant saving his friend, and he actually liked the current arrangement. _**Well, looks like I have no choice. **_He let loose a wild grin. _**Best kill this one now then! **_"Alright, I'll go see Aizen… after I kill you!" Cazador shouted, dashing at Zommari with Sonido.

Zommari merely shook his head, and let himself be stabbed. Cazador blinked. "That was too easy."

"Indeed it was."

Cazador spun, seeing _another _Zommari standing a few feet away, completely unharmed. He chanced a glance at the one he'd stabbed, only to find that it was gone. _**What under the heavens…? **_"How did you do that?!" he demanded.

"Out of all the Espada, my Sonido is the fastest," the dark-skinned Arrancar answered with only the barest of hints of smugness in his voice. "What you just saw was my Gemelos Sonido. When I move at my maximum speed, I can create up to five after-images of myself."

"That's impressive, but I'm still going to kill you," Cazador complimented with a grin. _**And that's something we'll have to try. Speed is our specialty, eh Ichigo? **_

_Damn right. _

"I fail to see the point of this fight," Zommari stated, looking his opponent dead in the eye. "I have performed my duty as Aizen-sama's faithful servant and informed you of the girl's capture, and you are not fast enough to keep me from leaving. There is nothing keeping me here." In the time it took Cazador to blink, Zommari was gone.

"Damn it!" Cazador cursed, stabbing Zangetsu into the sands of Hueco Mundo angrily. _**I'm not gonna get a better shot than that to kill him! **_

_We can worry about that later, Cazador! We have to go save Inoue! _Ichigo insisted.

_**What about your other friends? I'm sure they're already on their way. We can wait for them. **_

_Have you forgotten what Zommari said already? Aizen's gonna kill her in twelve hours if we don't show up! Who knows where the hell my other friends will end up in Hueco Mundo?! _

Cazador frowned. _**I can't believe I'm the one telling you this, but it's not exactly a good idea chargin' in alone, when we don't know the full capabilities of everyone there. I enjoy a good fight, but going alone is suicide! **_

_He has a point, Ichigo, _Zangetsu murmured quietly.

Ichigo seethed with frustration, not wanting to acknowledge the point but knowing what they said was the truth. _What about with Nel then? _he questioned. _If we can get her to recover her powers, then we'd have a former third Espada on our side. If that ain't sufficient backup for a quick in-and-out mission, I don't know what is._

Cazador thought about that possibility for several seconds as he turned to view the Arrancar he was currently traveling with, who were currently hiding behind a large sand dune. He sighed then shook his head slowly, negatively. _**From the looks of it, Nel's gonna need a damn powerful trigger to regain her old form in that short of a time. So, no. **_

_We don't have any way of knowing when or where our backup will appear in Hueco Mundo! _Ichigo pointed out. _For all we know, they will be too late! _

_**And I'm telling you, I am NOT going to try to assault Aizen's fortress without backup! You heard Urahara – We are the last resort against Aizen! It's foolish to risk us for a single woman!**_

_Listen to you! _Ichigo spat. _You are not my Hollow, you are a coward hiding in a Hollow's skin! _

Cazador bristled at the insult. _**I am no coward! I merely have no interest in your friends; I only want to grow stronger! Why should I risk my skin for your friends? You lost to me in our last fight, horse! **_

Suddenly, Cazador realized that perhaps he had gone a bit too far when he felt Ichigo's reiatsu levels rise dangerously. The next thing he knew, the Arrancar felt himself dragged into their Inner World. The first thing he saw when he arrived was Ichigo's back. The Shinigami had drawn his Zanpakuto and was looking up at the crimson moon that hung in the sky.

"…Cazador de la Luna." Ichigo turned to view his Hollow counterpart, his eyes determined. "How do you feel about another deal?"

"What?"

"It's obvious we won't agree about this situation. You earned control of my body, and you still have over a week left before our next scheduled fight," Ichigo admitted. His brown eyes hardened. "But I can't let Inoue get killed. So, I have a deal to propose."

Cazador's eyes glittered in interest. _**The last deal we made turned out really well for both of us. **_"I'm listening."

"We fight, once more for control. If I win, I get control of my body and we return to our bimonthly fights. Nothing changes."

"And if I win?" Cazador leered.

"You keep my body for as long as you want it," Ichigo told him, "and I won't argue with your decisions any longer."

"Truly a tempting offer," Ichigo's Hollow side contemplated. "There's no real risk to me in this deal – either I win and I gain eternal dominance, or I lose and get the chance for dominance later." He grinned insanely. "Let's do it."

To Cazador's mild surprise, Ichigo grinned tightly, holding his Zanpakuto in front of him, in an all-too-familiar position. "I'd hoped you would agree. Bankai!"

"Bankai so soon, Ichigo?" Cazador taunted, drawing his own Zangetsu. "A sign of weakn-!" Cazador found himself cut off as he instinctually brought his cleaver in front of him horizontally, just in the nick of time to block Ichigo, who had suddenly appeared right in front of him to delivery a brutally vicious downward slash.

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

Ichigo's Hollow side let loose a sharp cry of pain as the Getsuga raged against his Zanpakuto, pushing him into and through two of the sideways skyscrapers that made up Ichigo's mind before landing in a crater on a third.

Cazador got to his feet, bruised and bleeding slightly in several places. "Not bad," he admitted. "But…"

Without warning, Ichigo materialized in front of him in another impressive display of his mastery of Shunpo plus Bankai speed enhancement, already swinging his Tensa Zangetsu, a silent Getsuga already charged and ready. "You talk too much!"

Cazador blocked, now wielding two Zanpakuto that were crossed together in an X – he'd barely managed to manifest his alter ego's Shikai Zangetsu into existence so he could block. The two Zangetsu were successfully holding off Ichigo's Bankai, though he was buckling as Ichigo focused more power into the move.

With a burst of Sonido, Cazador disappeared, leaving Ichigo's Getsuga to collide harmlessly into another skyscraper. _**I don't stand a chance like this; I have to use Resurreccion! **_He used Sonido several times, trying to gain enough distance to buy himself enough time. "Tear the sky as-!"

"I don't think so." Ichigo said coolly, Shunpo-ing so he was right behind Cazador's left shoulder, Tensa Zangetsu already in motion.

Cazador was forced to abandon his Resurreccion attempt in favor of getting the hell out the way with Sonido. _**He wants to keep me from using Resurreccion, giving himself the necessary advantage to win, **_he realized with a smile. _**A cunning, ruthless, practically heartless plan. Ichigo's definitely serious about this fight, with everything on the line like this. **_He frowned, though, as he once more crossed blades with Ichigo before disappearing with Sonido. _**Problem is, I can't find a flaw. Ichigo in his Bankai is far too fast to escape, too strong to beat down with brute force. My only hope is a distraction. **_Cazador locked blades with his opponent once more, only to find the wind knocked out of him as Ichigo took advantage of Cazador's occupied arms and kicked him in the stomach as hard as he could. Cazador was sent flying into another crater.

"…Ow," Cazador grunted. _**I just need two seconds! **_"Getsuga Tenshou!" he cried, swinging his Zanpakuto together instinctually as Ichigo dashed at him.

Ichigo suddenly found that his speed was a detriment as he was suddenly too close to dodge the twin Getsuga. He was forced to block. It only took him a second to deflect the blast upwards, but the Shinigami had the sinking feeling he was too late.

He was. "Tear the sky asunder, Zangetsu!" Cazador screamed gleefully with a maniacal grin, holding both Zangetsu in front of him.

"Fuck!" Ichigo cursed, materializing his second Tensa Zangetsu, knowing he'd need it in just a moment.

As the smoke cleared, it occurred to him that this was the first time Ichigo had gotten a chance to see Cazador's Adjuchas Resurreccion form, so he studied it closely. Cazador's Hollow mask had expanded, wrapping entirely around his head and forming a curved horn on either side. As before, the mask stopped at the upper jaw, allowing only Cazador's lower jaw to be seen. The mask had crimson marking forming a pattern around the Cazador's head, but another marking trailed down from each eyehole, down to where the mask ended. Slightly surprisingly, the markings continued past the mask down to his neck. A long mane of orange hair flowed down from the back of the mask, all the way down to mid-back. Two long, curved horns aiming forward had appeared as well, giving Cazador a fearsome look.

The scale-like red-on-white armor that Cazador had sported as a Gillian had changed as well; instead of covering the entire torso, it only covered his rib cage up to his shoulders. His Hollow hole was in the middle of that armor, with red markings extending outwards from that hole, presumably to the back, with a couple of the lines reaching up to meet the markings on the neck. The lizard-style frills no longer grew around his neck. Instead, the frills had been changed into what looked like red fur surrounding all but the very front of his neck, though the fur still angled upwards much like the frills did.

There was more of the same fur surrounding his ankles and wrists. Cazador's crimson leggings still bore white wavy lines as they had in his Gillian Resurreccion, and similar blood-red lines wound down his arms from where the markings on his armor met his shoulders. The lizard tail that he'd sported as a Gillian was completely gone, and Cazador's feet still resembled a human's, except the toenails had extended and curved to resemble claws.

"**That's better," **the Arrancar said, casually shrugging his shoulders to make them pop. **"It was a good strategy Ichigo, trying to keep me from unleashing my Resurreccion, but you were doomed to fail!"**

Ichigo grit his teeth, angry at his failure, but still determined to win. "I may have failed to keep you in your previous form, but I refuse to lose here!"

"**You think you can last long?" **Cazador taunted. **"We are using both of our Tensa Zangetsu; your body can't hope to last long in the speeds we'll be fighting at. But unlike you, I have high-speed regeneration! I can keep this up forever!" **

Ichigo Shunpo-ed behind Cazador, swinging with his left Tensa Zangetsu, only to be summarily blocked as his Hollow self held his sword over his shoulder. "You may have the regeneration, you soul-leeching bastard…" Ichigo growled out, before disappearing again. He began to circle around Cazador, using several successive Shunpo that made him seem to flicker in and out of existence, at times leaving three or four afterimages at a time. "But I WILL NOT LOSE!"

Cazador stood still, keeping both his Zanpakuto at the ready, waiting… waiting…. _**There! **_He barely blocked a strike from Ichigo… only to realize that he'd only blocked one of Ichigo's swords when he felt his right leg get cut off by the second one.

Ichigo attempted to press his advantage, striking repeatedly, but Cazador managed to block every strike and then Sonido out of the way on his remaining leg. In the time it took Ichigo to catch up using Shunpo, Cazador's leg had already half-regrown. _I need to use more power! _

Apparently, Cazador had the same thought, as they slammed all four of their blades together, all of them smothered in a violent reiatsu. _**"GETSUGA TENSHOU!" **_

_Several minutes before…_

"What do you think Cazador's doing?" Pesche whispered to his comrades as he watched Cazador stare into space, making subtle movements as though having an internal dialogue.

"I don't know, don'tcha know," Dondochakka responded, confused.

"Maybe he's talkin' to himself?" Nel suggested.

"Ah, maybe he's trying to figure out what to do next?!" Pesche postulated excitedly.

"Could be," Dondochakka acceded. He repressed a shiver at seeing a wide, malicious smirk form on Cazador's face. "But I don't think we're gonna like what he's thinking, don'tcha know."

Suddenly Cazador froze. Then a pulse of reiatsu erupted from him, and all three observers got a very strong feeling that they should get the hell out of there and watch from a much, much longer distance.

"Run away!" Pesche cried, and the three of them scrambled for cover several more sand dunes back, out of sight.

They were just in time; Cazador's body was beginning to look around, searching for a target. Seeing none, and sand in every other direction, the berserker began walking towards the palace in the distance – Las Noches.

Seconds later, the berserker clutched his head and let loose a Hollow roar. He slashed out with his left hand, a black Tensa Zangetsu appearing mid-swing. A silent Getsuga was unleashed upon the sand dunes, sending sand flying everywhere. His right hand held the white Zangetsu, still in Shikai state. He began running towards Las Noches, slowly changing with every step he took to Cazador's Resurreccion form.

"This is… exceedingly odd," Pesche said quietly as they shadowed the body of their friend. "Normally a Resurreccion is instantaneous, but this one seems to take time. I don't think Cazador's in control of his body."

"What would make that happen?" Nel queried.

"Maybe he hasn't eaten enough Hollows recently, and now he's struggling to put down the Hollows he has?" Pesche answered somberly. "Although I've never heard of that happening to an Arrancar before…"

Another wave of reiatsu emerged, coinciding with when Cazador completed his Resurreccion. The white Zangetsu changed shape to Tensa Zangetsu, and the transformation sped up. It took mere seconds for the berserker to completely assume the form of Cazador's Resurreccion.

"He seems to have a purpose, don'tcha know," Dondochakka observed. "He hasn't done anything but head towards Las Noches."

"To be fair, it is the biggest structure around," Pesche justified. "Maybe he's looking for someone strong to fight."

"Let's make sure we're not seen then," Nel whispered in fear. Both her companions nodded.

_Ichigo's Inner World_

Ichigo lost the war of Getsugas and found himself flying through a skyscraper himself, his hands and arms bleeding from parts of the Getsuga that had gotten him. "Damn it!" he swore, keeping his eyes on Cazador. _There has to be a way to beat him! _

"**You're not doing too badly, Ichigo," **Cazador admitted. **"I thought for sure my Resurreccion form would annihilate you, but you've gotten stronger too." **He grinned, a fearsome sight combined with his mask. **"But you're still no match for me. Not when your bones are already cracking from the strain of using both Tensa Zangetsu, and you don't have high-speed regeneration to repair it!"**

Ichigo scowled, bitterly acknowledging that truth. Something Cazador said nagged at him, however. It had ever since Cazador had used his Resurreccion. There was something about high-speed regeneration that just refused to leave Ichigo alone, and he was afraid it would start to affect his reaction speed if he didn't figure it out. _High-speed regeneration… my mask… _He eyes widened. _Wait, I could use my mask in here, when I learned how to use the regeneration! _Ichigo barely kept a smirk from forming as he thought furiously, using Shunpo to avoid a crippling slash from Cazador. He began spinning both Tensa Zangetsu by the ends of their chains, charging up a Getsuga. _Come to think of it, Cazador could use my power initially… he was in Arrancar form, which is a mixture of Shinigami and Hollow. Why can't I do the same? _

"**Cero!" **Cazador screamed, a Cero having been forming in between his horns.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo roared, slashing both Tensa Zangetsu across his body.

The black crescent attack Ichigo unleashed slammed into Cazador's crimson Cero, slicing into it and forcing the Cero to split into two separate ones, each of which missed Ichigo by a mile. Unfortunately, by the time the Getsuga had reached Cazador, it had run out of power and merely dissipated. Ichigo took advantage of Cazador being unable to see him through the Cero to Shunpo to a slightly safer location.

_Please let this work! _Ichigo thought frantically, as he brought his left hand, the one holding the white Tensa Zangetsu over his face. To his satisfaction, he could see his fingers starting to emit the sinister-feeling Hollow reiatsu. He could feel his mask there, just waiting to be called into existence. He allowed himself to smirk now. "Hey, Cazador," he called calmly, Shunpo-ing several meters behind the Hollow.

Cazador turned around, and while Ichigo couldn't see Cazador's eyes clearly behind the mask, he was sure they had widened. As it was, the rest of his Hollow self's body language expressed shock. **"No…" **Cazador whispered.

Ichigo's smirk widened. "Oh hell yes." He tore at the air in front of his face, ripping his mask into place. He wore the old mask, the white one with red tribal marks only the left side, though Ichigo could not see this. _**"Time to take your rightful place, Cazador…" **_

Cazador blinked, and then Ichigo was gone. He felt pain in his abdomen and looked down – a black Tensa Zangetsu was embedded within his stomach. Holding it was a masked Ichigo, who tore the blade up, all the way to his Hollow hole before pulling it out. _**I've… I've lost… **_Cazador realized as he felt his feet begin to disintegrate. **"Damn it. I never expected an idiot like you to realize you could use my power here as well." **

Ichigo took off the mask and crushed it. "You only have yourself to blame," he revealed quietly.

"**What?"**

"It was you who reminded me… I am Vizard," Ichigo said heavily. "A mixture of Shinigami and Hollow. If you can use my Shinigami powers, I can use your Hollow ones!"

"**Perhaps so, King," **Cazador conceded, his torso starting to fade away. **"And you have just earned my Adjuchas mask." **

"What do you mean?" Ichigo demanded.

Cazador laughed, his neck already gone. **"Figure it out on your own, King! My liege should be smart and strong enough to figure it out without my hand-feeding him the answers!" **With that, he was gone.

The Vizard narrowed his eyes. "Fine." He turned on his heel, noting that the night sky was fading into the sunny sky Ichigo's Inner World had had originally. "Now to save Inoue. You with me, Zangetsu?"

The Zanpakuto spirit had been sitting on a nearby flagpole since Cazador had faded. He jumped down now and looked Ichigo in the eyes. "Always. I would recommend checking in with Urahara however; perhaps you can acquire allies as a Shinigami that you could not as a Hollow." 

"How would I… Never mind. Since I am back in control, I should be able to use Cazador's Garganta ability," Ichigo figured out. "Thanks for the advice, and for training with me."

Zangetsu nodded. "You have grown strong, Ichigo. Now go and demonstrate your strength!" 

Ichigo found himself back in Hueco Mundo, and felt a strange mask on his face. He removed it and looked at it – it was the same shape as the mask he was used to, but it had a stripe going up and down each eye, a stripe that stained the teeth of the mask and reached down to the bottom of the mask. It also felt heavier than the old one. _Heavier… and stronger…_ Ichigo realized, shattering the mask in his fist. _So this is what Cazador meant by his Adjuchas mask… _

That taken care of, he glanced at himself – he was back in his Shinigami outfit. "Good," he murmured.

"Who're you?!" Pesche demanded as he and his friends jumped out from behind the dune they had been hiding behind.

"You're obviously not Cazador de la Luna, but you came out of his body, don'tcha know!" Dondochakka agreed.

"Me?" Ichigo asked. "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. Cazador is the Hollow that lives inside me. I gave him control for a while, but now I'm back in charge."

"You look like a Shinigami!" Dondochakka accused.

"I am, sort of," Ichigo replied.

"Aren't Shinigami evil?" Nel asked innocently. "They kill Hollows for no good reason!"

Ichigo thought about how to respond to that. "Well, Shinigami think Hollows are evil, as they eat humans to survive," he finally said. "And a lot of humans become Shinigami after they die if they're not eaten by Hollows. So Shinigami and Hollows fight each other, each side trying to get stronger."

"Does that mean you're going to kill Nel?" Nel asked fearfully. Pesche and Dondochakka tensed, ready to intercept any strike Ichigo may attempt.

Ichigo violently shook his head. "No. No I'm not. You may be a former Espada, and a Hollow, but I'm not going to kill you. You guys eat other Hollows to survive, right? As long as you don't go after humans, I won't go after you. Besides…" He looked at Nel and smiled gently, patting her cracked mask very gently. "You look like a little girl to me. And little girls in my world need to be protected."

Nel's eyes widened. "You're the nicest Shinigami Nel's ever met!" she informed him, wonder in her voice.

Ichigo chuckled lowly. "I'm probably the only Shinigami you've ever met, outside of Aizen and his gang." _That reminds me…_ "Listen, I need to go back to the human world for a while. Try to stay out of trouble, ok? I'll be back really soon."

Pesche quickly made an executive decision, grabbing Nel's hand. "Right. Come, Nel-sama." Nel looked reluctant, but let herself be dragged back by Pesche and Dondochakka. Once they were out of earshot, Pesche began fervently whispering to her. "It's best to just let him go."

"But why?"

"He is a Shinigami, and who knows if he'll change his mind? Like he said, to Shinigami, Hollows are evil, so he wouldn't think twice about going back on his word to kill us!" Pesche tried to explain.

"Itsyugo wouldn't do that," Nel argued, her lisp butchering her pronunciation of Ichigo.

"You can't know that," Pesche countered. "You've known him for all of three minutes! He could be trying to fool you!"

Nel pouted, not wanting to concede the point. "… If Nel has to…"

In the meantime, Ichigo had summoned his mask and looked at it – it was the lighter Gillian mask. "OK… should work." He put it back on his face. _**"Now… how do I create a Garganta? Well, Cazador just slashed in the air like this with his claws…" **_Ichigo tensed his left hand into a claw shape, charged it with some Hollow reiatsu, and swiped with it into the air. He was rather surprised when he felt the Hollow reiatsu form a strange pattern in his fingertips, and saw the Garganta form. _**"That was… surprisingly easy. When I thought that Hollows learned things by instinct, I didn't realize it was THAT instinctual…" **_He let the Garganta close and this time set his mind's eye on Urahara's secret underground training basement, thinking that perhaps it would take him directly there. This time, when he opened the Garganta, he stepped into it.

All of a sudden, Ichigo felt himself falling. Reacting instinctively, he channeled reiatsu to his feet and began to air-walk. _**"So… this is the place between dimensions…" **_It was rather turbulent; it took a strong will to maintain his air-walking technique by solidifying the spirit particles in this void. Ichigo looked around. Behind him was almost pitch black, but in front of him was lighter, a sort of grayish color. Ichigo headed towards the lightest part, hoping it would take him to his preferred destination.

Not long later – maybe half an hour of running and maintaining the air-walk, Ichigo found himself at a barrier. Instinctively, he made the same clawing motion as before, and tore open the barrier between worlds. He emerged into Urahara's training basement, as he had wanted. Quickly removing his mask and crushing it, Ichigo let the Garganta close. "Looks like I'm back. Time to check up with Urahara." _And once I'm done here, I'll see if I can open a Garganta straight to Inoue! _His hands tightened into fists. _Inoue… I'm coming for you! _

_

* * *

_

And that's that. Bit a shorter chapter, I understand... But I figured it was a good place to stop. Cazador refuses to invade Las Noches alone, Ichigo is desperate and fights for control... but now that Ichigo is back in control, he has more options available than Cazador did. Cazador couldn't just open a Garganta back to the human world - neither he nor Ichigo wants anyone else to know that Cazador even exists, let alone was in control. Plus... neither really thought of it until after Zangetsu practically pointed it out to Ichigo. Ichigo and Cazador ARE intelligent, but they can't come up with every possible action.

As you all may have surmised, I have decided to stick with the "mask in stages" idea. I rather like it, and think it has excellent potential. This fight didn't have much by way of banter, because Ichigo didn't feel like he could have fun here; this was an all-or-nothing chance he was taking against Cazador, who had evolved into an Adjuchas. Cazador as a base hollow was win their second fight, Cazador as an Adjuchas could have really kicked Ichigo around if Ichigo hadn't also trained under Zangetsu and fought the various Hollows that Cazador ate. Even so, Cazador had a clear advantage in power, and in the ability to use high-speed regeneration. The only reason Ichigo won is because he had the ability to pull out Cazador's Gillian mask, which more than offset the power difference.

It gets a little complicated, but here's how I see it. Cazador, when he entered his Resurreccion form, was almost completely Hollow, with only enough Shinigami power to indicate that he was indeed an Arrancar. This is the equivalent to a Vizard's Bankai, which allows the user to unleash all Shinigami power, with only enough Hollow to indicate that he was a Vizard. However, a Vizard also has the ability to draw on the Hollow mask, and acquire a further increase in power Hollow in nature. An Arrancar does not seem to have that extra ability (unless you count Ulquiorra's Resurreccion: Segunda Etapa form, which appears to be pretty much unique to him - I have yet to see anyone else display it).

As a result, Ichigo's Bankai plus Gillian Mask was at least if not equal to Cazador's Adjuchas Resurreccion. Throw in Cazador's surprise, and Ichigo was able to win. If Cazador had expected it, the fight would have been prolonged, at least.

Anyway, NeoRyu777 signing off. Read and review!


	13. Reunion

This chapter took a bit of tweaking in order to get quite right... the flow kept trying to speed up, but everytime it did I felt the quality kept decreasing.

Anyway, only new thing is another suffix I'm not sure I've mentioned before.

"-dono" = a bit difficult to describe... The way I've always seen it used means an acknowledgment of high status. Not necessarily higher than you, but deserving of respect. For instance, two leaders might talk to each other with this suffix. In this chapter, its only use is when Rukia is talking to Kaien, whom she has always referred to as Kaien-dono.

Chapter 13: Reunion

Kurosaki Ichigo was quite literally a blur as he Shunpo-ed up to the trapdoor. Pushing it open, the Vizard leapt up into Urahara's shop proper. Naturally, his rush meant that he made no efforts towards stealth, and the loud noise he was making alerted the residents that there was someone unexpected.

"Ichigo?" Urahara poked his head around the corner. "What're you doing here? We weren't expecting you back for at least another week…"

Ichigo scowled. "That was before Inoue got kidnapped. I'm here to see if I can get some reinforcements before I rescue her."

The shopkeeper shook his head. "Ishida-kun and Sado-kun already tried, right before they left via my Garganta to Hueco Mundo. The Shinigami regiment was ordered by Yamamoto-soutaicho to return to Soul Society to prepare for Aizen's invasion."

"Wait, does that mean that no one's here to protect Karakura?!" Ichigo exclaimed, incredulous that anyone could be that stupid.

"It's part of the plan," Urahara told him with a sly smile. "There is to be a two-front battle. Aizen is to be lured here to the living world, and a special contraption of my own design will ensure the safety of the population of Karakura while allowing all the taicho of Soul Society to fight at their full power. No limiters."

Ichigo, despite himself, was awed at the thought for a moment, imagining facing Byakuya and Kenpachi, the two Shinigami taicho he'd actually fought, working together to kill him. _They both almost killed me individually… together? _He shivered involuntarily. _And combined with all the other taicho, who must be at least as strong? _"That's… an overwhelming force."

"That it is. Not all the taicho will be fighting here in Karakura, naturally," Urahara cheerfully continued. "Some of them will be going to Hueco Mundo to take out the Espada there."

"Who will be staying in Soul Society to keep Aizen from invading in the meantime?" Ichigo asked pointedly.

The exiled Shinigami shook his head. "From what I understand, some of the fukutaicho will stay behind and alert us if something like that happens. In that event Soul Society's forces will retreat and take care of the threat. We cannot really afford to keep any of our taicho back in this fight; the Espada are too strong, especially in conjunction with Aizen, Tousen and Ichimaru."

Ichigo had to admit that point. "Alright, sounds like you got a plan for here. I need to meet up with Ishida and Chad. Do you know where in Hueco Mundo they are?"

Urahara looked up and assumed a thoughtful expression. "Hard to say, really… I can't know for sure, but if you take my Garganta you should end up pretty close to them."

Ichigo sighed. "That'll have to do. I can materialize their spirit ribbons if need be and locate them that way. Lead the way, hat-'n'-clogs."

As they got up, there was a knock on the door to the Urahara Shoten. "Who could that be at this time?" Urahara questioned, his voice reflecting obvious curiosity.

As the shopkeeper opened the door, Ichigo was relieved to see the faces of Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji. "Guys!"

"Ichigo!" They looked surprised, but their faces hardened swiftly. "Ichigo, have you heard?" Rukia asked urgently.

"Yeah, Inoue's been captured," Ichigo affirmed grimly. "Heard it from one of the Espada, who was acting as a messenger for Aizen. But I thought you had been ordered back to Soul Society?"

"Nii-sama helped us back," Rukia told him.

Renji grinned tightly. "He said that he had been ordered to bring us back. He had no further orders to keep us there. Who knew that Kuchiki-taicho was so devious?"

Ichigo was stunned for a moment, before he smirked in satisfaction. _Looks like Byakuya's lightened up a bit. _"Alright then, glad to have you along. Let's go."

"Follow me," Urahara ordered, leading them into the basement. A few minutes later, they were in the Garganta, making their way to Hueco Mundo in the same turbulent space between dimensions that Ichigo had just been traveling through.

"Where've you been, Ichigo?" Renji demanded.

"Hueco Mundo," the orange-haired Shinigami answered shortly. "Reason's a bit of a story, but we got a few minutes, so…" Ichigo quickly explained his situation with Cazador, and told how he'd lost one of their fights, so Cazador had taken over and left to Hueco Mundo per their agreement, to evolve as a Hollow. "… and Cazador managed to evolve to an Adjuchas relatively quickly. We made the acquaintance of a few peaceful-seeming Arrancar, but then we got a message from Aizen's messenger-boy, saying that Cazador had twelve hours to appear before him or Inoue would be killed. I persuaded Cazador to fight me again early, won, and came back here to gather reinforcements. You know the rest of the story."

"That's… a lot to take in," Renji admitted. "You know that we'll never tell Soul Society, of course."

Rukia, who had known of a lot of this previously, was better able to continue the questioning. "What's the significance of this Hollow ego of yours, this Cazador de la Luna, evolving to Adjuchas?"

"Simply put? My Hollow powers get a major powerup," Ichigo replied.

"Hollow powers?" Renji swallowed the lump in his throat, thinking about just how strong Ichigo was without them."What sort of powers do you get?"

"To my knowledge, I've got high-speed regeneration capabilities, plus a powerful boost to my strength, speed and raw power," Ichigo informed them. "Not sure what else yet. Cazador'll be teaching me more later, provided there is more to teach."

Rukia scoffed. "As if you need any more raw power." Her insides froze as though her own Zanpakuto had turned on her as Ichigo merely gave her a haunted look. The message was clear: _I need every advantage I can get. _

"Are they really that strong?" Renji queried stonily.

Ichigo shook his head. "Not all of them, I'm sure. The tenth Espada, Yammy, is rather weak outside of his Resurreccion. I could take him out with just my Shikai. According to other Espada, his Resurreccion makes him the strongest of the Espada. The seventh Espada, Zommari, was fast and had the ability to go so fast he can create up to five clones of himself. Not sure about his actual strength. Number six, Grimmjow, was fast, but I presume was much stronger than the seventh. His Resurreccion makes him faster and stronger, and he specializes in Hakuda, with his hands turned into claws. The fifth, Nnoitra, was incredibly strong at the expense of his speed, but also had some regeneration ability. Outside of Resurreccion, he uses a halberd-type weapon, but in Resurreccion he can have up to six arms, each of which wielding a scythe. The fourth, Ulquiorra, is ungodly fast, faster than my Bankai. I don't know anything more about him, or anything at all concerning the other Espada."

"Even so, that's valuable intelligence," Rukia appreciated. "Thank you for the update, Ichigo."

Ichigo merely nodded, sensing that they were about to encounter the dimensional boundary into the realm of Hollows. "Look sharp! There's a good chance we're gonna be in a fight the minute we emerge in Hueco Mundo, especially if they already detected Ishida and Chad."

Two solid nods acknowledged the advice, and then they broke through to Hueco Mundo, landing on the desert surface. A brief look around proved that neither the Quincy nor the human with Hollow-like powers were anywhere nearby. "Any ideas?" Renji asked.

Rukia pointed at Las Noches in the distance. "Ichigo, is it safe to say that that structure over there is the headquarters for Aizen and his forces?"

"Yeah. I'm certain Inoue's in there somewhere," he responded affirmatively. "Ishida and Chad probably headed in that direction."

"Let's start running then!" Renji suggested strongly.

"Why not just take a ride on your Bankai?" Ichigo proposed. "Your heightened reiatsu will alert our friends that we're coming, to just stay put or come to us, and we can move pretty quickly."

Rukia bopped him upside the head. "Because if Renji uses his Bankai here, we'll have Hollows swarming us in minutes! Did you forget that Hollows are attracted to reiatsu?!"

Ichigo rubbed the spot where the midget had smacked him. "Right, right. Sorry I asked."

"Besides, I'm pretty sure I can sense them in that direction." Rukia pointed towards Las Noches. "They're not too far; we should be able to catch up shortly if we use Shunpo."

Renji and Ichigo nodded at her, letting Rukia take point; after all, she could sense their friends far better than they could. They all disappeared in a flicker of Shunpo.

Several minutes later, they heard the sounds of a fight. Ichigo picked up the pace, streaking past Rukia easily, racing up to a large sand dune blocking the way. Ishida and Chad appeared to be fighting a large sand Hollow. Ichigo was only mildly surprised to see they were accompanied by Nel's group.

Ichigo drew Zangetsu from his back and was about to charge a Getsuga when Rukia put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back. "It's sand; he'll just reform if you don't hit him with an elemental attack, change his composition," Rukia explained, drawing her own Zanpakuto. "Allow me… Dance, Sode no Shiraiyuki!"

Before Ichigo's very eyes, Rukia's sword changed into an elegant white, a long ribbon flowing out from the hilt as the short Shinigami turned Sode no Shiraiyuki counterclockwise in front of her. "Tsugi no Mai," the ice user uttered, lightly piercing the ground rapidly four times in a semicircle in front of her. From each spot, ice particles flowed upwards and began to surround her sword. Rukia took a battle stance, holding her sword up to her shoulder as though preparing for a powerful forward thrust. "Hakuren."

The ice swirled violently around Sode no Shiraiyuki before firing forward in a wave of ice, completely freezing the sand Hollow, before it toppled over and shattered. "And that," Rukia told Ichigo with a look of superiority, "is how you handle enemies that your standard 'Cut your foe to pieces' strategy can't take care of."

Ichigo was highly tempted to scoff at her, but his curiosity won out. "But wouldn't a good slash to the Hollow's mask take out pretty much any Hollow, regardless of composition?"

Renji looked at Ichigo oddly. "You know, that's a good question. That's actually one of the topics for discussion in the Shinigami Academy, meant to inspire critical thinking."

"There's no particularly solid evidence one way or another," Rukia told Ichigo. "I think it would depend on the skill of the Shinigami, and the regenerative ability of the Hollow in question." She reached into a pocket somewhere and pulled out her sketchbook.

_Oh no! I am NOT going to submit myself to her drawings again! _Too late, as Rukia had already quickly drawn a couple of pictures and shoved it into his face. Ichigo's brows furrowed as he struggled to recognize what was in front of him. There seemed to be a bunny in a chibi-sized Shinigami outfit, wielding a sword that looked suspiciously like Zangetsu, facing off against a comical version of the Hollow Rukia had just frozen, which was only recognizable by the obvious mask and Hollow hole. The next picture showed the Hollow sliced in half, and then reforming.

Directly underneath that slideshow of pictures was another set. This one had a bunny in a coat with a katana. _Ok, now I know that's supposed to be me, but that drawing sucks._ The Hollow had a lot of scribbles on its mask. _Are those supposed to be visual representations of me at high speed? _The next picture had the Hollow disintegrating.

Ichigo frowned. "Oh, like if I, in my Bankai, used my high speed and strength to cut that sand Hollow's mask into thousands of fragments, it might finish it as its regeneration couldn't keep up with me. Whereas if I slashed it once, the Hollow would probably reform as it was only a single slash."

Rukia nodded, pleased. "I'm glad my drawing helped you out."

"I would've understood better without the drawings," the orange-haired Shinigami replied deadpan. A second later, he found himself lying face-down in the sand, a pain in his back from where Rukia had kicked him. "Ow."

"Whenever you're ready to join us!" Ishida called out, an impatient look on his face and a tic above his left eye as he stood on Bawabawa, watching the whole interaction. _I HATE being ignored like this! _

Ichigo picked himself up and jumped down to his friends atop Bawabawa, Rukia and Renji following behind. "Hey guys."

"Not that I'm complaining, Kurosaki, but I thought your Hollow would be in control," Ishida pointed out.

"He was, until about an hour ago," the Vizard admitted. "When Inoue was kidnapped, I fought him again for control and won." _Best not to tell them the stakes. _

"Itsygo!" Nel cried out, glomping Ichigo's leg. "You did come back!"

Ichigo let out a very small smile as he patted Nel's helmet. "I told you I would, didn't I?"

"Ichigo, you know these Hollows?" Chad queried.

"Yeah. Long story, but they're technically on our side. They used to work for Aizen, but they were betrayed, and now hate him," Ichigo quickly explained, more for the benefit of Rukia and Renji than anyone else. _I'm sure Chad and Ishida have already gotten some information. _"Pesche and Dondochakka are Nel's former subordinates, from when she was an Espada."

"Wait, this shrimp was an Espada?" Renji asked incredulously, a disbelieving look on his face.

"Espada Tres," Ichigo confirmed with a smirk. "Another of the Espada attacked her and damaged her mask, which made her lose most of her power."

"Before you get any ideas about killing us while she's weaker, we're very, very good at running away," Pesche told them warily.

Ishida sighed. "We're not going to attack you. Like Kurosaki said, it sounds like you're on our side. Besides, our mission isn't to kill the Espada; it's to save Orihime. Bawabawa, would you please continue towards Las Noches?"

The large worm-like Hollow made noises of agreement as it once more began moving towards the palace. "We should be there in about half an hour, don'tcha know," Dondochakka announced.

Ichigo gripped Zangetsu's hilt, the cloth-covered Zanpakuto silently reassuring him as he scowled. _Inoue, hold on! _

* * *

Inoue Orihime sat quietly in her room in Las Noches. She had felt Kurosaki-kun's Hollow reiatsu erupt some time ago, and then it had settled down, more into the Shinigami reiatsu she was accustomed to. And then he had disappeared off her radar. _Kurosaki-kun's probably regained control and returned to the living world. _She smiled grimly._ Which means that he probably knows by now that I've been captured. _

She waited for a time, meditating as she kept tabs on all the reiatsu signatures she knew. When she sensed Chad and Ishida without Ichigo, she had grown confused, but Ichigo soon after, catching up with them. _Good. Now, let's see if I can join them… _"Tsubaki," she murmured. "Do you think you can cut through the wall, or the bars on the window?"

The fairy materialized from her hairpin and flew over to the wall, inspecting it. He even punched it a couple of times. "It's made from a very strong material," the ninja-like Tsubaki assessed. He quickly flitted outside and back in, judging the thickness of the walls. "The wall appears to be about six inches thick. I believe if you focused hard enough, I could cut through it. Let me check the bars." A minute later, he descended in front of Inoue. "No good, the bars are made out of something stronger than the walls, even if they are thinner."

Orihime nodded. "Alright. Thank you, Tsubaki."

"No, thank you, Orihime. You're finally starting to consider proper applications of my power outside of a last resort," Tsubaki told her with a slightly approving tone, right before he disappeared back into her hairpins.

The wielder of rejection powers eyed the wall and tried to consider various scenarios. _Well, Tsubaki says we can cut through it. If I do, I can use Santen Kesshun to fly to the others safely. _Her face changed to worry. _But I had a hard time with the weakest Arrancar, and I'm not fast enough to escape. I don't have a high-speed technique like the others. So I'd be easily recaptured if they found out I'd escaped before I could meet up with everyone. _She shook her head. _I need to stop thinking like that. If I don't want my friends to have risk their lives to save me, I have to risk it. _

Inoue steadied her resolve and double-checked that no reiatsu presences were nearby. Sensing none, she brought her hands to her hairpins. "Tsubaki, Koten Zanshun! I reject!" she whispered, using the full-power version. _I need to get out of here, to save my friends!_

Tsubaki manifested himself into the lethally sharp projectile and fired forward. He sliced right through the wall at about head height, widening his cutting edge to approximately a foot wide. Then he repeated the process a few times, making a literal door before returning to Inoue's hairpins.

The young woman allowed herself a smile before pushing the "door" out of place easily, sending it crashing down into the sands below. "Santen Kesshun," she murmured, stepping out into the open air, and onto her golden rejection shield. "To my friends!" she whispered hastily, sensing someone coming. "Quickly!"

She raced off, kneeling on her shield to keep her balance as she flew to rejoin her friends.

Ishida frowned. "You're not gonna believe this, guys, but I could swear that Orihime is approaching, but she's being pursued!"

_Inoue managed to escape on her own? _Ichigo gripped Zangetsu's hilt tightly over his shoulder, ready to draw at a moment's notice. "Where?"

"Not too far! Let's go!" Ishida ordered, taking charge as he leapt into the air with Hirenkyaku, flying quickly.

The Shinigami in the party quickly followed, blurring into a Shunpo. Chad activated his arms and followed on land with his Paso del Viento.

"What about us, don'tcha know?" Dondochakka asked Nel and Pesche.

"Well, if we follow, there's a chance we'll get caught up in the fight," Pesche pointed out.

"But Itsygo and everyone else were nice!" Nel insisted. "We should follow them!"

"Are you sure, Nel-sama?" the tall insectoid Arrancar questioned.

"Bawabawa, follow them!" Nel ordered as best she could in her childish voice.

* * *

Orihime glanced over her shoulder. She was being pursued by someone whose reiatsu felt completely unfamiliar. Whoever it was wasn't as fast as she had seen Ishida go, but he or she was definitely fast enough to be slowly catching up to her. To Orihime's relief, she could feel her friends approaching quickly, and she quickly began her descent to meet up with them.

"Inoue!" she heard Ichigo bellow. This was quickly followed by several shouts from Ichigo's companions.

Orihime smiled as she recognized them, everyone descending to the ground. "Kurosaki-kun! Uryuu! Chad! Rukia! Abarai-san!"

"Orihime, do you know who's following you?" Ishida quickly asked, hovering next to her while being inwardly impressed that Orihime had worked out how to fly using her Santen Kesshun. Everyone else mimicked him, surrounding their friend and drawing their weapons.

Orihime turned around to face the same way, the direction from which the enemy was approaching. "No, it's a different Arrancar than we've met."

With a minor booming sound, the Arrancar Sonido-ed into view. The Arrancar was incredibly tall, although part of that was almost certainly the sheer size of his head. However, the face was covered by a long, elongated mask, to the point where Ichigo half-considered the idea that the Arrancar was actually a Vizard.

The Arrancar wore the white Espada outfit in such a way that not a shred of his body could be seen. However, everyone was shocked when the Espada seemed taken aback. "Rukia? Rukia, is that you?"

Rukia could not believe her ears. She hadn't heard that voice in many decades. "K… Kaien-dono?"

Renji's jaw dropped. "Kaien? As in, Shiba Kaien, the Shinigami who died when he was possessed by a Hollow? As in, Rukia's old fukutaicho?" Everyone else leaned back in shock at this information.

"That's me!" the Espada said behind the mask before reaching up and taking it off, revealing a very familiar face, one that made Rukia's knees quiver.

"Kaien-dono…" Rukia breathed. _This… this is impossible! _

Ichigo picked up where she left off. "Wait, how is this possible? If you're this Shiba Kaien person, how did you become a Hollow? And why are you working for Aizen?"

Kaien nodded seriously, acknowledging the need for an explanation. "As Abarai-san already said, when I was a Shinigami, I was Rukia's fukutaicho." He smiled warmly. "Rukia and I were very good friends."

"Very good friends?" Rukia half-laughed, half-sobbed in relief. _He's here. He's alive! _"You were the only one who treated me as my own person after the Kuchiki family adopted me." Renji had the decency to flinch at that. "You taught me how to use my sword, you encouraged me, you were the first person I ever showed my Shikai to!"

Kaien smiled more at Rukia. "Yeah. Anyways, I was married to the love of my life, Shiba Miyako. But one day, a Hollow appeared, and Miyako-chan was assigned to track it down." He clenched his fist. "The Hollow killed her, and I swore revenge."

"Kaien-dono pursued, accompanied by myself and Ukitake-taicho," Rukia continued. "We found it in its lair, and Kaien-dono requested to fight it by himself."

"I was granted permission," Kaien followed up, "so I jumped down and fought. But as soon as my Zanpakuto touched the Hollow, it broke. Apparently the Hollow's power was to, once a day, be able to break any Zanpakuto it touches. My poor Nejibana… I fought back using Kido, and was doing well…"

"I begged Ukitake-taicho to let me help him," the short black-haired Shinigami added. "But I was denied, with an explanation." She took a deep breath. "'Rukia, remember this. There are two types of fights. Whenever we are in battle, we must be one of the two. The fight for life or … the fight for pride!'" she quoted, glaring lightly at Kaien out of the corner of her eye. "If it were a fight to protect life, then he would have accepted the help. But otherwise, his pride would have been broken, maybe for good. Men and their stupid pride…"

"Eheh," Kaien chuckled, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment before turning serious again. "The Hollow managed to get behind me, and then it showed its real power."

Rukia lowered her head in sorrow. "It merged with him. Ukitake-taicho told me to run, that he would fight it off… but I came back because I realized I could not face myself in the mirror every day if I did that. Ukitake-taicho fell to his illness then, and the Hollow attacked me." She flinched, unable to go on.

"Rukia-chan killed me," Kaien said simply. "But apparently the Hollow had been one of Aizen's experiments, and was designed to reconstitute itself in Hueco Mundo every time it was destroyed. As it had merged with me, my body was restored, and I managed to establish dominance. I became an Espada in order to gain more strength, to take my revenge on the person ultimately responsible for Miyako-chan's death – Aizen Sousuke. I managed to convince everyone that the Hollow was in charge; it wasn't hard, the Hollow's personality is still buried in here somewhere. I keep the mask on, so people can't see my distaste for what's happening, and to keep Aizen from seeing my true face."

When it was clear that Kaien was finished, Ichigo glanced at his friends. Ishida still looked slightly suspicious, but his stance suggested that he was willing to accept the story. Ichigo, however, was unconvinced. His own forays in that line between Shinigami and Hollow refused to let him accept the story so easily. _Cazador said that a being is only truly a Hollow once the mask takes over. If he truly is the Shinigami, why is his reiatsu so very much a Hollow's? _He paused to reconsider. _Then again, I don't see his Hollow hole… Maybe he's a special case. _"Oi, Kaien. If you're truly Kaien, a Shinigami with a Hollow body, why don't you bring out your Shikai? I'm sure Rukia will recognize it, and I know for a fact that Arrancar don't have them."

Kaien smiled as he drew his sword, slowly spinning it. "Rankle the seas and the skies, Nejibana." The sword transformed into what looked like a trident, with a blue tassel on the end. Ichigo watched closely, but Kaien's body didn't seem to change any, as was the usual case for a Resurreccion.

Rukia's form trembled. "It's you. Oh Kami it's really you!" She rushed forward and hugged the long-thought-dead Shinigami, tears of relief flowing freely down her face. Kaien held her close as well with his free hand. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

Ichigo was convinced, and a quick glance at his friends showed that they seemed to be as well. Everyone had lowered their weapons, and both Chad and Renji were smiling softly at the pair. "What can you tell us about Las Noches?"

The lost member of the Shiba clan nodded to him. "Aizen arranged to have artificial sunlight shining everywhere above it. I think this was meant to be an obstacle for me, as one of the downsides of the Hollow that absorbed me is a weakness to sunlight. It burns me, which is another reason for why I wear the mask."

Rukia looked up at her dear friend's face in surprise. "That's horrible!"

Kaien shrugged. "It could be worse."

Ishida stepped forward. "Listen, we came here to rescue Orihime." He gestured towards the girl. "Quite frankly, we're at a disadvantage, coming here onto Aizen's territory. We don't know the terrain, the forces there, and I rather doubt that we're enough to combat Aizen's army."

The Shinigami-turned-Hollow nodded grimly as Rukia broke away, embarrassed at her own display earlier. "I am only the Noveno Espada. From what I've heard of you guys from Grimmjow and Yammy, I wouldn't be much help to you."

"Information is the most valuable asset anyone can have," Ishida pointed out. "What can you tell us?"

Kaien scratched his head in thought. "Aizen is planning to invade the living world and create the King's Key…"

"We heard about that already," Renji told him impatiently.

"Renji," Chad rumbled, putting a hand on his arm, "let him speak."

"Aizen originally wanted us to just stay in our rooms and wait for you to come invade," Kaien informed them. "I suppose that was so we could take you on in our own territory. When the lovely lady here escaped on her own unexpectedly, I was closest, and took pursuit; we were on standing orders not to let her escape, and I figured that I could stage her escape with whoever was coming to rescue her later."

"Anything else?" Rukia asked.

"Nothing. He doesn't really share his plans with us," Kaien told her with a self-depreciative chuckle. "Sorry I can't be much help."

"We should remember that Soul Society is planning to send a few taicho in here to start taking out the Espada," Chad told everyone.

Renji nodded. "It would be bad if Aizen became aware of it and didn't leave any Espada here while going to the living world to create the King's Key. Imagine having some of our strongest taicho here, heavily delayed as they make their way back to a Garganta back to the living world."

"Yeah, that'd be bad," Ichigo agreed. "So, what all do you guys think? Start taking out some of the Espada now while we've got a chance? Or head back to the living world since we've rescued Inoue?"

"I don't think we're gonna get a much better chance," Renji stated. "We've got insider information from Kaien here, all of us are here and at full strength, and according to Kaien they are separated and waiting for us."

"I think we should go back to the living world and wait," Rukia suggested. "We already know that the Espada's Hierro is weaker outside of Hueco Mundo, which gives us a home team advantage. Plus, Urahara's worked out a way to protect all of Karakura's residents, which allows us to fight at full strength, and the Shinigami can come to the living world to aid us far faster than they can get to Hueco Mundo."

"That may be so, but it's usually not a wise tactical decision to wait to be attacked," Ishida pointed out. "We could easily be caught unawares, and then any advantage we have in the living world could be countered. I vote we continue on."

"I'm sorry Uryuu, Abarai-san, but I think we should go back to the living world as well," Inoue told them. "There's too much chance that one of us would be captured again, maybe by a high-level Espada or maybe by Aizen himself! I agree with Rukia, we should retreat so we can have backup if we need it."

"I could go either way," Chad admitted. "All of you have good points. We have two healers here, which means that we could probably hold our own for a long while. But at the same time, Ichigo only managed a draw against the Sexta Espada, Grimmjow. I'm pretty sure I speak for all of us when I say that Ichigo is the fastest one here, and he's not exactly weak in strength either. If we assume that almost every Espada above six is faster or stronger than Grimmjow, then we'd have one hell of a time taking them down, especially on their own turf." He shook his head. "I'll go with whatever Ichigo decides."

"I'll abstain from voting," Kaien said seriously. "I'm still going to be working towards my vengeance against Aizen, regardless of your decision."

The Vizard saw everyone staring at him, waiting for his vote to be cast. It would be his decision whether or not to go on. Ichigo swallowed. _Personally, I want to go test myself against the Espada, to see how much I've grown. I'm sure I could take on Grimmjow and Nnoitra. _He frowned more deeply. _But I definitely see everyone's points. _He paused for a moment and made his decision.

* * *

Alright, 13th chapter complete. Yes, this one's shorter. But I don't think anyone really minds, do they? I left off at a great point, and there's a lot of story going on in here.

The most major change has now occurred, and my fic will start to deviate drastically from the manga now. Inoue broke HERSELF out, and Ichigo faces a difficult choice that all commanders face. Fall back and fortify defenses, and grow stronger... or take the opportunity to strike, while potentially leaving the living world vulnerable. Everyone now knows more of Rukia's backstory. Speaking thereof, I do hope I managed to give Rukia appropriate responses. Seriously, how is one supposed to react after finding that someone you didn't mean to kill, didn't want to kill, someone you happened to like very much, was still alive?

No real fighting here, though we do see an instance of Ishida taking charge instead of Ichigo when he senses Inoue. I've noticed that Ichigo, Ishida and Renji sort of squabble about who should be in charge. Ichigo is the strongest, Ishida the smartest, and Renji the most experienced. Ichigo's become a lot more mature lately in my fic, so he's the one usually leading the pack, but Ishida has his moments.

I always wondered about Lunuganga - the sand Hollow. I mean, seriously, Ichigo Getsuga Tenshou-ed him in the anime and manga, split right in half. It took a few seconds, but he regenerated even his mask. I went "Dude, wtf? His mask was damaged!" I was glad to have a chance to re-introduce Rukia's horrid sketchbook drawings; comic relief is always nice.

Think I've said everything.... Read and Review!


	14. Betrayal

Hey all, been a few weeks. Anyway, got a couple of new terms for ya!

San no mai, Shirafune - Third Dance, White Sword. This is Rukia's technique, as you might have surmised. In canon, this technique allows Rukia to reforge her Zanpakuto from ice particles in the air. She uses it to stab through Aaroniero's head. We also note that it freezes whatever it touches and any surrounding objects to an extent. This is the basis of my explanation of her technique in the chapter

Ransotengai - This is a special Quincy technique. By creating and manipulating spirit threads, a Quincy can use his own body like a puppet, allowing him or her to remain effective in battle regardless of paralysis, broken limbs, or other impediments towards normal movements. This was mostly designed for the elderly, whose body may have degenerated over the years, but Ishida Uryuu has recently used it to great effect to combat Kurotsuchi Mayuri-taicho, whose Zanpakuto release causes paralysis.

Gritz - This is another Quincy technique, utilizing their silver tubes which harness spiritual energy in a liquid-like form. This technique completely encases its target in a man-sized prison of stone with an emblazoned five-pointed Quincy cross on it.

Chapter 14: Betrayal

"… Let's go home," Ichigo finally said. "We don't really have any business being here, now that we've got Inoue. Let Soul Society take care of things here; we have a home to protect, and I'll be damned if I'm not there to defend it!" He turned to Ishida and Renji. "We'll have plenty of chances to fight the Espada when Aizen tries to create the King's Key in Karakura, and let's not forget that the Espada can create their Garganta to get there while we're chasing them out here in Hueco Mundo." He shook his head. "We must stay vigilant and protect Karakura!"

Ishida and Renji nodded at him, accepting the logic. "Hmph," the Quincy scoffed lightly, "dunno when you grew a brain, but you made a couple of good points. Alright, Kurosaki, let's head back."

"What about Kaien-dono though?" Rukia asked, sending him a worried glance.

Kaien waved them off. "Go on, head back. I'll keep trying to subvert him from here. Just be sure to tell everyone I'm still around, 'kay? Don't want to get killed just yet!"

"How are we going to get back?" Chad queried. "I don't think Urahara's Garganta is still accessible, is it?"

"Even if it was, this place is hardly full of landmarks," Rukia pointed out. "I didn't bother to remember where it was, what about you guys?"

Ichigo and Renji shook their heads no. "I don't think Urahara kept it open," Renji added bitterly.

Kaien laughed. "Is that all you need? Not a problem for everyone's favorite former fukutaicho." He began charging his reiatsu, raising an arm. "The higher level Espada can do it just by gesturing, but I'm not up to that level yet…" Without warning, he whipped around, spinning Nejibana and creating a multitude of water, stabbing at Rukia.

Caught entirely by surprise, Rukia was unprepared for the assault. While she did manage to dodge the stab instinctively, one of the trident's prongs managed to graze her side right before a wave of crushing water slammed into her and forced her to her knees several feet away.

Ichigo drew Zangetsu immediately and Shunpo-ed in front of Kaien, his suspicions returning in full force. "You are not Shiba Kaien, are you?!" he accused.

The others had all drawn their weapons as well – in Inoue's case, her hands were at her hairpins, ready to create a defense or offense at a moment's notice – and had surrounded Kaien. "Of course I'm Kaien," the Espada said with a cocky grin. "It was just a test. Like Rukia told ya, I was the one who taught her how to use her sword. I just wanted to see how much she'd grown." He sent an honest smile her way. "You've gotten a lot better, Rukia. It used to be that you'd have been impaled by such a surprise attack."

"Why?" Rukia demanded, getting to her feet. "Why would you attack me like that, knowing that the old me would have died in an instant?!"

"Is it really so surprising?" Kaien asked. "After you killed me with your own two hands, and condemned me to this living hell in Hueco Mundo, is it so surprising that I would want to strike back, to kill the one who killed me?"

"You're really pissing me off!" Ichigo growled, his grip around Zangetsu's hand clenching.

"Ichigo!" Rukia barked. "Everyone, please. Stay back, let me handle this." Ichigo turned to see Rukia slowly draw her own blade. Making a decision, he took several steps to the side. The others followed suit, allowing Rukia unblocked view and access to the Espada. "Kaien-dono… when I stabbed him, when he was merged with that Hollow… he temporarily regained control of himself and spoke to me, hanging on through the pain of having his lungs filled with blood…" Her eyes flashed dangerously. "He thanked me for killing him before he could kill anyone, so he could die with a clear conscience! You may have Nejibana… you may have Kaien-dono's face, his memories… But Kaien-dono would never use a potentially lethal strike against someone he thought might not be able to handle it! You are not Kaien-dono!"

"What are you talking about?" Kaien asked with a grin, holding up his free hand. "I really am Kaie-"

"Don't say his name again!" Rukia screamed, letting her reiatsu flare in patterns around her. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki! Some no mai!" She Shunpo-ed out of Kaien's vision.

Kaien gasped, remembering what happened next. Sparing only a glance behind him to verify his findings, he saw that Rukia was indeed behind him, slashing the air with Sode no Shiraiyuki. He jumped away just as she cried out "Tsukishiro!" He was just in time to avoid the pillar of ice that erupted from a white circle under his feet.

Rukia whipped around, and seeing Kaien in the air, quickly stabbed four spots in front of her in the desert sand. "Tsugi no mai! Hakuren!" She sent a wave of ice at her former mentor.

Kaien countered by slashing Nejibana down into the blast, unleashing a torrent of water that delayed the Hakuren just long enough for Kaien to escape. "Have you forgotten who taught you to fight, Rukia? Some no mai, Tsukishiro. Tsugi no mai, Hakuren. I was there when you devised those attacks!" Kaien taunted. "You can't possibly think you'll catch me in them!"

"Stop acting like you're Kaien-dono when we both know you're not!" Rukai demanded, rushing him and raising her sword to slice him apart physically.

Kaien blocked easily. "You've got guts to try to kill the same man twice, Rukia!"

"SHUT UP!" Rukia screeched, slashing Sode no Shirayuki against Nejibana with all her strength with one hand. Her other one whipped up, palm towards Kaien. "Hado 33: Soukatsui!"

It struck Kaien directly in the face, making him reel back in pain, clutching at his face. When he moved his hand away from his face, Rukia could see that Kaien was mildly burned, and he looked rather pissed off. "That… was a mistake!" he snarled. "Zommari! Get the girl!"

Hearing the mild sonic boom of a Sonido, everyone whipped around to Inoue, where Zommari had appeared directly behind her and grabbed onto her arms firmly. "Aizen-sama requests you stay in your quarters," he said clearly to Inoue. "I am here to escort you."

"Souten Kisshun!" Inoue cried, her fairies forming an oval barrier around Zommari. As it happened, Zommari's hands were outside the barrier, and the barrier simply continued around his wrists.

When Zommari attempted to Sonido a second later, nothing happened. "What did you do, woman?" he demanded.

"Welcome to my Souten Kisshun," Inoue whispered. "This is my prison technique."

"This cannot stop me," Zommari stated calmly. "All I need do is knock you unconscious, and your power will disappear."

At that moment, Ichigo Shunpo-ed next to them and sliced Zangetsu straight down, attempting to cleave Zommari's hands off. Sensing the danger, Zommari quickly brought his hands back into the barrier, which closed up the moment he had. Now the Espada was completely trapped.

"I apologize, Aaroniero," the captured Arrancar stated slowly. "It seems I underestimated them."

"Then allow me to finish them," Kaien answered with a sigh, deflecting Rukia's next physical strike with ease.

Ichigo gripped Zangetsu more firmly. "I won't let you."

"No, Ichigo!" Rukia barked. "He's mine! Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" Kaien leapt up and to the side, dodging the wave of ice. "He's taken Kaien-dono's form, and pretended to be him! I… I need to do this. I need to be the one to finish him, to finish what I started so long ago."

"How touching," Kaien commented with a grin. "Instead of accepting your friend's help, you want to kill me, your precious Kaien-dono?"

"You are not Kaien-dono," Rukia responded, her voice as cold as her Zanpakuto's ice. "Aaroniero, was it? TELL THE TRUTH!" she bellowed.

A very deep voice answered her from within Kaien's head. "Very well." With a disgusting noise, Kaien's face began to distort and melt away, until it was clear that there was a long cylinder for a head, a tank filled with some sort of red liquid, lighter than and not as thick as blood. Inside the tank were two heads, each tattooed with the number nine. "Allow us…"

"…to introduce ourselves," a higher-pitched voice came from the lower head. "We are…"

"Aaroniero Arruruerie," they finished together. "Noveno Espada."

Flesh began to appear on the cylinder, swiftly forming Kaien's face once more. When Aaroniero spoke, Kaien's voice came out. "You asked for the truth, Rukia?" He grinned maniacally. "My power is to completely take all the powers of the Hollows I eat! Unlike any other Espada, I have unlimited potential to evolve!"

Ichigo had sickening feeling he knew what was next. But he was beat to the punch by Ishida's intellect. "You were telling the truth about how Shiba Kaien, or at least the Hollow that merged with him, reformed in Hueco Mundo using Shiba-san's spirit body," Ishida stated more than guessed, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "But you found and ate him, didn't you? Which gave you the abilities of Shiba Kaien, and the Hollow that absorbed him. That's how you can use Shiba-san's body, his memory, and his Zanpakuto."

"Correct, Quincy."

Rukia shook her head, her hands trembling at the revelation. _I thought I saved you, Kaien-dono… instead I only prolonged your agony… _

"Oi, Rukia, you ok?" Renji called out, concerned.

"She's not ok, and she won't be," Aaroniero revealed with a smirk. "That's right, Kaien is in here, screaming. He desperately wants to take over, but that won't happen. I'm far too strong for that."

Rukia fell to her knees. _Kaien-dono… is alive? Within the Espada? _She looked at her Zanpakuto, feeling weak. She no longer had the strength of will or of body to kill the Espada, not while Kaien was still fighting.

"Rukia!" Ichigo yelled. "Don't listen to him! Don't you remember what you told me?! If Kaien was really eaten by this asshole, then killing him will free Kaien's spirit through the purification of our Zanpakuto!"

Rukia's head jerked up at that. "Yes, that's right… Slaying a Hollow with a Zanpakuto purifies it of all the deeds done as a Hollow, and sends the spirit to Soul Society. Any soul that has been eaten undergoes the same process!" Hope began to fill her, and her hands steadied as she rose to her feet. "If I slay you, Aaroniero, then I will free Kaien-dono!"

Aaroniero frowned using Kaien's face. _Damn you, you orange-haired bastard. I had her right where I wanted her! Now she's more determined than ever! _He began to understand just how Kurosaki Ichigo frustrated his superiors so, and how he intrigued Aizen-sama. "I see you've found your resolve. But you will never manage to kill me!" He reached over with his right hand, the crook of his elbow holding Nejibana up, and took off his left glove, revealing a truly disgusting, writhing form of flesh that resembled a tentacle whose end had been cut off. Several smaller tentacles grew from approximately where the wrist should be. "Say hello to my own Zanpakuto! Devour, Glotoneria!"

Aaroniero's lower half dissolved, reforming into a rapidly-expanding purplish blob that had several tentacles waving around. It looked like a blob-style octopus, with several mouths forming on the middle of some of the appendages.

Ichigo couldn't help it, he laughed aloud. "Just how are you supposed to move quickly like that?!" he taunted. "Now all of Rukia's attacks are gonna hit you, and you'll shatter just like that!"

"Even my old, slower self could hit you now," Chad added with a smirk.

Ishida actually turned away. "This is embarrassing; why would any Espada actually make himself slower and less able to dodge his enemies' attacks when that was all that saved him earlier?"

"Rukia, if you would do the honors?" Renji asked with a mocking smile at Aaroniero.

"Gladly." Rukia quickly pierced the ground four times in front of her in a semi-circle. "Tsugi no mai! Hakuren!"

A wave of ice rushed over, only to be stopped by a tidal wave of water flowing from Nejibana. "Nice try, Rukia," Aaroniero mocked. "My turn. In this form, I can use all the powers of all the Hollows I have ever eaten!" He grinned. "And I've eaten over 33,000. So try this one on for size!"

Two of his many appendages shaped themselves into an enormous scorpion-like tail which began to launch balls of an unsavory-looking substance at Rukia, who had to repeatedly Shunpo out of the way. It was a good thing she did; the yellow-green balls exploded on impact.

_If I can just strike the head, he'll be finished! _Rukia thought coldly, now Shunpo-ing next to Aaroniero's torso and swinging Sode no Shirayuki. But to her enormous surprise, her Zanpakuto shattered on impact.

"Did you forget, Rukia?" Aaroniero asked, almost kindly even as he backhanded her back to the ground. "When I swung Nejibana into that Hollow, Metastacia… my sword shattered."

"You are NOT Kaien-dono!" Rukia screamed angrily, picking herself back up just in time to dodge another shot from the scorpion tail.

"Even so, your Zanpakuto is gone," Aaroniero told her with an evil smile. "And you're the one who made this a fight for pride; no one else will interfere. How do you plan to purify me without it?"

"You only shattered the blade," the short Shinigami informed him, holding the hilt of Sode no Shirayuki firmly. "San no mai!"

"What?" Aaroniero gasped. "You have a third dance?!"

" Shirafune!" Rukia called out, holding the hilt in front of her. Before the Arrancar's very eyes, Rukia's Zanpakuto reformed from ice particles that quickly flowed from the remnants of the Shinigami's other attacks. She glared at Aaroniero. "Kaien-dono, allow me to free you!" She lunged forward and, instead of aiming at the body of Kaien, she plunged her sword into the blob that had formed Aaroniero's Resurreccion.

"Hah, what a weak attack!" Aaroniero taunted, before realizing he was losing feeling. He looked down and extended a few of his tentacles. Before his very eyes, they were slowing and being encased in ice. "What is this?!"

"My third dance, Shirafune," Rukia informed him frigidly. "You think one of my dances would only reform my Zanpakuto if it breaks? Of course not! My pride, Sode no Shirayuki's pride… would never accept that! Shirafune reforges my Zanpakuto with the coldest of ice! So cold, that anything that touches my sword will freeze solid. Feel it, Aaroniero Arruruerie, as your blood slows in your veins, as you find yourself weak. Die, Noveno Espada, knowing that I, Kuchiki Rukia of the 13th Division, have avenged Shiba Kaien!"

Through Rukia's speech, Aaroniero's eyes widened as he struggled mightily. His tentacles would respond extremely sluggishly as they were encased by the ice. He could feel the ice almost reach the body he had taken from Kaien. "If I die, then you all will die with me!" Using all of his reiatsu and strength, he ripped the scorpion tail from its icy prison and launched an enormous ball of combustive death Inoue Orihime.

Inoue's eyes widened, but she knew better than to freeze up. "Santen Kesshun!" she cried out, forming a large triangular shield that she prayed was strong enough to withstand the blast.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo roared. At the same time, Ishida pulled back a very large arrow and shot it. Both attacks collided with Aaroniero's last attack and caused it to explode early.

Inoue held strong, focusing her reiatsu into the shield, holding off the shock of the explosion. Her Santen Kesshun first cracked… and then shattered as the last of the attack faded away. She bent to her knees, heavily winded from expending so much at once.

Aaroniero grinned as he saw the result, even as the ice crept up his neck. As the ice encased his head, he screamed. "ZOMMARI! KILL THEM ALL!" And then the ice covered his face. Rukia wasted no time withdrawing her sword from the new statue of ice, leaping up and beheading the monstrous Noveno Espada, trusting that her friends could hold off Zommari for a few moments.

Inoue, hearing Aaroniero's scream, felt horror take root in her heart even as she turned and saw the Septima Espada released from Inoue's Souten Kisshun prison. And then her world went black.

Zommari brought his hand back up from the expert chop to the back of her neck, putting in just enough effort to knock her out. "I am sorry, Aaroniero. But Aizen-sama left very strict orders." A moment later, both he and Inoue were gone, just in time to avoid being beheaded from Renji and Ichigo, having come to him from either side.

"Kurosaki!" Ishida barked, leaping up and following Zommari's trail with his Hirenkyaku.

"Already on it!" Ichigo replied, flickering into a Shunpo. To his mild surprise, Ishida was noticeably faster than he was before Ichigo had left. "You've gotten faster!" he complimented.

"Of course! What do you think I've been doing while you were gone, Kurosaki?! Having tea and lying about?!"

Ichigo frowned, ignoring his friend in favor of sensing outwards; Zommari was slowly but surely pulling away, and they were almost at Las Noches. "Fuck it. Bankai!"

Ishida didn't bat an eye as Ichigo suddenly vanished from sight. Instead, he merely picked up the pace as well, and felt enormous satisfaction at the shocked look in Ichigo's eyes. "Yes, Kurosaki, I am now as fast as your Bankai!" the Quincy gloated, readying his bow.

Now that Ichigo was closer, and not completely preoccupied with an opponent, he noticed that Ishida's bow had changed. It now resembled a curved spider web more than anything else. "Nice bow. Any new abilities?"

Recognizing that Ichigo was trying to exchange possibly vital combat capabilities right before battle, Ishida refrained from mocking him. "I can fire up to 1,200 shots consecutively, though they are naturally weaker than my normal shots. I can also change the direction of my shot somewhat after firing it. Anything I should know?"

"Mask got an upgrade, and I've learned a couple supplementary moves with Zangetsu, but they have a charge time. Should be able to use Cero, but haven't tried yet," Ichigo summarized. "Be ready, we're almost upon him!"

"You don't have to tell me, Kurosaki!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Rukia, Renji and Chad looked at each other. "Why d'ya think they left us behind?" Renji asked his friends.

"I just fought and killed an Espada," Rukia pointed out. "I suppose I should take a few moments to rest and recover my reiatsu."

Chad nodded. "They left us to guard you during your recovery while they recover Inoue."

"Are you ok, Rukia?" Renji asked carefully; he didn't want to offend her, but her emotions had obviously been on a roller coaster in the last half hour.

Rukia sighed, sitting down in the sands of Hueco Mundo. "I'm as well as can be expected. I merely hope that Kaien-dono returned to Soul Society upon my slaying Aaroniero. Failing that, I can take comfort that he will be reincarnated eventually." She shook her head with a self-deprecating chuckle. "I really thought Ichigo might be his reincarnation, you know? My second chance to save his soul."

"They are a lot alike," Renji admitted, sitting next to her as he gathered his courage. "Is that why you like Ichigo so much?" He held his breath; he was taking a chance being upfront about Rukia's obvious attraction to the orange-haired idiot.

Rukia glared mildly at Renji. "Just what are you saying, Renji?"

Her pineapple-haired friend swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "I'm saying that no matter how I look at it, you seem to be attracted to Kurosaki Ichigo. I'm just wondering why."

"What makes you say that?" Rukia asked emotionlessly.

Renji flinched at her tone nonetheless, but was determined to make his point. "You're comfortable enough to banter with him and beat on him when you keep yourself distant from almost everyone else. If I'm not mistaken, you are highly sensitive to his reiatsu, and he was the first thing you thought of when I asked you to come along on our mission to protect Karakura. You sleep in his closet for crying out loud! I don't know what all happened during that time when Ichigo had all your powers, but obviously something must have. You're closer to him than you are to any of your old friends!"

The ice-using Shinigami gaped for a moment and then schooled her face into a stern look. "I suppose I can see how you reached that conclusion, Renji." She sighed. "Ichigo is nothing but a very good friend. Yes, Karakura is associated with Ichigo for me, because I met him there and that encounter changed both our lives permanently. Yes, I am sensitive to his reiatsu, because I was there, living with him constantly putting out such reiatsu all the time. I am sensitive to your reiatsu as well, I hope you know."

Renji did not know that, as a matter of fact, but he waved her on anyway.

Rukia nodded in acknowledgment. "I sleep in his closet for a simple reason: because that is what we are accustomed to, and it's easier for me to be there to explain the odd thing to Ichigo when he needs it."

"So you wouldn't be interested in dating Ichigo?" Renji asked to clarify. He understood everything she said, but he wanted to hear a blunt rejection.

Rukia suddenly had a sneaking suspicion she knew what her friend was doing. She pointed a finger at him with wide eyes. "You're trying to hook me up with Ichigo!"

"What?! No!" Renji denied.

"You are!" Rukia looked at him angrily. "I don't need you to find me a suitor! Did Nii-sama put you up to this?!"

"Huh?" Renji blinked. "Why would Kuchiki-taicho send me of all people to find you a suitor?"

"Because you work for him, and you know me well enough to find people I could stand to marry for politics!"

"I assure you, Rukia, that was never my intention! I was asking as your friend," Renji said softly. "I haven't been a part of your life in a long while… and then that whole mess with your execution, and now the Arrancar, and saving Inoue…"

Rukia softened and settled down. "Sorry," she offered.

"It's ok."

Chad cleared his throat, making both his companions jump. They'd completely forgotten that the gentle giant was there. "Rukia, if you're finished recovering, we should attempt to rejoin Ichigo and Ishida."

"Agreed." She got up and dusted the sands of Hueco Mundo off her clothes. "Alright, let's go."

Renji followed suit as they began to run. He felt somewhat better, now that he'd finally asked his childhood friend her feelings for Ichigo. While he recognized he'd never gotten an answer for Rukia's possible interest in the Substitute Shinigami, Renji was put at ease. He was even able to convince himself that there was still a chance for him. _Cool it, _he told himself sternly, if a touch sadly. _Wait until after the war's over. And don't get your hopes up. _

Renji felt a stirring in his mind, one which he had come to recognize as his Zanpakuto wishing to converse. _Why wait? _Zabimaru asked simply. _Why not let yourself hope? _

_Rukia is a Kuchiki, _Renji confessed. _A noble. Her brother is my taicho, and I don't feel I have a chance. I've seen what happens to noble families. They get married off for political gains, and I have very little political power. He would never approve. _

Zabimaru shifted somewhat. _The wielder of Senbonzakura… Kuchiki Byakuya. He is your foe?_

Renji felt like laughing bitterly, and he could feel Zabimaru get the impression. _He is a potential foe. Before I can know, I need to know how Rukia feels. _

_Why?_

That was actually a good question. Renji's ambition was to become stronger than Kuchiki Byakuya. That was his whole reason for going to Kuchiki-taicho's squad, becoming his fukutaicho. It was a major reason for his efforts into learning Bankai. One way or another, Zabimaru and Senbonzakura would clash. _Ok, now that I think about it… yes, Kuchiki Byakuya is my foe. If we can defeat him, then I would feel much better about asking to court Rukia. _

_Then we shall defeat him and prove our strength. You grow stronger every day, and become more adept at our Bankai. Remember, Renji, that when our Bankai was not even a day old, we forced Kuchiki Byakuya into Bankai and nearly defeated him. _

Renji nodded to himself, taking heart at the encouragement. _Do you have any suggestions on how we can get stronger? _

_Your foe favors Kido. Recall how he locked us in place with that Bakudo and then brought us to defeat with his Bankai. Learn how to counter it, and you take away one of his greatest strengths. _

As always, Zabimaru made the solution sound so simple, and it made sense. _Thank you, Zabimaru. _

_You are welcome, Renji. _Zabimaru's presence retreated into his Inner World, and Renji nodded once more to himself, feeling his resolve strengthen now that he had a plan.

---------------

Ichigo and Ishida had caught up with Zommari, who had realized the inevitability of their arrival and set Inoue against the wall of Las Noches. "You have arrived," Zommari noticed.

"Your powers of observation are astounding," Ichigo taunted.

Zommari laughed quietly, as though at a private joke. "You two are very fast, I will concede. I have the fastest Sonido amongst the Espada. Shall we have a contest of speed? Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Zommari Leroux, Septima Espada."

_Septima? Only one step below Grimmjow… _"Careful, Ishida," Ichigo warned. "He's not boasting about that speed of his; he's so fast he leaves tangible afterimages."

Zommari turned calm eyes on the Shinigami. "I wonder how you know about that? Unless you are that Arrancar I talked to earlier today."

"Let's just say he and I are rather close," Ichigo said mysteriously, gripping Tensa Zangetsu tightly. "Give us back Inoue, and we won't kill you. Or at least I won't," he corrected himself, glancing at his Quincy partner. "Not so sure about Ishida here."

Instinct flared and both Ichigo and Ishida leapt out of the way in opposite directions as two clones of Zommari appeared behind them and attempted to stab them with his sword. "You have excellent reflexes," the Arrancar that they'd been addressing complimented. "But it is arrogance to think that you can defeat me."

"And your arrogance shows simply by that very statement," Ishida commented, firing three arrows at once, each of them rocketing towards a Zommari. One of them was struck and vanished, while the other two Sonido-ed out of the way, reappearing several feet to Ishida's side. "It doesn't matter if there's one or three of you; I have no need to guess which one is the original. Kurosaki, protect Orihime! Make sure no more Arrancar come to take her away while I finish this weakling."

_Ishida's sure giving a lot of orders lately, _Ichigo thought to himself as he Shunpo-ed next to Orihime and gently picked her up. "Think you can take him alone?"

Ishida glared at him before vanishing with his Hirenkyaku, neatly avoiding another strike from his opponent. He reappeared several meters away, firing several more arrows at Zommari, who dodged and cloned himself to replace the copies who had been struck. "Kurosaki, stop wasting time and just go!"

With a single nod of acknowledgment, Ichigo vanished with all the speed of his Bankai-enhanced Shunpo, taking the unconscious Inoue with him.

"A shame you sent them away," Zommari said calmly, "I would have greatly enjoyed what is about to happen next then. As it is, you have proven that I will not catch you with my own sword under normal circumstances."

Ishida raised an eyebrow as the clones vanished, leaving only the single Zommari. "You are about to use your Resurreccion?"

"Indeed."

Ishida scoffed. "Whatever it is, you will not defeat me."

"And there is your arrogance, human. It is foolish to think that a human, no matter how gifted, can defeat an Espada."

"Then allow me to prove you wrong. Release your Resurreccion, Espada, and this Quincy will destroy you," Ishida challenged, using his free hand to push his glasses up his nose a little, making them flash.

Zommari shook his head ruefully, as though disappointed. "Very well then." He brought his Zanpakuto up horizontally in front of him, then let go. His sword stayed there, levitating in front of him as the Espada took a bracing stance, as though preparing to catch something heavy, but then moved his hands to either side of him. He looked as though he were meditating, almost. Then his head slowly tilted further and further, his neck twisting, until it was perpendicular to the rest of his body. "Suppress, Brujeria!"

His Zanpakuto abruptly bent, again and again until it was in an edged spiral shape. Mist exuded from it and Ishida could feel the mist melding with Zommari's reiatsu. When the transformation was over a few moments later, Zommari's new form was revealed. His upper body was still that of a human, though now covered in a white skin-tight outfit that revealed only his face and hands. However, similarly to Aaroniero's Resurreccion, Zommari had completely lost his legs, which had reformed into a large pumpkin-like shape. However, the most notable thing about him was that all over his body, eyes had appeared.

Ishida frowned. _Those eyes must have a purpose… His power, whatever it is, must be strong and difficult to elude in order to make up for his apparent inability to move. _His eyes widened as Zommari raised a hand towards him. His palm contained an eye, and it suddenly pulsed with reiatsu. In that instant, he vanished with a burst of Hirenkyaku. A moment later, he reappeared several meters away, and glanced in the direction of where he had been. _What? Nothing seems to have happened…_

"You are wondering what happened," Zommari stated more than guessed. "Your intuition told you to move, that I was about to attack, and yet nothing happened." He smiled triumphantly. "And yet something has happened! Look at your left hand!"

Ishida did and gasped. A sun symbol had appeared on the back of his hand. A glower settled on his face as he quickly ran through one of his Quincy exercises to limber up his fingers… "I see the symbol, Arrancar, but what does it do?"

"To understand, you must realize that everything has a sovereignty to it. Everything is ruled by something else. A peasant is ruled by his local lord, who is then ruled by the king. But the peasant rules his house and possessions." Zommari smiled. "What my Resurreccion does, is allow me to usurp that rule. Each of my eyes has the ability to steal sovereignty over whatever it sees, and allows me to use it as though it were a part of me. Now, intruder, I have taken your left hand. To demonstrate… extend towards me, left hand!"

To Ishida's horror, his left hand darted out, reaching for its new master, pulling his arm along with it. Nevertheless, he stood his ground. _This is bad! He's already drastically reduced my effectiveness! What can I do… that's it!_

"As you can see, my power allows me to use your own body against you. Your brain no longer commands your left hand. If I hit you in the head, then I can control your whole body. This ability… I call it Amor," the Espada finished. "Now then, little archer… left hand, choke him!" The hand made no movement. "I said choke him!"

"It won't work," the Quincy told him with a smirk, using his left hand to raise his glasses up a little, making them flash.

"But how?!" Zommari demanded, infuriated.

"Your sun symbol is a marker of your reiatsu," Ishida analyzed. "It does indeed allow you to manipulate whatever has that symbol to do what you wish. However, I am a Quincy, bound by mortal limits, and our bodies succumb to the susceptibilities of age. To counter that, we created a technique that allows our old to use their bodies with all the dexterity and speed of their youth, through use of spirit threads controlled directly by my brain to use our body like we would a puppet. We call it… Ransotengai." He glared at his opponent. "You may have imprinted your own control over my hand, but I can counter with my Ransotengai! And as your Amor and my Ransotengai counter each other, my brain is able to use its normal currents to direct my body. All I have to do is use my Ransotengai to move in direct opposite whatever you command."

Having regained control of himself, Zommari smiled. "I must admit, I am impressed that a lowly human could come so far. But I must wonder… I have many eyes. It must take quite some concentration and constant attention to counter my ability from one eye. Can you counter them all and still fight?"

Ishida gripped his bow firmly and formed an arrow. "We'll see." He vanished into Hirenkyaku, going around the Espada, quietly counting the number of eyes he had as he dodged the blasts of Amor and fired back some arrows at the Arrancar's torso, which Zommari blocked with spots on his body that were not covered in eyes. _Fifty eyes… _He smiled. "I'm quite possibly the worst opponent you could have ever faced, Zommari."

"Oh, why is that?"

"Because I'm an archer, and you're nothing but weak points!" Ishida let loose a flurry of arrows, managing to hit five out of twelve eyes on Zommari's lower body; the other seven had suddenly closed, covered by the same pink flesh-like material that made up Zommari's lower half. The open eyes, upon being hit, imploded.

Zommari screamed in pain. "You arrogant wretch!" he bellowed.

"You cannot protect all your eyes without sacrificing your ability," Ishida taunted. "I will pick them off one at a time, and then I will take your head."

"Fine," Zommari growled. "Let's see how you dodge all of my eyes at once!"

_I must protect my head at all costs! _Ishida used Hirenkyaku to once more get behind Zommari, where he'd eliminated the five eyes, and crouched down, using his spider-web bow as a shield. He winced as several of the eyes pulsed in unison and hit his bow at once, making it buckle. But Ishida wasn't being idle. "A silver rod strikes the five-fingered stone bed…" Ishida used his free hand to grip one of his silver tubes from his utility belt, wincing as his bow shattered under the onslaught and he could feel his legs being taken over. "Quintuple Restraining Frames!"He flung the silver tube at the Espada.

"What?" The Espada suddenly found himself in complete darkness. "What did you do?!" He demanded.

The Quincy smiled as he saw that Zommari was surrounded on all sides by his stone prison, emblazoned with a five-pointed Quincy cross. Ishida stood up and brushed himself off, realizing that by cutting off his opponent's sight, the sun symbols were no longer on him. He was free from Amor. "That was another Quincy technique, Gritz. It allows me to completely envelop a target in a stone casing, covered by our Quincy cross. It can be broken out of with enough strength, but as you seem to have no legs, I purposely made it so the stone is more than your arms' length away. You cannot use your eyes, you cannot hit me. Know in your final moments that it was I, Ishida Uryuu, Quincy, that killed you."

"No! Curse you!" Zommari screamed, unleashing his eyes again and again on his imprisonment, but finding himself unable to escape. He would have to use Cero, or Gran Rey Cero, but the truth of the matter was that he had not done so in quite some time, in favor of using his eyes, which were faster than either of those. He had always derived amusement by watching his enemies tear themselves apart under his spell. As a result, he needed several seconds to charge, which he wasted no time beginning. Even so, he knew his end was near. "Hail Aizen-sama!"

Ishida needed no such charge time. Drawing a Seele Schneider from his belt, he pulled it back on his newly re-created bow, and fired directly for Zommari's head. It easily pierced the rock… and went straight through the Espada's skull. The Quincy technique Gritz fell apart under the reiatsu-absorbing abilities of the Seele Schneider, revealing the undoubtedly-dead form of Zommari. Ishida retrieved the Seele Schneider, deactivating it and storing it in his belt once more, watching as Zommari faded away.

Sensing Ichigo nearby, Ishida Uryuu once again used his high-speed technique to rejoin them. "Ishida!" Ichigo greeted. "How was he? I take it was he as a bit of a pushover, given your complete lack of wounds."

"Pathetic," the Quincy scoffed. "Though he might have given you trouble." Ichigo growled at the insult, and was about to retort when his rival continued. "I was perhaps the worst kind of opponent he could have come up against. He had the ability to wrest control of one's body away from you. Like I said, Kurosaki, he might have given you trouble. One hit from that move and your precious Bankai would be slitting your own throat. I was only able to counter it with a Quincy technique."

Ichigo's mouth clamped shut audibly. "Fine. Well, we have everyone now," he said, changing the subject. "Let's go home." Seeing the nods of his friends, he put on his Gillian mask and ripped open a Garganta, jumping in. His comrades swiftly followed.

* * *

Aizen Sousuke frowned; he'd lost two Espada, the Septima and the Noveno, and there had been no casualties on his enemy's side. _Hell, no one had even been seriously injured! _In addition, the girl had escaped, and their entire force was returning to the human world to guard it. He hadn't expected that Kurosaki brat to be able to open a Garganta just as effortlessly as Aizen's Espada; that meant that the living world would have more powerful fighters waiting for him to invade.

"Looks like that Substitute Shinigami's made some powerful friends, eh Aizen-sama?" Gin commented. "He didn't even fight at all!"

"Indeed."

"Does this change our plan at all?" Tousen asked from behind Aizen's throne.

"… No. Be ready to leave as soon as the taicho from Soul Society invade." _I hope you're ready, Kurosaki Ichigo. _He smiled. _I look forward to crushing you once again, and then sacrificing your entire town in front of you. _

* * *

And that's a wrap! Two Espada dead, Ichigo and the gang are headed back to the living world.

OK, so I was thinking about Zommari's Amor ability. I didn't want to regurgitate the same-old Byakuya's Bankai is a natural counter. Instead, I wanted to use someone whose accomplishments are a little downplayed against Ichigo's - Ishida Uryuu's. It came to me one day as I drove home; Uryuu can use the Ransotengai, and I thought, "What if Amor is like a variation of that? Ransotengai and Amor could counter each other!" From there, the rest of the battle came easily. You do NOT cover yourself in weak points against a fucking archer! Seriously! Ginormous eyes covering your body may look cool, and they may have a nice power, but it's all too easy to hit them with an arrow!

I thought about maybe having Ishida and Ichigo fighting together, and then having Ichigo get caught by Zommari's Amor... but I decided that wouldn't fit with Ishida's character, leaving Inoue right there and able to be taken, or in the way of attacks. So I decided against it.

One of the things that really, really bugged me was Rukia's reluctance to strike Shiba Kaien. Seriously, she explained WAY early on that slaying a Hollow with a Zanpakuto purifies it of all deeds done as a Hollow, and sends it to Soul Society (or Hell if the spirit was evil as a human). It's not a large leap to realize that the purification extends to the Hollows that have been eaten too. Slay Aaroniero, you purify Kaien, and he returns to Soul Society or is possibly sent on to reincarnation. Yay! How hard was that?

Another thing that bugged me was that Aaroniero professed to have killed and eaten over 33,000 Hollows. Why the hell did he never use any of them then?! The only thing he ever used with Kaien's Nejibana. So I made up a power - scorpion tail that shoots exploding yellow-green liquid.

I've wanted Inoue to show that she still knows her stuff, that she hasn't regressed into "HELP ME KUROSAKI-KUN" Damsel in distress mode. Hence her trapping Zommari.

OK, now I've gotten a few reviews and messages pleading with me to do my own version of the anime-only Zanpakuto arc. I've thought about it... and I'm willing. It won't update often, as my focus is this story, but I'm willing to try it. Just FYI, somewhere in it Ichigo's gonna go "Are you all stupid or something?! You've had to defeat your Zanpakuto before in order to gain your Bankai, right?! How is this ANY DIFFERENT?!" Cuz that always bugged me in the beginning. I'm gonna try really hard not to have Ichigo god-mode everything with his dual Zanpakuto and Gillian mask. I've already decided Ichigo won't have access to Adjuchas mask.

WARNING: My Zanpakuto arc fic will end relatively quickly, simply because Inoue in my fic probably won't heal Muramasa to the point where he's able to battle and fuck things up. I was screaming at her, especially when Muramasa admitted that he was Ichigo's enemy.

Now that I've done that, wanted to rant a bit about the latest manga

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Seriously? Aizen made Tousen a Vizard? How the hell did Tousen master it so quickly? And far enough to have a Resurreccion, too. Just.... eurgh. Everyone always praised Ichigo for his learning speed. Even Aizen said that was his greatest power. And I'm pretty sure Tousen never got his Hollow powers in Soul Society; wouldn't it have been noticed? Ever? When would he have practiced? So... chalk down Tousen's mastery and Resurreccion to the mysterious powers of the Hougyouku? ... Hold on, we should have seen this coming. Tousen has shown the ability to create Garganta with just a wave of his hand. Isn't that an Arrancar thing? Looks like the Vizard can do it too

Moving on. If Tousen's a Vizard, then Ichimaru Gin is probably also one. Now that, I'm looking forward to. Plus Gin's Bankai.

One of the other things that I'm thinking about is.... if Aizen made Tousen (and presumably Gin) a Vizard, then does that mean that Aizen gave himself Hollow powers too? We know he's got a God complex... he would refuse to let anyone have more power than he does. That makes Aizen pretty damn scary.

Tousen used Resurreccion on his Shikai, or so it looks. That, I find interesting. Does that mean that you can use either Resurreccion or Bankai, but you must choose one? Plus, Tousen didn't call out a phrase like the Arrancar did for his Resurreccion. Vizard thing? Also means that my idea for Ichigo's ultimate form is gaining credit.

So, Shinji is finally releasing his sword. I must say, I am eagerly anticipating learning what it does, especially since Shinji has strongly hinted that his Zanpakuto has sense-altering powers as well. Was highly amused that his sword means "Irritation". That must be why he irritates Hiyori all the time. :D

Most of all though, I REALLY wanna see Ichigo and Unohana again! C'mon, lemme see Unohana's rising astonishment as Ichigo's reiatsu is replenished. Lemme see Ichigo's Bankai coat regenerate! Make a dramatic entrance with a Getsuga Tenshou, saving Shinji from Aizen. SOMETHING!


	15. Gathering the Forces

OK, so I'm having trouble writing the opening chapter for my version of the Zanpakuto Arc... Gonna be a bit longer.

No new terms this week, I think, but in this chapter Rukia utilizes an ability that only skilled Kido practitioners can use. It's not really named in this chapter, but here is the ability.

Double Incantation: By mixing the incantations of two different Kido, a Kido user can utilize both Kido one after another at full power. This is especially useful for higher-level spells. It's also useful in confusing people in what Kido you're using. This ability is first demonstrated by Rukia, combining Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro (Six bars prison of light) and Hado 63: Soren Soukatsui (Twin Lotus Blue Fire Crashdown) to bind Aaroniero in place and blast a hole out of Las Noches to force the Espada to be exposed to sunlight, revealing his true form.

Chapter 15: Gathering the Forces

"That was easier than I expected," Renji admitted as he and his companions made their way through the void between worlds that made up Ichigo's Garganta. Rukia led the way, her expert control over her reiatsu creating a stable path for everyone to run on. Ishida sped alongside them using his Hirenkyaku.

"What, you were expecting a series of epic battles?" Rukia asked with a smirk.

"Sort of, yeah."

"I know what you mean, Renji," Ichigo agreed, having taken off his mask upon entering the Garganta. "I thought for sure Aizen would do more to keep Inoue… I mean, two low-level Espada? Seriously? I alone was equal to the Sexta Espada, with you guys he should have at least included Ulquiorra or higher."

"Aizen most likely did not anticipate Inoue being able to escape," Ishida pointed out. "And while Aaroniero was trying to fool us, the best lies contain elements of truth. Aizen probably did tell all the Espada to wait in their chambers for us. If Inoue hadn't escaped, then we would have had to infiltrate Las Noches and then fought many of them."

"That said, the Espada he did send were well-chosen," Ichigo said thoughtfully. "Someone who could pass as a Shinigami that was close to Rukia, and someone whose power was to take control of others… perfect for infiltrating and then killing us all. He was obviously prepared for the possibility of Inoue escaping."

Chad nodded. "We should not question good fortune. Let us simply hurry back to Karakura, to aid the fight against Aizen."

"Hopefully we won't get into too much trouble with Soul Society," Renji murmured.

"Relax," Ichigo said reassuringly, "would Yamamoto punish you now, when he needs all the able-bodied Shinigami he can get? Especially ones who can take out Espada, or have achieved Bankai?"

"Besides, we never technically broke any orders," Rukia reminded her friends. "We were ordered to return to Soul Society. We did, and then we came back."

"I'm just glad we're all ok," Inoue breathed with a sigh, having been woken up by Rukia while Ishida had battled his opponent. "I can't wait to get home… I could use a shower and some food."

"Speaking of, do you think that Yamamoto-soutaicho has already sent a few of the taicho to Hueco Mundo, and moved everyone else to Karakura?" Rukia asked.

"Maybe," Renji answered slowly. "I mean, we were gone for what, an hour? Maybe two?"

"Sounds about right," Ishida agreed.

"I don't know for sure, but given what Urahara told us…" Renji began, before taking a breath. "We probably left Hueco Mundo at the same time as Soul Society's strike force arrived there."

"Ok," Ichigo acknowledged. "If that's true, then it's a safe bet to say that Aizen will attempt to trap them there and move the majority of his forces to Karakura. What's the best way to trap the taicho in Soul Society?"

"It would depend on the taicho," Rukia told him. "As you have probably already guessed, every taicho has different specialties."

Renji shook his head. "No, the easiest way to trap them in Soul Society is to wear them down. One strong opponent, or waves of weaker Arrancars… They may be easy to defeat, but even the taicho have limited amounts of reiatsu."

"They'd also come across a problem leaving Hueco Mundo," Ishida realized. "They'd need some way to signal to Soul Society for an exit, or someone else with the ability to open a Garganta."

"It's possible they're relying on Urahara for that part," Ichigo suggested. "I mean, he was able to open a way to Hueco Mundo. Maybe he gave them a device to open a way back? Or to signal him?"

"I could see that," Inoue piped up. "I mean, they trusted Urahara-san with the super-secret way to protect all of Karakura so all the taicho could fight at their full power, right?"

"I don't think they'd trust the one man with so much," the archer disagreed. "Technically, Urahara Kisuke is an outcast, exiled, remember? He has no obligation or loyalty to them. Asking him for so much would be putting themselves in his mercy. They would have to have something he wants very badly to do that."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, not understanding where Ishida was going with this.

"Think, Kurosaki. Urahara was banished from Soul Society when he was framed by Aizen for giving the Vizard Hollow powers, remember?" Ishida unnecessarily reminded his rival. "Put yourself in his shoes. You would feel betrayed, maybe even a little angry."

"He's had a hundred years!" the Vizard argued.

"You said it yourself, Kurosaki. To a Shinigami, a hundred years isn't that long, not when they live for thousands of years," Ishida said grimly. "We also know that he's the founder of the Technology Bureau at Soul Society. Urahara's genius is even acknowledged by Soul Society, who asked him to find a way to protect Karakura while they fought! They respect his intelligence more than anyone's!" His voice lowered. "And an intelligent man knows how to make the system work for him."

"They need him, but he doesn't need them," Ichigo breathed.

"Precisely. Like I said, Urahara is a businessman, and if I'm right, holds no love for the society who banished him. He must have exacted a price for his assistance in protecting all Karakura instead of just his own house, and for assisting the taicho to go to Hueco Mundo. And he's not afraid to withhold information or twist circumstances to his advantage, like he did when we were preparing to invade Soul Society and he didn't tell us about the Hogyouku." Ishida shook his head. "No, Soul Society must have its own way to get back."

"Perhaps they sent along Kurotsuchi Mayuri, the new head of the Technology Bureau," Renji added darkly. "If anyone would have a way to get back, or be able to figure out one, he's got the mad brilliance to do it."

The Quincy pursed his lips at the man's name, but said nothing. He would never be able to forgive the man who had arranged for his grandfather's death simply so he could study the man's Quincy powers.

"Alright, we're almost there," Rukia announced. "Everyone ready?" The grunts of agreement and the sole "Yep!" from Inoue almost made Rukia roll her eyes as they leapt through, arriving once more in the basement of Urahara's shop.

Everyone was silent for a moment, before Ichigo laughed aloud, making everyone stare at him. "We made it! We saved Inoue easily, and we made it back! This was so much easier than saving Rukia!"

"Idiot!" Rukia smacked him upside the head but a smile was on her face as well. "You barely did anything!"

"To be fair," Renji pointed out, "there WERE only two enemies to be fought, and you called one of them. And without Ichigo, we wouldn't have been able to get back easily."

"This is no time to be celebrating," Ishida said sternly. "It is still likely that Aizen will attack in the very near future; we must be ready."

"Then let's get upstairs and see how things are," Ichigo proposed, and the group ran towards the ladder – Ishida was still flying on his Hirenkyaku. They made it upstairs and almost ran into Urahara, who greeted them with a smile.

"Well done," the shopkeeper congratulated. "And you even made it back in time for the party."

"Has Aizen invaded yet?" the orange-haired Shinigami asked, straight to the point.

"Not yet. Did you kill any of the Espada while you were there?"

"I killed Aaroniero, the Noveno Espada," Rukia answered.

"I finished off the Septima Espada, Zommari Leroux," Ishida reported.

"By that time we had rescued Inoue, so we decided that we'd come back so we can protect Karakura," Ichigo explained.

"Excellent, and you are all unhurt! Two down, eight to go," Urahara said with his mischievous smile, not realizing that Rukia had healed her own minor wounds from Aaroniero. "Oh, and Aizen, Tousen and Ichimaru."

"Who was sent to Hueco Mundo?" Renji asked curiously.

"Unohana-taicho and two of her squad members, Kurotsuchi-taicho, Kuchiki-taicho and Kenpachi-taicho."

"Not a bad combination," Ichigo mused, recalling his epic fight with the leader of Squad 11. "Sheer brutal strength and resilience in Kenpachi…"

"Madness and intelligence with Kurotsuchi…" Ishida added, remembering using his Quincy Final Form to annihilate the nigh-insane Kurotsuchi, only to find that the taicho would recover soon from his self-induced liquid state.

"Kido and speed with Nii-sama," Rukia whispered.

"And a few healers if necessary," Chad finished. "The other taicho…?"

"They'll be here in Karakura." Urahara chuckled. "I suppose I shouldn't call it Karakura, considering it IS only a replica…"

"What?" Inoue asked, confused.

"Oh, it's my version of protecting everyone from the full powers of the taicho without revealing Soul Society," Urahara praised himself. "Kurotsuchi-taicho built a very precise replica of Karakura on the outskirts of Soul Society, and I built a device that would swap the replica and the real thing. It's a variation of a Senkaimon, that I like to call Tenkai Kecchu."

"How does it work?" Ichigo asked, curiously.

"And what happens to the people?" Rukia piped up.

Urahara smiled; it was nice to hear someone interested in his work. "Well, like I said, it's based on a Senkaimon. Of course, we don't want it permanently in Soul Society, so I had to create a device that would hold it in a barrier in Soul Society until a condition is met. However, it takes a lot of power and stability to keep something like that going, and I needed a way to define how much area was going to be taken. So, with some help from Tessai, we created four enormous towers, linked through a variation of Kido. The four towers define how much area is going to be moved – in this case, all of Karakura – and the destruction of the towers triggers swapping the replica and the real town back by having the device lose its power."

"And the people?" Ishida queried.

"They've been put into a special sleep that they won't wake from until we transfer them back."

"What about people who need medical attention?!" Ichigo asked, shocked. "People who are dreadfully injured?! People in hospitals who need periodic treatments?! People in the middle of operations?! What about people who are freaking DRIVING and crash when they fell asleep suddenly?!"

"Relax, Ichigo," Urahara told him cheerfully. "Ishida Ryuuken went on the news and radio stations, stating that there was an air-born contagion with a relatively short half-life, a contagion that had infected all of Karakura, one that would put everyone to sleep at an approximate time. He heavily warned everyone to stop driving, get to a safe place, etc. He also said he'd brought in some people to oversee the hospital for the duration. Several unseated members of various Squads did a quick patrol to make sure the roads were clear, and Squad 4 is overseeing the hospital with Ryuuken's assistance."

Ichigo sighed in relief. "Glad to see all the steps have been taken. So, I assume the rest of the taicho are here already?"

"Indeed they are! And a few others you may recognize as well," Urahara agreed. "I was, ahem, sort of forced to stay behind, due to my exile from Soul Society."

"Are you going to be participating?" Ishida asked him pointedly.

"Perhaps. Not immediately in any case," the exiled Shinigami answered. "I don't think I'm particularly wanted or needed at this point. There are six taicho out there, along with whomever they decided to bring along."

_The Vizard! _Ichigo suddenly realized. _Did they escape the replacement? Will they help? _He frowned. _There's no time for me to ask. _"Guys, we need to get up there with the rest of them, now," Ichigo commanded authoritatively. "There's no way to know when Aizen will make his move, and we need to be ready." He turned to Inoue. "I hate to say this, Inoue, seeing how far you have improved and everything, but your unique healing abilities may mean the difference between life and death. I'm sure some of us are going to need you soon. Please stay back."

Inoue nodded firmly, not liking but understanding the request. "Be careful, everyone."

That settled, Ichigo swiftly passed his focus to Ishida. "I realize you don't like Shinigami. Can you put that aside and work with them for the time being?"

Ishida frowned, but nodded his agreement. "There is little choice in any event; if I wish to help, I must work with people who make up the primary force."

Ichigo turned to his best friend, Chad. "Do you know how to air-walk yet?"

"No."

"It's relatively simple. Simply focus your reiatsu into the air beneath you to create a solid base to stand on. Think you can manage?"

Chad gave a small smile, silently activating his arms. "If it's that simple, there is no problem. My arms' attacks require similar control over my reiatsu."

Seeing determined faces on his team, the Substitute Shinigami nodded an acknowledgment. "Then let's go." They ran out through Urahara's front door and simultaneously flickered up, above the action, up to where Yamamoto's forces were.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," Yamamoto greeted in his usual tone. "I expected you to be in Hueco Mundo by now, rescuing your comrade." Seeing Renji and Rukia, Yamamoto's eyes opened a sliver further from their usual nigh-closed state. "But I see that you must have already done so."

"Yes, Yamamoto-jii. She is currently waiting with Urahara-san, ready to heal anyone who requires medical attention," Ichigo responded. "With that done, we wanted to help defend our town."

"I see."

Soifon Shunpo-ed next to their group. "Kurosaki, are you aware that you and your fellow Ryoka are the only ones of significant power who have not seen the traitor Aizen's Shikai?"

"I am."

"Are you aware of the significance?"

Ichigo scowled. "You guys suspect you're still under Kyoka Suigetsu's influence? That means you want me, Ishida and Chad to handle Aizen."

Now it was Soifon's turn to scowl. "I would gladly kill him, given the chance, but I must concede that it is not wise for me to test myself against his illusions and his skill."

"Whatever. Fine, we'll take care of Aizen." Ichigo's face hardened as he continued darkly. "I owe him a taste of my steel anyway."

_Be careful, Ichigo, _Zangetsu warned.

_I know, Zangetsu. Been a hell of a day, eh? Find out that Inoue's been kidnapped, risk it all to get my body back, go back to Karakura for backup, return to Hueco Mundo, rescue her from two Espada, come back and find out that it's time for the final battle. _

_Indeed. But remember you have a trump card: your Adjuchas mask. Use it sparingly; we have no idea how long your body can tolerate it at this point. _

_Got it. _

While Ichigo was conversing with his Zanpakuto, Chad found the air-walk to be relatively easy, actually. It was hardly even draining on his reiatsu when he had both his arms activated, like he had now. _I wonder… _"Why would Aizen come here now?" he murmured aloud. "There are many opponents here, but only four taicho-level in Hueco Mundo."

"He shouldn't know that we have substituted Karakura or brought the rest of the taicho here, yet," Ishida answered from beside him. "Assuming that, he should take the opportunity to leave Hueco Mundo to come here and take advantage of our weakness, probably by bringing a number of his Espada to keep us busy while he sacrifices Karakura to acquire the King's Key. After all, we shouldn't be as strong as four experienced taicho."

"An excellent analysis, Ishida-san," a calm, easy-going voice commented from behind the Quincy. He whirled to see Kyoraku Shunsui.

"Hello, Kyoraku-san," Chad greeted with a smile.

"Ah, Sado-kun!" Shunsui said, delighted. "I see you've gotten much stronger," he observed, waving a hand at Chad's improved arms.

"I have. Let us hope it's enough," the human with Hollow-like powers said grimly.

* * *

"Oi, Ichigo!"

"Eh? Ikkaku?" Ichigo was disturbed from his musings when the bald member of Squad 11 approached him.

Madarame Ikkaku grinned fiercely. "Good to see ya, Ichigo!"

Ichigo gave the man a grin of his own. "You too, Ikkaku. Bet you're going to have fun; we'll be fighting some very strong people."

"You bet that large sword of yours I'm looking forward to it!" Ikkaku agreed enthusiastically. "I'm guarding that pillar over there." He pointed towards one not far away. "Can't let it get destroyed, otherwise the real Karakura comes back."

"Oh, that'll get you some strong opponents for sure," Ichigo commented. "Who all's guarding the pillars?"

"Let's see. Yumichika's on that one over there, Hisagi's got that one, and Kira's on the last one."

Ichigo frowned pensively. _Hmm, I know them all. Then again, that's to be expected; Yumichika and Ikkaku are part of Kenpachi's division, and the other two are lieutenants. _Plastering a smile on his face, the Substitute Shinigami made an excuse and left, returning to Yamamoto's group of Shinigami, this time seeing who all he knew.

_Let's see, all the taicho are here. Anyone else? _He recognized Matsumoto Rangiku, along with Iba Tetsuzaemon, the lieutenants of Hitsugaya-taicho and Komamura-taicho respectively. There was a familiar one as well standing next to Soifon.

A ripping sound snapped Ichigo's attention to it. A Garganta was opening in the air. Reacting swiftly, Ichigo drew Zangetsu, feeling his partner thrum with power. _Ready, Zangetsu?_

_I am ready, Ichigo. Do not let your heart waver. Do not hesitate. Crush your enemies, so we may rest and view the sunset of the aftermath. _

_I look forward to seeing it with you, Zangetsu. _

From the Garganta stepped forward Aizen, followed by Tousen and Gin, and then by over a dozen Arrancar, only a few of whom Ichigo recognized. _Grimmjow, Nnoitra, Ulquiorra… That's the sixth, fifth and fourth Espada respectively. _He scowled. _Damn it. He didn't bring Yammy along. That means Ulquiorra is still on his side. _

_It is unfortunate, but that is how it is. _

"It looks like he's brought just about all of his Espada and their Fraccion," Ichigo murmured loud enough for his side to hear. "Yammy isn't, though. He's probably still in Hueco Mundo to fight the taicho you sent there."

"So this is indeed the final battle," Yamamoto rumbled.

Aizen smiled. "Ah, it seems you've performed an interesting trick, replacing Karakura with a cheap replica. It's no matter… I'll simply have to travel to Soul Society and make the King's Key there." His smile grew just a fraction more. "After, of course, my forces eliminate you all."

"Should we go after the leader first?" Iba asked his taicho, Komamura.

Komamura shook his head very slightly. "No, Aizen's powers are one-of-a-kind. We should take out his forces so we can concentrate on him."

"Only problem with that is that we have no guarantee that Aizen won't interfere with our fights with the Espada," Hitsugaya reminded them all, Rangiku agreeing softly.

"If Aizen's powers work off hypnosis, then perhaps we should make it so he cannot see the world around us to use its effect," Ishida pointed out, trying to analyze the situation.

"Everyone, please move back," Yamamoto told everyone. Everyone did so just as Yamamoto's reiatsu suddenly skyrocketed, forming an aura of flame all around him. Everyone working to protect Karakura, aside from Kyoraku and Ukitake, widened their eyes in mild surprise that their commander was making the opening move. The soutaicho's wooden staff dissolved, revealing a simple katana under the wood with a purple handle and a circular hand guard. "Reduce all creation to ash… Ryuujin Jakka." The sword itself erupted into flame, and an inferno raged around Yamamoto, making everyone jump even further away. He wasted no time swinging Ryuujin Jakka, sending an enormous wave of fire at Aizen.

Less than a second later, Aizen, Tousen and Gin were surrounded by a sphere of flame, but the Arrancar were untouched.

"Joukaku Enjou," Yamamoto spoke, satisfied as he resealed his sword. "Aizen won't be getting out of there for a while. Now, to crush them."

Ichigo stood agape, in awe of Yamamoto's sheer destructive power. _Such terrifying power… And he doesn't even look winded! He didn't even use Bankai! Just how strong is he?_

He didn't realize he'd uttered his thoughts aloud until Kyoraku was by his side and quietly answering his question. "Yama-jii is the oldest Shinigami in Soul Society, and he wields the strongest fire-type Zanpakuto, Ryuujin Jakka. You'll find that most older Shinigami do not use their Bankai unless absolutely necessary, preferring to rely on their Shikai. It is considered a mark of high skill to have Bankai, but even higher to have Bankai but never have to use it."

"It was considered a very big deal when you demonstrated your ability to break three lieutenants' Shikai with nothing but your bare hands with no apparent effort," Ukitake continued where his friend left off. "That's usually a strong indicator that you have the ability to defeat a low-level taicho if you master your Shikai. It's very likely that one day you will be as strong as Yamamoto-soutaicho. And if you continue to progress at the rate you've shown, that day will come sooner than you think."

Ichigo's attention was once more redirected to the opposing force when one of the Arrancar, presumably an Espada, began to speak. He was noticeably old, but solidly built, rather stocky with white hair being held back by his bone fragment, which was in the shape of a five-pointed crown. He also had a thick white moustache, and his face was lined with scars, including one over his right eye. The Espada wore a white leather coat, with a black fur lining, but the coat had very short sleeves, revealing the Espada's muscular arms and golden wrist-bands.

"What do we have here?" the Espada asked, with a note of curiosity in his voice. "Our enemies are numerous, and the boss is stuck in there…"

"I think you underestimate Aizen, Barraggan," another Arrancar responded. This Arrancar was a dark-skinned woman, with short messy blond hair. To Ichigo's minor embarrassment, her Arrancar outfit was oddly cut; it covered the lower half of her face, and extended down so only a significant portion of the lower half of her breasts was covered. There was also a zipper, and Ichigo thought for a second that her power involved seduction of some sort. Her sleeves extended all the way to her hands, which were covered in black gloves. Her Arrancar leggings had no changes from the norm worthy of note, and she wore her Zanpakuto horizontally on her upper back.

"And I think you underestimate me, Harribel," the now-named Barraggan answered indifferently. He snapped his fingers, and six of the Arrancar proved themselves his Fraccion by quickly coming to attention and unveiling a throne of bone out of nowhere. Barraggan seated himself. "With the boss unable to move, I'll be giving the orders," he announced, before narrowing his open eye and adding darkly, "You better not have a problem with that."

"Sure, why not?" a tall Arrancar with mid-length wavy brown hair, and a necklace made from his Hollow mask remnant of a lower jaw, said lazily right before being kicked in the leg by a young-looking girl whose horned mask had a stump on the left horn. "OW! What're you doing, Lilynette?! That hurt!"

Ichigo sweat-dropped. _If I'm not mistaken, that's an Espada. Maybe Espada Dos, since that Barraggan guy took control easily. And he's being kicked around by his Fraccion? _

Apparently Ishida was thinking similar thoughts. "How shameful."

His thoughts were echoed by another young-appearing Arrancar, with three pink stars above her left eye. Her Hollow mask, a set of upper teeth, was held in a comb-like fashion in her short black hair. Seeing the girlish attributes, including the pretty face, Ichigo and company were a little surprised to hear a boy's voice come out when the Arrancar said, "Jeez, an Espada being picked on by his own Fraccion?"

"Shut it, Luppi!" Lilynette barked.

"Make me, Fraccion! Oh, SORRY, I forgot that I'm an Espada and you're just Starrk's puppy!"

"Know your place, Luppi," Barraggan ordered. "You may be an Espada now that a position opened up, but you are merely a Septima Espada, and I am not as forgiving as the boss."

Luppi was very noticeably quiet after that.

"Now, on to business. The boss said that this place is a fake, that it's been replaced with a replica in Soul Society," the old man who'd taken charge mused. "But do we really need to go there?" He gestured towards the pillars. "It's obvious the pillars here are somehow keeping the replica here and the real Karakura in Soul Society. So, what happens if we destroy those pillars?" He nodded to himself. "Findor!"

"Yes, sir." He brought his right hand to his mouth. Somehow, that was a signal for four Garganta to open, one right by each pillar. A large Hollow appeared from each one, lunging for the pillars.

Barraggan sat back in his chair, amused. "We know where the pillars are. These places always have bridges on the north, south, east and west sides. If we destroy the pillars, then the real Karakura will return, and become our battleground."

"Oh shit! They know!" Omaeda, a rather rotund Shinigami that Ichigo vaguely recognized from very early on in his invasion of Soul Society to rescue Rukia, cried out to his taicho, Soifon.

Yamamoto looked on, undisturbed by the events. He opened his mouth enough to say just one word: "Fools." In that instant, the Hollows were destroyed, sliced away by the defenders of the towers. The Espada were highly surprised, and even Starrk looked shocked by the turn of events. "Do you really think that we'd leave such important locations unprotected? I've stationed skilled warriors there."

Ichigo looked on with a smirk. "Come on, did you trade your common sense for power here? Of course the towers are gonna be protected!"

Barraggan scoffed. "Fine. If you have sent ants to protect the pillars… I should send dragons to crush them. Po, Cool-horn, Abirama, Findor…" His toned turned commanding, brutal and ruthless. "Crush them."

"Yes sir!" The four Fraccion Barraggan had named leapt out towards each of the pillars, flickering into Sonido.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Ulquiorra stepped forward, his indifferent expression never changing. "I see you have returned from your Hollow state."

Ichigo scowled, feeling the combined glares and stares of his allies who had not known the truth. "I have, and I am stronger than ever," he replied coolly.

"Is that so?" Ulquiorra shifted his attention to Chad. "Sado Yasutora, you have said that your arms are manifestations of your feelings, your will."

"They are."

"I expect you to show me how strong your feelings are in the coming battle, or I will kill you myself." Ulquiorra's expression never changed.

Chad looked at the fourth Espada defiantly. "Don't worry, you'll see them."

Ichigo glanced at Chad, and hoped he'd be alright. Scanning through the Arrancar, he saw one whose focus was centered upon him. "Got a problem, Grimmjow?"

That seemed to snap him out of it. "Kurosaki!" Grimmjow roared. "Fight me!"

Ichigo gripped Zangetsu with a smirk. "Fine then. Bring it!"

"I'll face whoever wants to fight me," Luppi called out. "Multiple opponents are fine too!" When Rukia, Renji, Ishida and Rangiku all appeared in front of him, the new Septima Espada smiled. "Four on eight, eh? Sounds fun!"

* * *

"He turned into a Hollow?" Yamamoto rumbled angrily. "How can that be?! I can see him right now, and every sense I have says that he is a Shinigami!"

"Ah, Yama-jii," Shunsui began placatingly, "we do know he has Hollow powers not willingly given to him. It's probably an unforeseen consequence… "

"It only lends credit to what I've been saying all along," Soifon insisted. "He became a Hollow. Even if he is a Shinigami today, making him stronger will only make our fight more difficult when he betrays us all and loses control permanently!"

"Soifon, you know that's not fair," Ukitake scolded. "It's not like he joined Aizen or anything. If he had, don't you think Aizen would have used the Hougyouku to keep him in that Hollow form and on his side, rather than on ours?"

"It does prove troublesome," Hitsugaya murmured. "However, I believe Kurosaki Ichigo will not lose to his Hollow again." Yamamoto opened his eyes at Hitsugaya, a silent challenge. The ice-user sighed, and prepared for a verbal chewing-out. "From what I understand of Urahara's explanations, Kurosaki Ichigo's Hollow powers are manifested internally by what he would have been had he turned into a Hollow, much like our Zanpakuto are manifested internally by their spirits. Further, Kurosaki needs to fight what is essentially himself periodically in order to keep himself from degenerating into a Hollow."

"And you did not suspect that Kurosaki Ichigo had become a Hollow?" Yamamoto asked, his words hard as steel.

"I suspected, but Urahara maintained that Yoruichi was training him, soutaicho," Hitsugaya responded smoothly. "Without any evidence, I would rather not cast shadow on anyone who may not deserve it. After all, Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends did Soul Society a great service, did they not?"

"Very well. You have asserted that Kurosaki will not become a Hollow once more. Explain."

"Yes, soutaicho. I can only speculate, but I would presume that Kurosaki's Hollow self fled to Hueco Mundo and underwent Hollow evolution there. If they are anything alike in terms of gaining power quickly, definitely to Gillian, or possibly Adjuchas. If Kurosaki is in control now, he must have challenged and beaten his Inner Hollow at its most powerful yet. He will only grow stronger." Hitsugaya looked directly into Yamamoto's orbs. "Kurosaki Ichigo is not a threat to Soul Society. I concede that he may need watching during those times that he fights his Inner Hollow, but I believe he has proven himself determined and powerful enough to keep that Inner Hollow at bay. Besides, shouldn't we give him some leeway? Advanced Hollow powers might be just the edge he needs to defeat Aizen, and he is the only one with taicho-class reiatsu who has not seen Aizen's Shikai."

"No one can win every fight, especially against himself," Komamura protested.

"Even so, don't we owe him the benefit of the doubt?" Shunsui argued.

"Is this really an appropriate conversation to have at this time?" Ukitake asked with an embarrassed smile on his face. "Aizen and his forces ARE still here." That seemed to bring everyone back to reality, and they turned to regard the assortment of Arrancar.

"Are you quite done, Shinigami?" Barraggan asked, sounding rather irritated. "Good. Now it seems that three Espada have chosen their opponents. Anyone else?"

Nnoitra stepped forward, holding his precious Santa Teresa in front of him threateningly. "I bet not a single one of you can cut me! My Hierro is the strongest of the Espada!"

"Is it just me or does he sound like Kenpachi?" Shunsui murmured under his breath.

Soifon smirked as though she had already won. _I've wanted to kill Kenpachi for a long while; this idiot'll prove a nice substitute. _"I'll take you on!" she called.

"A woman?!" Nnoitra screamed angrily. "Why is it always a fucking woman who accepts my challenges?!"

"Nnoitra-sama, please be careful," a male blond Arrancar with a strange diagonal blue mark on his left cheek asked respectfully. He was slim, with a small bone fragment appearing on his forehead in a circlet. He also wore an eye-patch on his right eye, apparently mirroring Nnoitra's own eyepatch over his left.

"Shut the hell up, Tesla. And don't interfere with my battles!"

"Same goes to you," Soifon warned her lieutenant, Omaeda Marechiyo.

"Taicho!" Omaeda cried out in protest, but acknowledged the order even as he turned to Tesla, readying his Zanpakuto. "Fine then, I'll have to deal with this guy then."

Tesla merely smiled.

Barraggan looked on impassively as the four of them left for a separate part of Karakura, so as not to be interrupted. "Espada Seven through Four have now chosen their opponents. Harribel, Starrk?"

"I don't care, I think I'll wait and see if your Fraccion finish them. Maybe I won't have to do anything," Starrk responded lazily.

"I believe I shall wait as well, Barraggan," Harribel responded. "Not all of us are as bloodthirsty as Nnoitra."

"So be it," Barraggan boomed, carefully paying close attention to how his Fraccion were doing by way of his reiatsu sense.

* * *

Having arrived at the silently agreed-upon spot above the fake Karakura, Ichigo felt the adrenaline coursing through his body in time with his heartbeat, which seemed unnaturally loud to him. Every beat sounded as the beat of a war drum, and with every beat of that drum he felt the primal lust for battle grow within him. With a flash of insight, Ichigo realized why it felt so much stronger now. _We're playing for keeps. He won't hesitate to kill me. _His grip on Zangetsu's hilt tightened. _I've never killed someone who looks so very human, but I can't afford to hesitate. _

"Kurosaki, you humiliated me by injuring my Resurreccion." Grimmjow's solemn voice somehow made itself heard, distracting Ichigo from the sound of his own heartbeat. "Allow me to show you how much stronger I have become!" He lunged at his opponent with Sonido, his spiky blue hair pulled back from the air pressure.

Ichigo blocked Grimmjow's vicious swipe with Zangetsu, though his Zanpakuto buckled under the pressure. "You have grown stronger," the Vizard acknowledged. "But so have I."

"Obviously!" the Arrancar agreed with a bloodthirsty grin even as he leapt back to avoid a decapitating strike from his orange-haired enemy. "Before, that strike would have cleaved right through that pretty cleaver of yours."

Hardening his resolve, Ichigo's eyes glowed blue with spiritual power as he began to spin Zangetsu to his right side, charging a Getsuga for use later; he wanted to save Bankai for when Grimmjow used Resurreccion. "Then it's a good thing you're just a pussy cat at heart."

The Espada saw red. "I'm a PANTHER, you fucking strawberry!" Grimmjow used Sonido to appear at Ichigo's left side, hoping to capitalize on the opening he'd perceived.

Ichigo had anticipated that, however, using Shunpo to disappear and reappear directly behind Grimmjow, swinging his Zanpakuto. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Never let it be said, however, that Grimmjow was slow. He remembered that move quite well, and so he drew his Zanpakuto with all the speed he had and blocked the Getsuga-enhanced Zangetsu with it. In his other hand, however, Grimmjow had charged a Cero, which he then fired at Ichigo.

Ichigo had seen the red glow a moment before the Hollow attack had been fired, but didn't have enough time to fully escape or block the onslaught. The powerful Cero burned hotly against his hands even as he used a Getsuga-enhanced Zangetsu to deflect the majority of it away from himself. As the Cero faded, Ichigo gathered his own attack. "Hado 4: Byakurai," he murmured under his breath, spinning around and throwing out his right hand, pointing his fingers at his opponent so Grimmjow wouldn't see the pale off-white Kido past the fading red of his Cero until it was too late.

It worked. The Sexta Espada had almost no warning before the white-hot lightning pierced him in the shoulder, leaving a hole the size of a nickel; Ichigo had aimed for his torso, but Grimmjow had managed to dodge somewhat at the last moment.

The injury managed to enrage Grimmjow further; before, Kurosaki had needed Bankai to even keep up with him in his un-released state. Now, however, the orange-haired Substitute was somehow scoring hits, cutting him in his Shikai!

Ichigo took in a deep breath, sending what little Hollow reiatsu circulated in his Shinigami form towards his hands to heal his burns slowly; using Kido with burned hands hurt like a bitch. He looked up as he felt Grimmjow's reiatsu spike. "Oh boy, here we go."

"Not again… you will not humiliate me again, boy! Grind, Pantera!"

"And that's my cue," Ichigo muttered. "Bankai!"

* * *

Ulquiorra eyed Chad's two activated arms dispassionately. "Your reiatsu is impressive for a human," he asserted.

"Thank you. I also acknowledge that you must be extremely strong despite your appearance, for you to be the Cuarta Espada," Chad stated.

"Indeed." Ulquiorra paused, cocking his head to the side. "I invite you to strike me with your most powerful technique on me. You are at your strongest now, yes?"

"I am."

Ulquiorra nodded. "And I am at my weakest. I am not in Resurreccion, and my sword is sheathed."

"Why do you want me to do this now?" Chad asked.

"To show you the meaning of despair. No human can defeat me," Ulquiorra stated as though it were fact. "However, it also serves a second purpose. We must both recognize that under normal circumstances, a human would be hard pressed to defeat even the most basic Hollow, correct?"

"Given that humans typically cannot see them, and do not usually have the necessary strength or knowledge of how to defeat them, yes…" the empowered human agreed tentatively.

"You have said that your power comes from your emotions. More specifically, your faith in your grandfather's preachings for your right arm. Your attack will provide excellent data for how much your emotion affects the strength of a human. Out of curiosity, what does your left's strength come from?"

"… My will to attack."

"I see," the Cuarta Espada acknowledged. "And how strongly do you wish to attack me, to inflict pain upon me?"

"At the moment, not very strongly at all," Chad confessed easily. "Right now, we are having a civil conversation."

Ulquiorra nodded slowly. "I believe I can understand that. Does the fact that I am here to destroy your town and sacrifice it for Aizen-sama make any difference?"

Chad felt a flash of anger at the reminder. He said nothing, but the Arrancar saw the change in Chad's body language.

Pursuing the lead, Ulquiorra decided to push the subject. "I wonder what will happen to all the souls that are sacrificed to create the Hougyouku?" he mused. "I suppose they will be erased from existence."

Chad's eyes widened. _Keigo… Tatsuki… Everyone… _

"Allow me to provide a bit more incentive, Sado Yasutora, to wish to attack me. If you fail to injure me, I will personally remove your arms from you and force you to watch your comrades be sacrificed to the Hougyouku and removed from the cycle of reincarnation," Ulquiorra promised.

That did it. Chad's rage could no longer be controlled. He dashed forward with all the speed of his Paso del Viento and slammed his left hand, blazing with power, into Ulquiorra's diaphragm. "La Muerte!" he cried out, creating an imprint of a skull with his reiatsu all around the Cuarta Espada, before punching Ulquiorra directly in the face with El Brazo Dereche del Gigante. "El Directo!" An incredibly powerful blast rocketed out from his right arm, an order of magnitude stronger than his normal blasts.

Ulquiorra went flying, but swiftly recovered, only to find Chad had used his speed technique to be once more in his face. "La Muerte!" Chad repeated, but this time his left arm found itself blocked by Ulquiorra using both hands to hold his wrist.

"That was… impressively strong, Sado Yasutora," Ulquiorra stated with a cough. Chad noticed with some satisfaction that the Espada had coughed up a minor amount of blood.

"Thank you, but I'm not done yet!" Chad's right arm slammed into Ulquiorra's head from the side in a truly brutal right hook, which made Ulquiorra stagger just long enough to for Chad to complete his earlier technique. "Like I was saying, La Muerte!" Chad's left fist struck in a picture perfect uppercut. "Die!"

Ulquiorra was sent flying once again, but he used Sonido to reappear behind the empowered human. "How astonishing." He paused to spit out some blood. "I would never have expected any human to be able to injure me, even in this, my weakest form… Your emotions, combined with your power, make you this strong?" He shook his head. "If you master yourself and your power, you will truly be a force to be reckoned with. However, it is time for me to teach you… the true meaning of despair." He drew his sword. "Bind, Murcielago."

* * *

Luppi looked around, seeing his four opponents – Ishida, Rangiku, Renji and Rukia. "There's no way you can win against me, you know."

"And why is that?" Rangiku asked, drawing her sword fluidly, ready to release it at any time. Her actions were mimicked by her fellow Shinigami, while the lone Quincy among them summoned his bow.

"Yeah, if you can't be beat, then why aren't you the Primera Espada?" Ishida pointed out with a smirk.

"Fuck you!" Luppi yelled, inordinately angered by the barb, before suddenly smiling again and leering at Rangiku. "Speaking of, perhaps I will save that big-boobed one for later." His smile grew. "Yeah, that's gonna be fun. Unlike that girl who looks like she hasn't hit puberty yet. I mean, seriously, you look like you're flat as a washboard! Wouldn't want you if Aizen-sama paid me for it. Oh, SORRY!"

Rangiku felt a very sudden urge to take a scalding shower, feeling very dirty having her enemy's eyes on her that way. Meanwhile, Rukia's eyes twitched as both Renji and Ishida backed away, feeling her reiatsu spike with a murderous intent. Only Renji could see that his long-time friend was muttering something. Straining his ears, he could barely hear…

"…flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man." That was enough for the tattooed Shinigami; Rukia was probably using either Soukatsui or Shakkaho. But her next words confused him. "Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six."

_What? _Renji thought to himself, confused. _That's the incantation of Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro. _

"Aw, did I hurt your feelings?" Luppi asked mockingly, drawing his sword and waving it at the girl, seeing Rukia's quiet talking and mistaking it as talking to herself. "Well, who the fuck cares what one flat-chested bitch thinks?"

Renji, however, heard Rukia continue. "On the wall of blue flames, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens." Rukia looked up and glared at the Espada before them. "Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro!"

Luppi , caught by surprise, found himself bound by the six rods of light, unable to move. "What the hell?!" he demanded.

"I'm not done yet!" the ice-wielding Shinigami cried out. "Hado 63: Soren Soukatsui!" Blue flames gathered at the end of her palm just before she thrust it towards her opponent.

Luppi, seeing the Kido blast swiftly approaching, and bound as he was, knew he had only one option. He was just glad he had drawn his sword earlier. "Strangle, Trepadora!"

* * *

And there we go, another chapter! Next chapter will have a lot of fight scenes! And reappearance of the pushed-beyond-the-edge Chad. *shiver*

I've been trying to make everyone fight people they didn't in canon, except for the Grimmjow and Ichigo fight that everyone saw coming. Chad's specialty is brute strength, so I figured he could at least hurt Ulquiorra in his unreleased form. Especially with his extra speed to help. Ichigo's grown enough that I really think he could take on Grimmjow's unreleased form with his Shikai, if with difficulty.

And yep, Luppi's made an appearance. Considering Grimmjow never lost his arm, and the sudden opening in Espada means that Luppi got the Seventh position, not the Sixth. Of course, he's gonna get his ass kicked.

Like I said earlier, having some trouble compiling the first chapter of Zanpakuto arc... and felt inspiration for this chapter.

Read and Review!


	16. What Makes Us Hollow

OK, ok, before you all barbecue me for taking so long on this guy, I've been busy, and as a reward for your patience, this chapter's a bit longer than usual.

When it's been a while between updates, I like to do a quick review on what's happened previously in the story in recent events... So here we go.

Recently on A Protector's Pride

Ichigo's Hollow, Cazador de la Luna, won one of his bimonthly fights with Ichigo, and took control. Ichigo's body that of an Arrancar, and they went to Hueco Mundo where Cazador did some leveling up, first to Gillian, then to Adjuchas. While still a Gillian, he fought Nnoitra to a standstill and learned Sonido, Cero, and opening a Garganta.

Cazador did have some initial trouble, however, with releasing his full power; as an Adjuchas, he could not use Bankai as he had in Ichigo's Inner World. The reason for this, Zangetsu explained, was that Bankai was a Shinigami-only skill, and as a Hollow Cazador had to use Resurreccion. He acquired that ability after Ichigo woke up in his own Inner World. As it turns out, any Hollows that are eaten by Cazador appeared in the Inner World for Ichigo to take down in order for Cazador to gain their power. This only further served to remind the two of them of their symbiotic nature.

Ishida Uryuu, as part of his training as a Quincy, recently fought his father and learned of the ability to shoot arrows with only a single hand. He also revealed the existence of Quincy silver tube techniques, an equivalent to Shinigami Kido. However, Ishida Ryuuken won the battle and proceeded to heal his son. Upon recovery, Uryuu immediately began training himself to gather and fire arrows with only a single hand.

Inoue and Chad were confronted by Ulquiorra in the middle of the Dangai, the barrier world between Soul Society and the human world. After a brief conversation, Inoue volunteered to be held captive in Hueco Mundo. Chad quickly sought out Uryuu, and the two of them successfully persuaded Ryuuken to let Uryuu go. After a futile attempt to garner allies from Soul Society, they rushed through the Garganta that Urahara opened for them to rescue Inoue.

Meanwhile, in Hueco Mundo, Cazador de la Luna (and by proxy, Ichigo) met with Nel and her companions, Pesche and Dondochakka. After a brief argument, Nel was finally informed as to her past identity as Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, former Espada Tres. Shortly thereafter, they were informed of Inoue's capture, and was given a deadline to appear before Aizen if he wanted Inoue to live. After an ironic argument where Ichigo wanted to rush in and save her and Cazador advocated patience and logic for not going, Ichigo offered a deal. They would fight again. If Cazador won, he could keep Ichigo's body forever. If Ichigo won, he would retake control and they would return to bi-monthly fights as usual. Cazador couldn't resist, and they fought, with Ichigo the ultimate victor by realizing that he could use Cazador's power within the Inner World. With that victory, Cazador also granted Ichigo the use of his Adjuchas mask, revealing that there are levels of mask usage, much like there are levels to a Zanpakuto.

Control regained, Ichigo immediately called on his Gillian level mask to open a Garganta straight to Urahara's shop, where he met up with Rukia and Renji, who had snuck back to help Uryuu and Chad. The three of them dashed back into Hueco Mundo and caught up to their friends.

However, no one accounted for Inoue being able to break out by herself, using her Koten Zanshun to slice open a door from Las Noches, and then her Santen Kesshun for flight back to her friends. She was pursued, however, by the Noveno Espada, Aaroniero Arrurrurie. Aaroniero had disguised himself as Shiba Kaien, Rukia's past lieutenant, and a brief pseudo-reunion later, he was attempting to kill them all. Rukia made the battle one-on-one, however, by making it a fight for pride. She successfully killed him with the power of her third dance, San no Mai: Shirafune.

Aaroniero had a partner, however: another Espada named Zommari Leroux. Zommari kidnapped Inoue, but was pursued by Ichigo and Ishida. Ishida displayed his new growth by revealing that his speed using Hirenkyaku now rivaled Ichigo's own in Bankai. With that in mind, Ishida fought Zommari on his own while Ichigo returned to their friends with Inoue. Ishida countered Zommari's power of Amor with the Quincy technique of Ransotengai, before encasing the Espada in a block of Quincy stone and piercing his head with a powerful piece of Quincy equipment called a Seele Schneider.

Returning to the human world, the group met up with almost the entirety of the Soul Society's power. Save for Zaraki Kenpachi, Unohana Retsu, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, and Kuchiki Byakuya, all the taicho were present, and almost everyone thus far in the series with a Shikai or better was there.

Yamamoto encased Aizen, Gin and Tousen in a barrier of fire using his mighty fire Zanpakuto, Ryuujin Jakka. With their leader unreachable at the moment, Barraggan took over the reins. Nnoitra and his Fraccion challenged Soifon and her fukutaicho. Grimmjow chose to re-engage Ichigo to make up for the loss of his pride earlier. Ulquiorra, however, decided to fight Chad. Four of Barraggan's Fraccion moved to fight the tower defenders Ikkaku, Yumichika, Kira and Hisagi. Luppi, the new Septima Espada, decided to fight Rukia, Renji, Rangiku and Ishida all at once. The other Arrancar made no move to fight just yet.

New Terms!

Nigeki Kessatsu - Death in Two Steps. This is Suzemebachi's special ability; piercing a spot on the opponent's body releases some of the Zanpakuto's special venom, and creates a Homonka - see below - that serves as a target. By hitting the same spot again, the venom is activated and kills the enemy without fail.

Homonka - a butterfly-shaped target that is created by Suzemebachi during the Nigeki Kessatsu. Several of these can be held simultaneously on the opponent's body. While originally, the Homonka would fade over time, Soifon has increased her power and control enough that they last indefinitely.

Utsusemi - Cicada. This is a special Shunpo technique originally created by Yoruichi. This technique involves going so fast with Shunpo that the user leaves an after-image, which may even appear to take damage. This may be very similar to Zommari's pre-Resurreccion ability of creating Sonido clones.

Rosa Blanca - Charlotte's technique; it cuts off all sight and reiatsu sensing between those who are within the technique, and those who are outside of it.

* * *

Chapter 16: What Makes Us Hollow

Grimmjow growled ferociously at Ichigo, Resurreccion against Bankai. "I'm going to rip you to shreds!" he promised with a psychotic grin that reminded Ichigo of Cazador de la Luna.

"Just try it, kitty-cat," Ichigo taunted, wasting no time spinning Tensa Zangetsu by the chain on his finger to charge up another Getsuga.

Grimmjow roared at the insult, but Ichigo was thrown off balance when he _felt _the roar create a shockwave in the air he stood upon. The Espada lunged at him with all the speed of his Resurreccion, trying to take advantage of Ichigo's being off guard. Ichigo quickly leapt out of the way, though it was a close thing; Grimmjow was noticeably, but not overwhelmingly, faster than the Shinigami.

_Last time, I needed the mask to keep up… _Ichigo's frown settled firmly upon his face. _No. I don't need the mask for this. I do not need to rely on my Hollow powers for every fight! _He felt Zangetsu's approval at this thought, which only further solidified his stance. "Is that it?" he asked in as bored a tone as he could manage.

Ichigo found himself blocking a strike from Grimmjow's right claw with Tensa Zangetsu, but he quickly knocked his opponent back with the pent-up Getsuga Tenshou. At the same time, however, Ichigo had gotten a brutal kick to the side, pushing him into the side of a building. Grimmjow caught the Getsuga with his elbow blades and was pushed into another nearby building, but a moment later he forced the attack to dissipate.

During his opponent's momentary distraction, Ichigo was not just standing and waiting; trying to finish it quickly, he decided to give Kido a shot again. Knowing he couldn't afford the incantation, the Vizard attempted the most powerful Hado at his disposal: throwing out his left arm, palm facing the quickly-recovering Grimmjow, he cried out, "Hado 63: Soren Soukatsui!" The blast struck true, and Ichigo tried to peer through the smoke to see his enemy.

"Bit slow, aren't ya, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Ichigo used Shunpo just in time to evade being disemboweled by Grimmjow.

He reappeared several meters away. "You used Sonido to evade that Kido," Ichigo realized with a scowl.

"You're fast, for a Shinigami." Grimmjow's scowl matched Ichigo's. "Pull out that damn mask of yours, I want to fight you when you're at your strongest!"

"Not a chance, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow looked incredulous for a moment, and then furious. "You're going to fight me, and you hope to kill me… with a fucking handicap?! Don't insult me!" He took a bracing stance, with his left foot behind him, and raised his right arm.

Ichigo couldn't help but notice the blades that curved upwards from the Arrancar's elbows and knees. He was caught by surprise, however, when from the elbow blades came several small projectiles. His surprise didn't keep him from using Shunpo repeatedly to evade the absurdly-fast darts. When explosions sounded from behind him, Ichigo was not surprised at all; instead, he tried to take a leaf out of Byakuya's book.

Ichigo Shunpo-ed right behind Grimmjow, watching for the whip-like tail, and stabbed backwards just as Byakuya had done to him so long ago to destroy his borrowed powers from Rukia so Ichigo could not interfere with her execution in Soul Society. Mentally slapping himself for getting caught in memories in the middle of battle, Ichigo refocused on Grimmjow. Unfortunately, his distraction had cost him; the tail managed to deflect Tensa Zangetsu, so Ichigo used the momentum of his stab to push himself away, narrowly avoiding a vicious swipe from Grimmjow's claw.

However, he hadn't seen the Sexta Espada charge up a Cero in his other hand, which came hurtling at him like a rocket. It was too close to dodge; the orange-haired Vizard was forced to bring Tensa Zangetsu to bear and sliced down on the Cero. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

The Cero and the Getsuga raged against each other for several moments before the Getsuga was engulfed by the raging red of the Cero. Ichigo shielded his body as best he could, hardening his reiatsu to take as much damage as it could.

When the Cero faded, Ichigo's hands and arms were burned once again, and there were tears in his Bankai outfit, but he was ok. "You're really pissing me off," he muttered, right before his instinct screamed at him.

Just in time, Ichigo spun and managed to catch Grimmjow's right claw by the wrist right in front of his face. "Put on your damn mask!" Grimmjow demanded.

Ichigo glared at the Espada, but even as he opened his mouth to respond, both of them were distracted by the distinct ripping sound of a Garganta opening. They looked, and Ichigo's eyes widened. "Nel!"

"Nel came to see Itsygo!" the child ex-Espada said with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

Her Fraccion, Dondochakka and Pesche, saw Grimmjow and immediately jumped in front of her. "Nel-sama, we might want to leave… it looks like Ichigo is busy…" Pesche tried to reason.

Grimmjow's face slowly gained a smirk as he realized what a card he had on his opponent. "So, you care about that girl?" He used his free hand and jutted his elbow out at them, sending several explosive darts at them.

_Fuck, no choice! _Releasing Grimmjow's hand, Ichigo Shunpo-ed between them and in a fluid motion, ripped his Gillian mask into place adorning his face, pure white on the right side of the mask, thick red stripes on the left. _**"Getsuga Tenshou!"**_

The darts were all obliterated by the massive crescent attack, and Grimmjow barely managed to Sonido out of the way with wide eyes. "You weren't nearly that strong before!" he protested, gazing past the mask into Ichigo's Hollow-like amber eyes.

"I-I-Itsygo?" Nel stuttered, beginning to feel fear as she realized that she had just dropped into the middle of a fight that felt disturbingly like a fight between two Espada. The Vizard's reiatsu was overwhelming, especially so up close, and it was beginning to spark old memories… Nel could feel them, feel the block inside her crumbling swiftly. Then, the reiatsu became too much for her, and she fainted, Dondochakka catching her.

"_**You wanted the mask? Now you've got it!" **_Ichigo appeared behind Grimmjow, Tensa Zangetsu practically oozing with black reiatsu. Grimmjow used Sonido to evade a swing that would have permanently removed his legs from his torso, but realized belatedly that he'd received a serious slash to his back. His spine had been spared, thankfully. _**"What's wrong?" **_Ichigo taunted, spinning Tensa Zangetsu at his side once more to charge up another Getsuga. _**"Where's your cocky fucking grin, Grimm-chowder? Is little old me too much for you?" **_

Grimmjow had no chance to reply, as Ichigo had suddenly thrown his sword at him, covered in the black reiatsu of the Getsuga Tenshou. As he narrowly evaded the incoming Zanpakuto, the Espada barely blocked Ichigo's fist with his own claw. In that moment of contact, he saw Ichigo jerk back on the chain he held in his left hand. Realizing what it meant, the blue-haired Arrancar brought his whip-like tail up and attempted to catch Tensa Zangetsu, only to feel the Getsuga burning and cutting through his tail like a dark flame hiding daggers. Using Sonido at the very last moment, Grimmjow barely managed to escape with a deep slice to his back and tail, watching as Ichigo caught his sword.

"_**Giving up already, coward? You who demanded to face this demonic power of mine… STAND UP AND FIGHT ME!" **_Ichigo bellowed.

Grimmjow had two very conflicting urges at this point: first to flee from the Shinigami-Hollow hybrid who could and would kill him, and the second to lunge at the being who would call him a coward. He never liked to admit this, but he knew he was no match for this monstrous Hollowified form of Ichigo. "How?" he asked aloud, hating the fear that leaked into his voice. "How have you grown so strong, so quickly?"

"_**Shinigami and Hollow are two sides to the same coin," **_Ichigo intoned. _**"Black and white. Light and dark. One is meaningless without the other to fight against, but what happens when they work together? I have fought and bled to win both my Zanpakuto, and my mask, my Shinigami and Hollow power. I have grown strong because I have never stopped fighting, because I have loved ones to protect." **_He glared at Grimmjow, pointing the glowing Getsuga-enhanced Tensa Zangetsu directly at his head, and Grimmjow regretted attempting to kill the brat of an Arrancar. The Espada half expected a spear to lunge out of Ichigo's Bankai sword and kill him in an instant, much like he'd seen Ichimaru Gin use his Shinsou. _**"Tensa Zangetsu here wants you to die just as badly as I do. Give me a good reason to spare you." **_

_Protect… _That gave Grimmjow an idea. "Fine then. You've proven your strength. It's not shameful to lose to the man who will take down Aizen. And I'm not really loyal to Aizen anyway. How about I make sure those three Arrancar you were protectin' just now don't get hurt during the invasion? I'll be their bodyguard, because you can't protect them and kill that bastard at the same time. Just make damn sure Aizen's dead when this is all said and done. When everything's over, I'll go back to Hueco Mundo and stay there."

Ichigo paused. _That's actually… not a bad deal. _He lowered his sword, keeping the Getsuga in Tensa Zangetsu just in case. _**"One more thing; protect Urahara's shop down there." **_He proceeded to point it out. _**"I have others down there that need protection, and that is our healing location. Are we agreed?"**_

Grimmjow swallowed his pride visibly. "… Fine, I'll bring those Arrancar down there and protect the place. In exchange, you let me go free after this battle, and I stay in Hueco Mundo." _As far away from you as possible. _

"_**Good. But know this, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez! If you fail to protect them, I will hunt you, tear you limb from limb, then have a friend of mine destroy your soul utterly! No chance at reincarnation, no rebirth; you'd be removed from existence itself." **_Ichigo's Hollowified voice grew lower and even more threatening as he continued, his mask's mouth opening and closing with Ichigo's natural mouth, giving him the distinctly Hollow double-mouth effect. _**"Am I understood?" **_

Grimmjow swallowed hard at those words; how could he not? His eternal existence was being threatened, not just his life. "I understand…. Kurosaki Ichigo."

The Vizard finally dispelled the Getsuga from Tensa Zangetsu, reabsorbing the reiatsu. Removing his mask to conserve any potential time limits, and to keep his allies from attacking him, Ichigo nodded towards the Espada. "Don't forget." He turned towards his friends and saw that Nel had collapsed. He shared a look with Pesche, both worried. "Pesche, Dondochakka… follow Grimmjow. Take Nel to get healed?"

"Right." For once, Pesche was deadly serious. They left swiftly.

Ichigo turned away, forcing down the guilt he felt as he Shunpo-ed away.

* * *

Luppi's Resurreccion, at first glance, seemed to do little, despite having broken the Bakudo that held him enough for him to get away from Rukia's Hado 63: Soren Soukatsui. The only thing that had changed on his body was a strange shell-like object on his back with eight holes. However, when the object sprouted eight enormous white tentacles, everyone understood what his earlier comment of "Four against eight" meant.

"It'd be foolish not to use our Shikai at this point," Rukia suggested. "We have no idea how strong those appendages are."

"Right then. Howl, Zabimaru!" Renji's Zanpakuto became his segmented thick chain-sword, and he swung it towards Luppi to get a feel for his strength. Luppi blocked it easily with just one of his tentacles, and Renji recalled Zabimaru to his hand, which he then used to block another tentacle that Luppi had sent at him. This tentacle had reshaped its ending into a spike, so Renji had to focus extra reiatsu into keeping Zabimaru from breaking.

"Growl, Haineko!" Rangiku's Zanpakuto dissolved into a cloud of ash, which she directed at Luppi, trying to take out the tentacles at their source, but immediately found herself caught up in one of Luppi's deceptively strong appendages, completely wrapped up and at his mercy. She concentrated on cutting the tentacle off to free herself.

However, Rangiku was beat to the punch when Ishida punched through the tentacle with one of his powerful arrows. He used Hirenkyaku next to her and used a Seele Schneider to cut through her binding, freeing the busy Shinigami from her bondage.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" With a spin, Rukia's sword transformed into its glistening white released form, its ribbon trailing in its wake. Shunpo-ing to a spot underneath Luppi, she swung her sword horizontally, summoning Sode no Shirayuki's icy power. "Some no mai, Tsukishiro!"

Luppi, who was unaccustomed to moving while in his released form, found himself completely caught by surprise when a pillar of ice formed around him. However, he could still control his tentacles to an extent, and used them to smash open the frozen prison. Before Luppi could do anything more, he saw and felt Ishida repeatedly piercing and cutting his tentacles with dozens of arrows, keeping him from using them to ensnare his foes again.

With a frown, Luppi focused more of his power into the tentacles, covering them with spikes and using them as armor as he sent three of them after the Quincy, sending Ishida into bursts of Hirenkyaku to evade.

However, Rukia had an idea. "San no mai: Shirafune," she intoned quietly, reforging her sword with the ice crystal remnants of her Tsukishiro. She lunged at Luppi, and predictably, he blocked with one of his tentacles. Rukia smirked as she felt her sword push past the spiky armor and begin to freeze the tentacle, the ice rapidly advancing towards Luppi himself.

"What?!" Luppi quickly hardened his reiatsu and fired a Bala at his tentacle where the ice had not yet touched, sending the frozen part to the ground while re-growing the appendage. "Nice trick, you flat-chested bitch."

Rukia glared at him before taking on a stance. "Tsugi no mai: Hakuren!"

Luppi, Septima Espada, was many things, but stupid he was not. He used Sonido to get out of the way of the wave of ice, even though it tired him; he had grown his tentacles to extreme lengths, and the extra mass made it difficult to use the high-speed technique without his own Resurreccion slamming into him.

However, his preoccupation left him easy pickings for the rest of the team. Several powerful arrows were shot from Ishida, forcing Luppi to use his extra limbs for blocking them. Meanwhile, the ash from Rangiku's Haineko quietly engulfed him, and then with a fell stroke, burrowed into the thing on Luppi's back and completely destroyed it, removing Luppi's tentacles from him. Renji used Luppi's shock to wrap him up in Zabimaru's blades, and Rukia Shunpo-ed in front of Luppi, Sode no Shirayuki poised to stab him in the head.

"In case no one's ever told you this… you're a spoiled brat." And with that, Rukia's sword pierced Luppi's head, freezing him solid nigh-instantly before he shattered.

"Now that that's over and done with, let's go help the others on the towers," Renji suggested. Nodding, the four of them split up to aid the four Shinigami on the towers.

* * *

"It doesn't matter what you look like, I'm going to rip that scrawny head of yours from your fucking shoulders!" Chad promised, seeing Ulquiorra's new form.

The Espada had sprouted giant black bat-like wings. His mask remnant had also changed, now centering over his head, with two large horns extending to his sides and in front. Ulquiorra's sword had changed shape, now taking the form of a simple javelin, and his hair had grown longer. "Prepare yourself, Sado Yasutora."

Acting on instinct, Chad raised his right arm in a blocking maneuver, just in time to block his opponent, who had seemingly materialized right in front of him. Wasting no time, the empowered human lunged out with El Brazo Izquierda del Diablo, powering up La Muerte.

To Chad's surprise, the attack connected firmly against Ulquiorra, imprinting the skull pattern upon him and the air around him. _He should have been able to evade that, given the speed he was going earlier! _But it was only now that Chad realized that Ulquiorra appeared completely unharmed.

"Your attacks can no longer hurt me," Ulquiorra said calmly, confirming Chad's fear. "How does that make you feel?"

"… Angry," Chad growled, charging up power in both fists.

"Ah yes… exchanging rationality for power," the bat-like Espada murmured, recalling his first encounter with Ichigo and his friends. "I cannot fault you for the effort; you are quite strong, stronger than many high-level Hollows. But your power is not sufficient to harm me at this level."

"You forget… my anger manifests in my will to cause you pain!" Chad bellowed, rushing in with his Paso del Viento and plunging his fist into Ulquiorra's face. "La Muerte!" He lashed out with his right arm and struck Ulquiorra in the mouth. "El Directo!"

Ulquiorra was sent flying, but he swiftly recovered before giving his opponent a measuring look. "An interesting tactic. If my Hierro is too strong, weaken an already weak area first and then attempt to blast through. You attempted to weaken the Hierro around my face, and then fired one of your strongest blasts at my mouth, trying to destroy me from the inside out."

"No. I just wanted to take your head off," Chad admitted.

"Regardless, you succeeded in hurting me, however slightly, in this form. I would normally utilize my next level of power at this point, but I do not wish Aizen to know of it. I will do you the honor of defeating you at this level."

"You can try," the shaggy-haired human said darkly, getting in his battle stance.

"I will make this quick. Your emotions are a strength for you, but they are also a liability that you cannot afford." Ulquiorra raised a hand, and a Cero formed, but this one was pitch black, seeming to absorb all light. "This is my Cero, my Cero Oscuro."

Chad readied himself, but was surprised when the Espada pointed it at Ichigo, who had just seemingly beaten Grimmjow. "No!"

Somehow, Chad executed a faster Paso del Viento than he'd ever managed before, and materialized between Ulquiorra and Ichigo just as the emotionless Arrancar fired his deadly attack. He held his right arm, the stronger in defense, in front of him and braced it with his left, trying to endure the piercing, agonizing attack. Normally, a Cero would simply explode against its victim or pierce through it, but Chad had coated his arms with as much reiatsu as he could, keeping the Cero at bay. However, he could feel the armor on his arm begin to crack and peel, and his reiatsu was depleting dangerously quickly; it was only a matter of time before it was completely overwhelmed and he was vaporized.

_Abuelo… _Chad thought in prayer. _I'll see you soon in Soul Society, I hope. I had hoped to survive this confrontation, but if I had to die, I am glad it was to protect my nakama. _Without warning, he felt a pulse of reiatsu from deep within him, and it flowed over his right arm. To Chad's astonishment, it was taking another shape. _My arm's evolving NOW?! _

Within seconds, Chad's arm had finished its next evolution. He wasn't able to look at it properly, given his preoccupation with the Cero that was still trying to dig its way into him, but Chad could tell that his shoulder extension had disappeared, and the armor on his forearm had formed a shield of sorts. The shield rounded from the fist to the middle of his forearm, but then had parallel edges that made the shield extend further than his elbow before ending abruptly.

Chad felt the newfound power of his newly-upgraded arm, and instinctually channeled it towards the shield. He roared his strength and pushed with all his might, managing to deflect the Cero upwards towards the empty sky. He fell to one knee, barely able to keep afloat using the air-walk technique.

"I am impressed, Sado Yasutora."

The human with Hollow-like powers wearily looked up at Ulquiorra before pushing himself to his feet. "I… will… protect them," Chad wheezed, out of breath.

"And so you have," Ulquiorra confirmed. "You have more than proven how your emotion grants strength when you need it. To think that a human could deflect a high-level Espada's full-power attack… I appear to have underestimated the power of the human spirit. Nevertheless, you are out of power and barely able to stand. How can you protect them now?"

"I don't care how hurt or vulnerable I am… I made a pact with Ichigo, a pact that we would fight for each other and always watch each other's backs. Ever since that day, where he risked his life to help me protect something more precious to me than my own life…" Chad steadied himself and got into a fighting stance. "I refuse to break that oath, Ulquiorra Schiffer. Not for you, not for anyone."

* * *

"Your teeth are chattering."

Soifon's words to Omaeda acquired his attention as he forcibly retook control of his jaws, combating the fear that swelled within him from his first real fight in a long, long time.

Before he could speak, though, Soifon continued. "You're pathetic. I can't even stand to look at you. Are you afraid to die? Then this is a good opportunity. Let me handle these two, you go off and die doing something else."

"W-W-What're you talking about?" Omaeda stuttered at first, but gained steam quickly. "I'm not scared, I'm not going to run, and I'm definitely not going to die!"

"Then don't."

"I wasn't going to, even without your orders!"

Several meters away, standing off against the taicho and fukutaicho, Nnoitra scoffed. "Your opponent looks like a fat weakling, Tesla."

"He does, Nnoitra-sama."

"I'm not sure which I would rather fight myself," the Espada mused. "I'm sick and fucking tired of fighting women, but even she promises a better fight than that fat-ass."

"Please allow me to take the weakling, Nnoitra-sama. I know you despise fighting them most of all, and then you can prove to the woman that they have no place on the battlefield," Tesla reasoned.

Nnoitra seemed to consider, then grinned. "Sounds good. Oi! Woman! We gonna fight or what?!"

"Impatient, aren't you?" Soifon called out. "Very well." She drew her Zanpakuto and held it in a one-handed reverse grip, so the blade itself extended back towards her elbow. Nnoitra drew his enormous weapon, and after a brief pause, they lunged at each other in tandem.

Nnoitra's weapon threatened to behead Soifon in her first attack, but she ducked underneath, taking advantage of her short stature to get within Nnoitra's guard. "You're careless," she mocked as she ripped open Nnoitra's stomach…

…or tried to. Her Zanpakuto dragged across the Espada's skin, creating several sparks, but somehow Nnoitra remained unharmed. Barely managing to keep her surprise in check, Soifon narrowly evaded Nnoitra's counterattack through a flash of Shunpo.

"Surprised, woman?" Nnoitra asked with a cocky grin. "I cannot be cut! I have the strongest Hierro of all the Espada!"

"… Interesting," Soifon remarked coolly. "If my sword cannot cut you… then my sword and resolve must first be strengthened." She brought her sword up to eye level. "Sting all enemies to death, Suzemebachi!" Her Zanpakuto glowed yellow, before reshaping itself onto her hand and arm, forming a black gauntlet with gold decorations. Where it ended at her wrist, there was also a golden chain that linked the gauntlet with a thin, stinger-like blade that encompassed her middle finger and extended to twice her finger's length.

Nnoitra stared for a moment before beginning to laugh. "That puny thing is your weapon?!" he asked incredulously. His mirth turned in an instant towards anger. "How can you possibly expect to kill me with that tiny blade?!"

He was shocked, however, when he heard a voice from behind him. "You talk too much." Unable to block in time, he attempted to dodge. As a result, he was stabbed in the left side of his back, and Nnoitra felt his opponent's blade push slightly into his muscle.

Glancing at he had least seen Soifon, he was unsurprised to see the space empty. "You're very fast," he spat out angrily. _How DARE she?! No stupid woman can just cut me like that without consequences! _He very purposely ignored how that very thing had happened countless times before from his former superior. "How were you able to cut me now when you were not before?" he asked, giving his regeneration ability time to work. He was unable to see the butterfly-shaped mark appear on his back.

"My Zanpakuto's power is condensed into this stinger, and combined with my own skill in Hakuda it allows me to use my specialty: Nigeki Kessatsu. All I must do is pierce my enemy in the same spot twice. The first time creates a very easy to spot target, a Homonka. The second kills you." She took a ready stance. "With such power concentrated in such a small blade, how could I not cut you? I must admit, however, that your Hierro is quite tough… I nearly wasn't able to push even a little bit of my Zanpakuto's venom into you."

For the first time in a long time, Nnoitra knew fear; a woman who had no respect for her rightful place in life, with the power to kill him so easily. Then his fear turned to anger, then to rage. "I'll KILL you!" he howled as his reiatsu flared. "Pray, Santa Teresa!"

"So this is Resurreccion…" Soifon observed, carefully keeping all her senses peeled for the inevitable attack from within the smoke-like reiatsu that hid Nnoitra from sight. Suddenly she was cut in half from a scythe that whipped out from within the smoke.

Nnoitra was about to laugh out in victory, until he noticed that the Shinigami taicho was not there any longer; only the haori that marked her as a taicho was left, its two halves fluttering down in the currents of air. Recalling Soifon's words, and not willing to chance dying before he could even put up a proper fight, he used his upper left arm and its scythe to block the point where Soifon's strange weapon had touched previously.

"You are too slow to truly match me," Soifon announced, and Nnoitra whirled around to see the woman he was quickly growing to loathe standing easily, calmly even, atop a nearby building. "You are unable to see past my Utsusemi technique. You are unable to even catch me with your weapon."

"And you cannot hurt me with yours!" Nnoitra countered. "In my Resurreccion, I'm stronger, faster, and far more difficult to cut!"

"I see. Assuming you are right, then we are at an impasse. However…" Soifon began gathering her reiatsu and focusing it to her arm and Zanpakuto. "… I do not believe you are capable of defeating me!" She dashed at the four-armed Arrancar, Suzumebachi practically buzzing in her ears in its desire to kill.

Meanwhile, Omaeda and Tesla had experimentally clashed a few times, sword against sword. Tesla's sword was slightly odd, however, in that it was a relatively short rapier, and had a chakram built into it just above the hilt. Neither opponent had been hurt as of yet, but both had been preoccupied watching their masters fight.

"Looks like Soifon-taicho is going to kill your Espada," Omaeda taunted, taking advantage of Tesla's distracted state to land a shallow cut to his right arm.

For the first time since they entered the fight, Tesla looked somewhat strained and worried. "Then it appears I must defeat you more quickly, so I may aid my master. Crush, Veruga."

Omaeda watched, impressed as Tesla's sword vanished and he began to grow taller, larger, until he resembled a heavily muscled reddish brown giant, with a warthog mask, and yellow mane and furred legs. Without waiting for the Shinigami to ready himself, Tesla attempted to crush him with an enormous palm against the ground.

The fukutaicho narrowly dodged. "He's slow, but strong… my kind of fight." He gripped his Zanpakuto. "Crush, Gegetsuburi!" His sword glowed and reshaped itself into a large spike ball on a long chain, looking very similar to a flail. Without hesitation, he hurled it up at Tesla's face, successfully hitting his mask and breaking off the left tusk.

Tesla roared in pain; the mask was a Hollow's weak point, and that transferred over to even Arrancar. "Die!" he demanded, punching with all his might straight down at Omaeda, who dodged easily. Despite being overweight, Omaeda was still fast enough to evade such a slow punch. Swinging Gegetsuburi above his head by use of his chain, Omaeda leapt up and flung his weapon directly into Tesla's left eye; the giant size of the Fraccion ensured that the mask's eyehole was large enough to accommodate.

Tesla screamed in agony as the spiked ball pierced his eye and destroyed it. Unable to see any longer, he blindly swiped at Omaeda, who barely had to move to dodge as he pulled back on the chain, recalling his Zanpakuto. "You fatass!" Tesla insulted, breathing heavily as he tried to regain his calm. "How did you do this so easily?!"

"I am Onimitsukido," Omaeda intoned gravely. "You are simply too slow to hit me, and present too large a target to miss." Focusing his reiatsu, he used Shunpo to appear directly in front of Tesla and once more threw his Zanpakuto with all his might. Gegetsuburi shattered Tesla's mask, and punched right through his head, killing him instantly. "Now to go help Soifon-taicho."

* * *

Meanwhile, the forces that had not yet squared off against their opponents frowned; they had felt Ichigo's already monstrous reiatsu grow even higher, and turn very Hollow-like earlier, but now he seemed to have powered down, and his opponent's reiatsu was still there. So when Ichigo used Shunpo to appear next to his allies, he was met by frowns and scowls alike. "Why is your opponent not dead, Kurosaki?" Yamamoto demanded.

"Grimmjow's not really loyal to Aizen," Ichigo explained quickly. "In exchange for his life, he's agreed to protect Urahara's shop, where Inoue is standing by to heal anyone who needs it."

"Not a bad trade, eh Yama-jii?" Kyoraku commented lazily. "A Hollow protectin' that place allows us to save our energy for our fights."

"And how have you bound him to that promise?" Hitsugaya queried.

"I threatened to sic Ishida on him and destroy his soul entirely after I hunt him down and make him beg for death," the orange-haired Vizard answered grimly.

Yamamoto's eyes widened somewhat, showing his surprise for a brief moment before returning to his normal posture. "… An effective threat, then."

The ice-wielding captain of the 10th Division looked at Ichigo questioningly. "Kurosaki, I understand you became a Hollow. Did anything good come of that?"

"I gained a couple Hollow powers," Ichigo answered Hitsugaya after a moment. "I've only used Garganta, but I should be able to use Cero as well. I did notice my masked state was much stronger than the last time I faced Grimmjow." He jerked bolt-upright, sensing a sudden dangerously extreme drop in reiatsu. "Chad!" Before anyone could stop him, he was gone.

Ulquiorra stood over Chad, with no traces of any wounds on his Resurreccion form. Chad, on the other hand, was panting for breath, on his hands and knees on a building as blood pooled beneath him. He'd fought hard, despite being drained of reiatsu, but ultimately to no avail; Ulquiorra was just too fast and too resilient. "Chad, I'm here," Ichigo told him fervently as he kneeled down next to his best friend. "Let's go get you healed up, ok?"

"Ichigo… he's strong," Chad whispered, coughing up more blood that joined the pool of blood on the building even as he allowed Ichigo to help him up. "Be careful! His Cero Oscuro is… beyond powerful."

"Got it." Ichigo Shunpo-ed away with Chad, taking him to Urahara's shop. "Inoue! Help Chad, I've gotta get back out there!"

Inoue snapped to attention and immediately called upon her fairies, silently creating a Souten Kisshun field around Chad, who obediently lay down. "You'll be ok, Chad-kun."

Ichigo, seeing that everything was taken care of, Shunpo-ed back to where Ulquiorra was waiting. "Here we are again."

"Indeed," Ulquiorra agreed.

"No chance I can convince you to turn away from Aizen then? Never got a chance to fight Yammy."

"No. However, your friend, Sado Yasutora… he has become quite strong. And his reiatsu is strange, it is as though I can taste his emotions on the air," Ulquiorra told Ichigo. "He surprised me in that he was able to mildly injure me in this form using his most powerful attack and a clever strategy, but my regenerative abilities and high speed kept him from landing more than glancing blows afterwards."

"So, now what? You've got what you were looking for, right? A better understanding of a human's emotions?" Ichigo pointed out.

"Indeed, I have learned much with my interactions with Sado Yasutora. However, there is still more to learn." Ulquiorra took a battle stance. "Come, Kurosaki Ichigo. Show me your own will to protect, your own will to attack."

"I'll show you more than that," Ichigo promised, reaching up to pull on his Gillian mask once more, continuing to speak as he did so. "I'll show you _**my instinct." **_He glared up at Ulquiorra through Hollow amber eyes that glowed eerily from within the mask, spinning Tensa Zangetsu by the chain once more as he flared his reiatsu to its fullest, making Ulquiorra's eyes widen nigh-imperceptibly in surprise. _**"Prepare yourself, Ulquiorra!"**_

"As you wish, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Suddenly the air was saturated even further with reiatsu, this time from Ulquiorra, before Ichigo made the first move and dashed forward, a black Getsuga emanating dangerously from his sword. _Let's take him down, Zangetsu! _He felt Tensa Zangetsu thrum in his hand, and then he was thrown into combat.

* * *

Kira Izuru, with the help of Ishida, had Avirama Redder on his knees, his head bowed. Kira calmly walked to the eagle-like Fraccion, Wabisuke in his hand. Ishida floated alongside him on a platform based on his Hirenkyaku.

"How?" Avirama asked as he struggled to move any part of his body. His name suited him; his body was almost completely covered in blood red feathers. The only parts of his body not covered in plumage were his tattooed chest and his face, upon which a large beak had formed. He had also sprouted enormous wings, and his feet had reshaped into talons. "What did you do to me?"

Kira indicated his released Zanpakuto. "My sword, Wabisuke, has a unique ability to double the weight of anything I strike. While Ishida-san fought you in aerial combat, I snuck in and struck those feathers of yours over and over again. If your feathers had been as light as normal feathers, I would have been helpless."

Realization dawned upon Avirama's face as everything made sense. "But my feathers are metallic and heavy, made to slice anyone I swoop past. Such an underhanded ability."

"Underhanded?" Kira shook his head. "There is nothing underhanded about it… oh yes, you feel that fighting is meant to be heroic and exciting."

"Yes, and to fight makes the blood sing! It is fun, and honorable!" Avirama agreed. "There is such a rush of adrenaline, the glee of combat, the triumph of proving yourself stronger!"

"… I cannot feel that way. My division, Squad 3 of the Gotei 13, has the marigold as our symbol. It embodies despair. War is ugly and depressing. There is nothing exciting about it. We fight to live. War is full of despair, full of sorrow and darkness. People fear war for that reason. Out of all the Zanpakutos there are, I feel that my sword that best represents that philosophy." He held his sword up to the light, showing its strange shape. It was a straight blade up to a point, where it bent to a perpendicular angle, and again several inches later to run parallel to the first part of the blade. The sharp edge was on the inside of the hook-like shape, while the outside was blunted. "Raise your head, Wabisuke. That command is so fitting to my division. When I strike you with my blade, I double your weight, again and again until all you can do is kneel, no longer able to stand. No longer able to even lift your sword. And then Wabisuke's power forces you to bow your head, as if in apology. And that is why it is called Wabisuke ('The Penitent One')."

He stood over the helpless Avirama and gently but firmly brought his sword to go around the Fraccion's neck so the inside edge, the sharp edge, was directly against his skin. "W-wait!" Avirama pleaded.

"A warrior… does not beg for his life." And with a tug, Kira beheaded the Arrancar.

"An interesting philosophy," Ishida commented. "Seems to be counter to Squad 11's."

"Of course," Kira agreed. "Most squads have their own philosophy. Squad 3's is despair, Squad 2's is efficient dispatch, Squad 11's is the love of fighting . By having contrary philosophy's working together, we are able to take in all kinds of Shinigami and have them work together."

They paused as they felt a heavy, oppressive reiatsu fill the air. "Kurosaki!" Ishida recognized.

"Kurosaki Ichigo is the owner of this reiatsu?" Kira asked, surprised. _It feels so much like a Hollow's!_

"Yeah, but be prepared for even more," the Quincy warned, looking to where he felt the reiatsu coming from. "He's facing Ulquiorra, Quarta Espada."

Then the reiatsu intensified as Ulquiorra released his own reiatsu. Kira nearly had to fall to his knees, as he gasped for breath. Ishida, seeing Kira's impairment, grabbed him and used Hirenkyaku to move them both further away.

As Kira recovered, Ishida Uryuu looked towards his rival once more, struggling with his emotions. _How is it that you're still so much further than me? _He gripped his bow tightly. _You've gotten so strong, Kurosaki Ichigo. And you'll only grow stronger, while I am bound by my vow to give up the life of a Quincy as soon as this conflict is over, _he thought bitterly. _No, Uryuu. It is good that Kurosaki has grown so strong. That way you can entrust him with the protection of our comrades after all this is done. _

But no matter how many times he told himself that, Ishida still felt the bitter jealousy circulating, gripping his chest with its icy tendrils.

* * *

Ayesagawa Yumichika finished off Charlotte Cool-horn's Resurreccion with the true form of his Shikai, Ruri'iro Kujaku, from within the Arrancar's Rosa Blanca technique. Ruri'iro Kujaku manifested as several vines that wrapped around the opponent and drained the captive's reiatsu, using it to make several flowers slowly bloom. "I have to thank you again, Charlotte Cool-horn," Yumichika commented easily. "Without your Rosa Blanca technique to hide us from all sight and reiatsu sensing, I would not have revealed my true Shikai."

"Why didn't you use it outside?" Charlotte asked, defeated. His Resurreccion had changed his clothing primarily, giving him white underwear that connected to a pink mini-skirt, and a white crop top with extended shoulder pads, which had a pink cape. His bone mask had reformed into a tiara which settled just in front of his curly hair that he wore down to mid-back, and he wore white disk-like bracelets. Given Charlotte's muscular frame – he had the form of a very masculine body-builder, all his muscles clearly defined – he looked like an especially disturbing cross-dresser.

The Shinigami paused for a moment to reflect before answering. "I am a proud member of Squad 11, and that squad prides themselves on having pure melee Zanpakuto. Having a Kido type, like my own, would get me kicked out. So I disguised my Zanpakuto, by giving it a nickname. You see, my Zanpakuto's favorite color is azure (Ruri'iro), and its least favorite is wisteria (Fuji). By calling him Fuji Kujaku, he pouts and doesn't show his true power, instead manifesting as what you saw earlier, four identical sickle-like blades held on a hinge at the hilt."

Charlotte smiled. "I see now… your Zanpakuto is beautiful, in both its forms."

Yumichika repressed a shiver; while he freely admitted he liked feeling beautiful, and he personally felt that Ruri'iro Kujaku was equally so, having Charlotte compliment them felt like the cross-dressing Arrancar was hitting on him. "Yes, yes he is," he agreed, watching the flowers attached to his Zanpakuto's vines slowly bloom, draining Charlotte's energy. "And now, die in your own technique."

With that, the flowers fully bloomed, and Charlotte slumped over, dead from having all his reiatsu drained. He quickly began to disintegrate, until the Fraccion was gone. Yumichika quickly resealed his Zanpakuto before the Rosa Blanca completely faded, thereby hiding Ruri'iro Kujaku's true nature.

"It's about time you got out of there," he heard. Turning around, he found Kuchiki Rukia waiting impatiently. "I came to help, but couldn't break into whatever that technique was. Is your opponent dead?"

Yumichika glanced backwards at where Charlotte had died. "Yes, he died a beautiful death."

Rukia shook her head; she'd never understand Yumichika and his obsession with beauty. "Never mind that. We should take turns protecting the pillar."

"Sounds lovely. How has everyone else done?" He glanced around; it seemed that Kira had finished, as had Hisagi… Renji appeared to be finishing off Ikkaku's opponent, who was presumably in Resurreccion judging from the enormous whale-like form. Even as Yumichika watched, Hihio Zabimaru unleashed a Higa Zekko, disassembling into its segments, which leapt at the Arrancar and stabbed him in several places, including his head. Seeing that the Fraccion was finished, he looked for and found Ikkaku, who appeared to be heavily injured, nearly unconscious. While he was annoyed on Ikkaku's behalf that Renji had taken over his fight, Yumichika was glad that his friend was alive.

Glancing towards the other two towers, Yumichika noted that Kira had teamed up with the Quincy, Ishida Uryuu, and seemed uninjured from his fight. Hisagi and Matsumoto looked as though they had finished a few minutes prior. With a flash of Shunpo, Yumichika appeared next to Ikkaku. "You still alive there?"

Ikkaku coughed out some blood. "Yeah… I'm alive. Remind me to kick Renji's ass later."

"Right," Yumichika agreed, pulling Ikkaku up and supporting him as best he could.

"You should take him to Urahara's shop," Rukia suggested. "Inoue's there, and her special healing ability will get him fixed up in no time."

Thanking her for the suggestion, Yumichika took his comrade down to the shop. That taken care of, Rukia met up with Renji, who had resealed his Zanpakuto back into Shikai form. "You alright there, Renji?"

"I'm fine. Not even injured," Renji reassured her. "My opponent was strong, but slow." He looked his childhood friend over real quick, assessing her reiatsu and looking for potential injuries. " You didn't fight at all?"

"No, Yumichika was trapped in some technique that kept him and his enemy isolated from the outside. I couldn't break in." Rukia looked worriedly in the direction that she felt Ichigo's Hollowified reiatsu coming from. "Do you know who he's fighting?"

"Ichigo?" Renji shook his head. "Can't tell for sure, but I'll bet you anything it's an Espada."

The ice-wielder rolled her eyes. "Of course he is, dumbass. I could tell that simply from the reiatsu."

Renji smirked. "He can take care of himself. Listen, I've got to stay here and continue to defend Ikkaku's pillar while he recovers. The others have returned to theirs, but until Yumichika gets back you should watch over his."

Rukia's face hardened as she nodded, before turning and running back to the appropriate tower, taking on a guarding position.

* * *

Barraggan's face was a reflection of utter fury as his left hand crushed part of his bone throne.

"Oh shit!" one of his remaining Fraccion cursed with wide eyes, sensing Barragan's rising reiatsu.

"Sire, please remain in your throne and allow us to handle them!" the other begged.

Barraggan paused, but he regained his calm expression as he once more sat back. "Kill them. Do not leave a single ant alive, or there will be nowhere for you to return to." He gave his subordinates a piercing, judgmental stare. "Do not disappoint me," he uttered with the weight of a dictator. It did not need to be said that if they did disappoint him, Barraggan would kill his Fraccion himself.

"Apache, Sun-sun, Mila-Rose," Harribel suddenly called out. Three more Arrancar, presumably her Fraccion, rushed to her side. "Attempt to destroy the towers yourselves, but do not interfere with Barragan's Fraccions' battles."

"Yes ma'am!" they saluted, and in tandem all five Fraccion vanished in a burst of Sonido.

"Should we send a taicho along to help out?" Ukitake suggested. "Just in case, of course."

"Who would we send to fight them?" Yamamoto asked heavily. He wanted to reserve his heavy hitters – Ukitake, Kyoraku, Komamura and himself – for the Espada, as well as their Shinigami masters. Komamura understandably wanted to save his strength for fighting his old friend, the traitor Tousen, and it was likely that Hisagi would abandon his post to aid him. Kira would most likely want to fight his old taicho as well, Ichimaru. Yamamoto's attention was split between watching the Arrancar before him, maintaining the fire that separated Aizen, Tousen and Gin from their subordinates, and keeping tabs on Kurosaki Ichigo's fight with Ulquiorra. Speaking of Kurosaki, he hoped that the Substitute Shinigami was capable of finishing the Cuarta Espada and still be able to take on Aizen.

"Maa, I think we should let the towers' defenders take care of themselves," Kyoraku offered lazily. "Like you said, Yama-jii, they are strong warriors, and they have backup now."

"I don't think we're going to get a choice," Hitsugaya said grimly, eyeing the Espada.

Indeed, they were readying themselves for combat. It appeared that everyone save Barraggan was moving to draw their weapons, or simply raising their reiatsu in challenge. "The tower defenders will have to take care of themselves," Komamura growled dangerously, drawing his own sword.

However, just as they were about to split up to fight their battles, everyone stopped when they felt an overwhelming reiatsu wash over them from the direction of Ichigo's battle with Ulquiorra.

The roar of a Hollow echoed in the sudden silence.

* * *

Bum bum bum! What's happened with Ichigo and Ulquiorra? OK, so a few of the fights have already reached their conclusions. But the excitement is just beginning.

OK, hands up, who here laughed when they saw "Grimm-chowder"? I know I did, and I wrote it! I don't know where I came up with it, but it hit me and I had to put it down.

More seriously, however, I had hoped to develop characters a lot more than canon did, so let me point out a few things that came up this chapter.

Ishida's bitterness and jealousy. It's actually quite hard to write him as NOT jealous of Ichigo's inhumanly rapid growth to power. Toss in his oath, and think about his life so far. Ishida has trained practically his WHOLE LIFE to be a Quincy. And now he has to give it all up as soon as the war is over? But Ichigo, the comrade and the rival, gets to ascend to ever higher levels of power. Ishida's very logical, but he doesn't have experience with the emotion of jealousy. He has no idea how to handle it.

Chad's dark side. I do believe that Logan said it best in X-Men 3. "Control? You know, sometimes when you cage the beast, the beast gets angry." Chad caged his beast for the better half of his life, thanks to his Abuelo's teachings. While this may work for those who never want to release it, Chad must periodically release his in order to fight his best to keep his promise to Ichigo. This is ESPECIALLY true with his new arm, El Brazo Izquierda del Diablo. The Chad we see fight Ulquiorra is the result of Chad's partial loss of control over his bestial, or rather, Hollow instincts. However, we can tell from his reaction to Ulqiuorra attempting to use his Cero Oscuro against Ichigo that it was still Chad inside, just one with a fouler mouth, and an obvious desire to rip heads from shoulders.

One of the things that has bothered me for a while about canon Bleach is how a concept is created and then not expounded upon. I mean, take for instance Kira's speech about his division's philosophy. That's canon. So WHY THE HELL didn't we know about this earlier? Or about anyone else's? How about why it was even needed for each division to have a philosophy? So I figured that I could get away with it since I had a willing audience (Ishida).

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the extra long chapter. See ya next time,

~NeoRyu777


	17. Defect

Hey, NeoRyu777 here!

You would not BELIEVE how easily this chapter flowed. I swear, my muse must've gotten one hell of a sugar rush or something, because I've had most of this chapter done for the last couple of days.

Honestly, the only trouble I had was figuring out a title to this chapter.

Anyway, I got a couple of new terms for you!

Ola Azul - Spanish for "Blue Wave". This is Harribel's attack, in which she gathers her reiatsu into the hollow portion of her sword, and then fires it in a blade shape at her opponent. For the gamers who are reading this, think Link from the Zelda games, when he has the sword that can fire freaking energy beams.

Resurreccion: Segunda Etapa - This is Ulquiorra's ultimate transformation, a second Resurreccion form. See the below fight for details.

Hikotsu Taiho - Renji's special technique in Bankai. Hihio Zabimaru is held together by Renji's reiatsu, so when Renji pumps much more into it, the reiatsu becomes quite explosive. A red orb charges within Hihio Zabimaru's mouth, and then fires, much like a Hollow's Cero.

Lanza del Relampago - Lance of Lightning. Ulquiorra's ultimate attack. Upon throwing it, it travels at literally lightning-speed, and then explodes. Only problem is, the attack is so powerful, it's hard to aim.

Bakudo 4: Hainawa (Crawling Rope) - A very low level Bakudo, but highly effective. This technique binds both (or all, in Nnoitra's case) arms to their sides via an energy rope until the Bakudo is broken.

Bount - For those who don't watch the anime, allow me to give a brief history. It comes into play with an argument later this chapter. The Bount were accidentally created centuries ago by a Shinigami named RanTao, who was researching immortality, using the Shinigami's tendency to be extremely long-lived as a base. The result was a spiritually active human race, who stopped aging after their mid-20s, and lived forever. The only problem was, they needed to eat human souls. They used to be quite numerous, but the Shinigami ordered that the incident be covered up, and the majority of them were slaughtered. RanTao managed to save one in particular named Eugene, who eventually came to be known as Jin Kariya. At one point, they created an underground society, and the leaders decided to get the help of the Quincy to return to Soul Society to fight the Shinigami again and take their place. The Quincy and Shinigami worked together and annihilated most of the rest of the Bount, leaving very few, including Jin Kariya. Much later - in Ichigo's time - Jin Kariya and a few very powerful Bount led one final rebellion. They were defeated, and killed, except for one. The last one now resides with RanTao.

Mod-Soul - While I expect everyone here already knows what it is, it's the history of the Mod-Soul that makes a difference in this chapter. A Mod-Soul is a specially modified artificial soul, developed by the 12th Squad of the Gotei 13. They were modified to have an extra-powerful ability when given a body. Kon is one, and has extremely powerful leg strength, giving him quite the kick. They were created because the Shinigami were looking for ways to get extra help against troublesome Hollows. The Mod-Souls were designed to be implanted in recently-deceased human corpses, thus creating a helper to the Shinigami. This project was discontinued upon ethical considerations, and it was ordered that all Mod-Souls be destroyed. Kon escaped through sheer luck, being in his pill form, and was spared upon being discovered by Ichigo and Rukia. In the Bount Arc, Urahara created 3 more Mod-Souls, with special abilities and a way to detect the Bount.

Quimera Parca - This is a shared technique between Apache, Mila-Rose and Sun-Sun. By sacrificing their left arms, they are able to summon a pet named Allon. Please see the chapter's description.

Ouken - King's Key. Aizen is after this in order to open the way to the Royal Realm, and take over as "God".

* * *

Chapter 17: Defect

Ichigo, garbed in his Gillian mask and already in Bankai, refused to let up against Ulquiorra, Tensa Zangetsu clashing against energy javelins that the Cuarta Espada kept generating. His sword was almost constantly raging with the power of a Getsuga Tenshou, which Ichigo suspected was the only reason why he was consistently breaking Ulquiorra's weapons.

If it were as simple as melee combat, Ichigo had confidence that he could win eventually. There were three problems, however. First, Ulquiorra was just too damn fast to make more than glancing blows! _**"HOLD STILL!" **_he demanded, slashing and releasing a silent Getsuga.

"Now why would I do that?" the Arrancar asked him tonelessly as he once more abused his Sonido technique to vanish and reappear a distance away, out of range of the Getsuga. "I have no wish to die just yet."

Ichigo lunged at him, frustrated as he witnessed Ulquiorra's minor wound – he'd managed one on his arm just a minute ago – closed up at a speed comparable to his own regenerative abilities. That was problem number two: Ulquiorra too had high-speed regeneration and just-as-insane levels of reiatsu as Ichigo did, which meant that minor wounds meant nothing and major wounds were only temporary. He'd need to cut off Ulquiorra's head or something equally fatal, and even then the Hollowified Vizard wasn't sure that Ulquiorra couldn't regenerate from that, if only a limited number of times.

As Ichigo flew towards Ulquiorra as quickly as he could, he had to dodge the Arrancar's own attacks; he had a tendency of firing a mixture of teal-colored Ceros and energy javelins at the Vizard. While Ichigo was certain he could relatively easily withstand a Cero, he'd already gotten cut by the javelin before, and Ulquiorra was extremely good at hiding the spears within a Cero. That ability happened to be problem number three.

The result? An extremely annoying battle, one that worried Ichigo immensely. He had no idea how long his Gillian mask would last, and he tried not to think about it, thanks to his Vizard training. _If this battle becomes one of endurance, Ulquiorra will win, _Ichigo thought grimly as he dodged yet another javelin. _Fine then! He wants long range, let's see how he likes ME throwing weapons at him! _

Flipping Zangetsu onto his ring finger and spinning it quickly for a second as he danced around the spears of death, the Substitute Shinigami hurled it at his foe. _**"GETSUGA TENSHOU!" **_he roared with all his might.

"Foolish." Ulquiorra held onto his newly regenerated weapon and covered it in his own reiatsu, using it to simply deflect Zangetsu. "What can you do without your weapon?"

"_**Who says I don't have a weapon?" **_Ichigo breathed, right behind Ulquiorra. He'd materialized his Inner Hollow's Tensa Zangetsu in his left hand, and used his even-more-enhanced Shunpo to reappear behind the Espada. Without hesitation, he viciously slashed at Ulquiorra's back and wings.

Predictably, Ulquiorra managed to turn around in time to blocked with his javelin, but Ichigo merely smirked behind his mask. Somehow sensing that something was off, Ulquiorra suddenly realized, _The other sword! _

Too late. Ulquiorra had been impaled by Ichigo's black Tensa Zangetsu from behind, the blade still raging with a very powerful Getsuga Tenshou as it pierced his right wing and lung. "Urgh!" he grunted, realizing he was in a very difficult position. If he tried to move away, the sword in his back would only open the wounds further. "Clever. You distracted me with that white sword of yours, while you pulled back on the black chain to return that sword to you, while I was in the way."

Ichigo's grin only widened further. _**"Now that I've got you trapped here… it's time to take your fucking head off!" **_The white Tensa Zangetsu thrummed in his hand as Ichigo pumped reiatsu into it to trigger another powerful Getsuga Tenshou.

"… Cero Oscuro."

Ichigo didn't even have time to register what Ulquiorra had said before he found himself being pushed back, his white Tensa Zangetsu battling against Ulquiorra's black Cero. _Fuck, Chad was right! _he realized as the Cero managed to overwhelm his defenses and completely engulfed him.

Thankfully, Ichigo had had just enough time to harden his reiatsu further, to keep from being too hurt; his mask, however, was relatively weak and began to crumble. By the time the Cero was finished, he had only the top-left part of his mask left on him. Further, Ulquiorra had by then disengaged himself from the black Tensa Zangetsu, and was waiting patiently.

"You are quite strong," Ulquiorra complimented as Ichigo irritably yanked back on the chain again, returning his primary sword to his hand. He waited until the Vizard had also ripped the air in front of his face again, regenerating his mask. "That's interesting… I was unaware you could repair your mask. That is quite an advantage you have over most Hollows."

"_**I would imagine so…"**_ _DAMN IT! _Ichigo cursed mentally, knowing he had missed a chance to finish off the Espada. _The wound's probably already mostly healed by now. I need time and a calm mind to figure out a plan… _

_**I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! **_

… _Could this get any worse? _Ichigo couldn't help but think. _I ask for a calm mind, and I get my insane Hollow half. The universe hates me. _

_**Oi, what's going on? **_Before his host could answer, Cazador quickly took stock of the situation. _**Ah, you're fighting Ulquiorra I see! That's probably why I came back so quick… so much Hollow reiatsu in the air. **_

"I did not want to reveal this, especially where Aizen could find out, but I do not see much choice," Ulquiorra said quietly. "You are unexpectedly strong, and I could very well die in this fight if I do not unleash my true form. Pray to whatever you believe in, Kurosaki Ichigo; you will not survive this, the form of true despair."

"_**What the hell are you talking about?!" **_

"Resurrección: Segunda Etapa." At those words, Ulquiorra changed before Ichigo's very eyes. The coat he'd worn in Resurrección seemed to have vanished under the sheer reiatsu of this new form. In mere moments, the Espada's changes completed. His hole had widened somewhat, and was now dripping a black liquid down his front, a liquid that Ichigo suspected was some variant of blood. His waist, legs and arms had covered themselves in fur as black as pitch, and both hands and feet had become more bestial, forming claws and talons respectively. A thin, onyx tail had also grown, but Ichigo could hardly see it as he was preoccupied with the long, slightly curved horns that Ulquiorra's mask remnants had morphed into. The Espada's facial markings had elongated as well, but before Ichigo could make any more observations he was hit by Ulquiorra's extremely dense reiatsu, which had changed somewhat.

And just as the Arrancar had foretold, Ichigo felt despair. _… Shit. _

_**Yeah, that's an 'oh fuck' moment. **_

"I am the only one of the Espada to have reached a second Resurrección form. Not even Aizen has seen it," Ulquiorra boasted, with the tiniest traces of pride detectable in his voice.

_I don't have a choice. Let's see how long this lasts. __**"You're not the only one hiding their true power, Ulquiorra," **_Ichigo whispered. _Cazador, you ready? _

_**That depends. Are you ready to take a level in badass? **_

Ichigo smiled tightly. _Then let's see just how badass we can get. _

Hooking the white Tensa Zangetsu on his pinkie so it wouldn't get in the way, Ichigo slowly reached up for his mask with his left hand. "What are you talking about, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Ulquiorra asked plainly. "You already have your mask, and you are in Bankai. How much more power could you possibly have?"

"_**Enough." **_Summoning Hollow reiatsu to his fingers, he tore the Gillian mask right off his face, only to reveal his Adjuchas mask.

Ulquiorra was taken aback by the sudden and dramatic rise in Ichigo's power, and even more so when Ichigo opened both his and his mask's mouth wide and gave a Hollow roar.

The Vizard struggled to remain in full control of his body; the Hollow's instincts – to kill, to consume all souls in the area – were nigh-overwhelming. _ENOUGH! _He clamped down hard, forcibly taking full control of his body. _Now that that's taken care of, I have an Espada to dismember. Cazador! As your King I DEMAND you dampen the lust to feed on other souls. _

_**As you wish, King! **_Though he'd never tell Ichigo, Cazador de la Luna was impressed at how quickly he'd recovered control; by pulling on the Adjuchas mask, Ichigo was subjected to the raw hunger every newborn Adjuchas feels. They must eat other Hollows near-constantly, in order to keep from degrading back into a Gillian. It is only after the first couple of dozen other Adjuchas they eat that most Hollows manage to focus on a different picture than always eating, and have a little time between feedings.

Cazador had a bit of a buffer on his side when he became an Adjuchas himself; as an Arrancar, he'd kept from using his Resurrección form except when completely needed. As a result, he wasn't using his full power, and needed to eat far less.

Ichigo had no such protection; he was at his full power. With his Adjuchas mask, and both Tensa Zangetsu, the Vizard was unleashing reiatsu that rivaled Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa form. For his liege to master himself and the mind-consuming instinct to eat other souls within seconds, Cazador had to acknowledge that Ichigo's will and determination were quite strong. _**It's moments like this that remind me just why I'm not pissed I lost to him. He's like a freaking force of nature, **_Cazador thought to himself.

_I don't know how long I've got…. _Ichigo reminded himself grimly. _Best make it count! _He lunged at Ulquiorra, both his swords lit up with the destructive light of the Getsuga Tenshou.

Both blades were met by a strange weapon of pulsing, glowing yellow-white energy. It took the shape of yet another spear, but Ichigo could tell instantly that this was on a whole new level of power. Of course, the fact that both enhanced Tensa Zangetsu had been stopped cold by this weapon was also noteworthy.

"This is my Lanza del Relámpago," Ulquiorra introduced. "I don't know how you have suddenly increased your power yet again, or why your mask has changed. But allow me to instruct you in despair. Cero Oscuro."

Ichigo vanished as the attack annihilated the space he'd been in mere milliseconds previous. He reappeared behind Ulquiorra and slashed mightily, only to be blocked once more by Ulquiorra's lance. _**"You must think me a fool to fall for that again!" **_Ichigo raged. _**"Getsuga Tenshou!" **_

Ulquiorra found himself being pushed back by an enormous Getsuga that engulfed his vision; only his weapon held back the destructive moon-fang. It was a few moments before he managed to, with some effort, deflect it upwards; somehow, his opponent's power rivaled his own now, and he would be hard pressed to defeat him.

Taking advantage of the distance his opponent had inadvertently created, Ulquiorra aimed carefully and threw his lance at Ichigo. It flew at speeds that even Ulquiorra had difficulty following; this was his ultimate attack. The Lanza del Relámpago, or Lance of the Lightning, was extraordinarily powerful, and lightning-quick, just like its name. As a result, however, it was extremely difficult to aim.

Ichigo barely registered that he was being attacked, but he didn't get a chance to move. The lance, fortunately, did not hit him directly, but it did tear out a gash in his right arm. _So fast!_ Knowing he couldn't afford to have any part of his body weakened, Ichigo sent a rush of Hollow reiatsu to his arm to mend it, noting but ignoring the explosion that he heard occur someplace behind him.

Ulquiorra frowned at missing with his most powerful technique. "This technique is so difficult to control…" He trailed off when he saw Ichigo's arm heal rapidly. "… I see. So you too have high-speed regeneration," he observed.

"_**Yeah… You do too. We appear to be about evenly matched, wouldn't you say? If we continue to fight, we will only wear each other out," **_Ichigo said, somehow feeling that his Adjuchas mask was still holding strong; he had some time left.

"I agree with your assessment of the situation. Somehow or other you've gained a great deal of power since the last time we met. I find myself curious… just what are you?"

"_**I'm human," **_Ichigo responded quietly. _**"Human, with the powers of Shinigami and Hollow." **_

"I see." Ulquiorra turned his back. The Vizard blinked, and suddenly Ulquiorra was in his pre-Resurrección state, sheathing his sword. "I believe you will succeed against Aizen, Kurosaki Ichigo. My encounter with Sado Yasutora has taught me the lengths to which a human will go, and the power they gain from emotions. I would die facing you, I am certain. My Segunda Etapa form, the form of true despair, had no hold on you. Additionally, I cannot fully control my Lanza del Relámpago. You, however, are my equal with that mask of yours, and have mastered your Getsuga Tenshou. Facing you, Kurosaki Ichigo, would only waste both our time, and you will require all the power you have to fight Aizen." He opened a Garganta with a wave of his hand. "You will see me again." With that, Ulquiorra stepped through his rip in space and closed it behind him.

Ichigo blinked behind the mask before dismissing his white Tensa Zangetsu, which dissipated into spirit particles. _**"Well, that was rather anti-climactic." **_

_**Perhaps, but you gotta admit, for an emotionless guy like him, that was a rather dramatic speech, **_Cazador gave his input.

_Fair enough. _Ichigo reached up and removed his Adjuchas mask… and promptly fell to his knees in midair, gasping for air as his strength vanished and the remnants of Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa reiatsu gripped him with chilling fear. "OK… note to self… powering down so quickly… is a bad idea…" Ichigo panted, slowly recovering as the reiatsu dissipated. Several moments later, he was back on his feet and looking around. He was impressed at the destruction his short fight with Ulquiorra had caused; several blocks had been utterly annihilated between Ichigo's Getsugas and Ulquiorra's various javelins, and there was a rather large crater where the Lanza del Relámpago had exploded. Not for the first time, he was glad that this was merely a replacement town.

_Where to? _Ichigo closed his eyes and reached out with his reiatsu sense; not sensing anyone in particular danger at the moment, he decided to check in with Yamamoto._ After all, suppose I SHOULD reassure them that I'm still here after I went almost completely Hollow… _Not bothering to dismiss his Bankai, Ichigo vanished in flash of Shunpo.

* * *

Meanwhile, Soifon and Nnoitra were leaping around, trying to hit each other in their dance of death. Soifon was far too fast to hit, but Nnoitra was keeping her from being able to hit him by forcing her back with his six scythes. It was a true test of speed versus power. Neither of them had been distracted for a moment by the enormous quantity of Hollow reiatsu coming from Ichigo's battle with Ulquiorra; they didn't really care about anything at this point but the battle, and the reiatsu wasn't so strong as to hinder their movements from this distance.

On her part, Soifon was getting rather irritated. She did not want to unleash her Bankai against such a foe; she was certain that Shikai would be enough. If only she could keep Nnoitra from moving… _That's it! _Soifon could have smacked herself. _Bakudo! _Leaping back out of range, the leader of the Onimitsukido channeled reiatsu to her fingers. "Bakudo 4: Hainawa!"

Nnoitra was so surprised by the change in tactics that he was unable to dodge, and all six of his arms were suddenly entangled, held at his sides. _Shit! I'm defenseless! _He broke the Bakudo in a second, but it was too late.

Soifon had gathered as much reiatsu as she could on short notice into Suzumebachi and struck out! While Nnoitra's Resurrección had cleansed his body of all wounds, the Homonka was still on his back, and that's exactly where she struck, successfully piercing the Espada's tough Hierro. The Homonka began to glow, and then it spread out, swiftly covering Nnoitra's entire body. Soifon quickly Shunpo-ed away from Nnoitra's retaliatory swipe. "It's over."

"NO! I CANNOT BE KILLED BY A MERE WOMAN!" Nnoitra screamed as he felt his body breaking down from Suzumebachi's poison. "YOU BITCH! I'LL COME BACK AND I WILL KILL YOU!" Mere moments later, however, he crumbled into dust.

"… Tch. Pathetic." Noting vaguely that Omaeda had also triumphed, Soifon turned on her heel and promptly Shunpo-ed back to Yamamoto, Omaeda following.

On the way, she was surprised to see Kurosaki Ichigo also heading the same direction, and looking completely unharmed. Silently, they began going side by side, looking for tactical advantage against ambush through safety in numbers. "Keh. I would've thought that you'd be in tatters by now, Kurosaki." _Especially since after almost every fight Soul Society's recorded with you, you need medical attention. _

Predictably, Ichigo turned to glare at her. "You faced the Quinta Espada, Nnoitra, who specialized in brute strength. I faced the Cuarta Espada, Ulquiorra, who specialized in speed and regeneration. Even if I WAS in tatters, you still wouldn't have any room to talk."

"At least I took down my foe with merely my Shikai," Soifon bit out. _Stupid brat, you flaunt that Bankai of yours in every damn fight. You've grown too reliant on it. _"Besides, if there was only one difference in rank, how large could the difference be?"

Ichigo snorted. "How far are you from Yamamoto? He's your soutaicho, which is only one rank from taicho, isn't it? Or would you prefer a comparison of fukutaicho to taicho?"

"Oh?" Soifon challenged.

"Surely you haven't forgotten the day Kuchiki Rukia was to be executed," the Vizard growled. "I took down three fukutaicho with my _bare hands_ in _seconds_, but nearly died fighting Byakuya."

That shut her up.

After a few moments, as they made their next Shunpo jump together, Ichigo sighed. "Listen, I don't know what you've got against me, but –"

"I have several things against you, Kurosaki," Soifon interrupted. "I think you're a security risk. I think it's too dangerous to keep you alive with your Hollow side, especially as you've confirmed you've become a full-fledged Hollow before. I think you're too brash, too arrogant, too young, and too emotional for someone to wield taicho-level power. You don't respect Soul Society law. You resort to your Bankai for every serious fight. You don't respect anyone, and don't hesitate to trample on our pride. I don't like you, Kurosaki Ichigo. But right now you're an asset to Soul Society, and needed to help defeat Aizen. And for that I'll tolerate you. But if Yamamoto-soutaicho ever suggests you need to be eliminated, I will be the FIRST to line up for the job."

Ichigo gave a bitter chuckle. "Typical."

Somehow, that one word got under the taicho's skin. "And just what do you mean by that?!"

The Vizard and Shinigami locked gazes. "I'm saying it's typical of Soul Society to destroy that which it doesn't like. The Bount. The Quincy. The Mod-Souls. Your own Shinigami who, through no fault of their own, acquired Hollow powers. That's your default response, isn't it? Don't like it? Kill it. Doesn't matter if you created it or not. In that way you're no better than barbarians." Ichigo turned up his glare as hard as he could, the reiatsu he constantly leaked becoming denser and heavier with killing intent. Behind them, Omaeda was affected and looked at the Vizard with fear. "I'll tell you the same thing I told Byakuya that day on Soukyoku hill. I gained this Bankai to trample on Soul Society's pride, and to do whatever it took to protect my friends. And I warn you, Soifon, taicho of Squad 2 of the Gotei 13. If you ever come after me or my friends, you will need Yamamoto Genryuusai himself at your side to save you, because I swear I will come at you with all of my power!"

With that, he turned on his heel and Shunpo-ed away from them, choosing to go help his friends over reporting to the soutaicho; he was too angry at the moment to have anything to do with the Gotei 13. As soon as Ichigo was gone, Soifon continued on her way to Yamamoto. She easily dismissed Kurosaki's words against Soul Society. _Tch. The brat's too young to understand why those decisions were made. The Bount were a threat to Soul Society and lived forever only by consuming the souls of humans. The Quincy were a threat to the spiritual balance because they destroy souls. The Mod-Souls were a crime against ethics; we shouldn't just take human corpses and force them to fight Hollows for us. The Shinigami who illegally obtained Hollow powers BECAME Hollows. And everyone understands that we have to purify the Hollows so they can reenter the cycle of reincarnation… _

"… _I swear I will come at you with all of my power!" _Soifon repressed an involuntary shiver of what could only be fear before shunting it to the back of her mind. _None of that will matter if we die today, _she told herself firmly, focusing on the coming fights.

* * *

Renji and Rukia stood back to back, facing off against Harribel's three Fraccion: Apache, Mila-Rose, and Sun-Sun. Apache was of a slight build, very pale with a unicorn-like horn for her mask remnant. Her eyes were two different colors; her right was an icy blue, her left amber. Her hair was a much darker shade of blue, almost indigo, but her Zanpakuto was nowhere to be seen. Mila-Rose, however, was almost Apache's exact opposite. Her appearance was very much like the stereotypical Amazonian – dark-skinned, well-endowed, tall, but obviously quite strong. Her mask remnant was also atop her head, but took the shape of a three-sectioned crown going back over her long wavy hair. An additional part of her mask was present as a necklace, while her Zanpakuto was an extremely large broadsword. Where Apache's outfit was moderately conservative, Mila-Rose had modified it to take full advantage of her breasts' size. Finally, Sun-Sun was quite slender, with long straight olive-green hair that ran down to the middle of her back. There were three pink dots lined vertically on her right cheek, and her mask fragment took the appearance of three hair clips. Her outfit had also been modified, now taking the form of a dress with exceedingly long sleeves that went past the hands, much like the traditional Japanese priestess. Her Zanpakuto had yet to be seen.

The three of them had appeared almost out of nowhere around Rukia, possibly seeing her as the weakest target. Upon seeing this, Renji had rushed to her aid, managing to save her from a Cero to the back from Sun-Sun while Rukia fought Mila-Rose. Seeing as the three Arrancar had already encircled them, the two childhood friends immediately took a back-to-back position, releasing their Shikai.

"Any ideas?" the tattooed fukutaicho muttered under his breath, knowing full well that Rukia would hear him.

"Maybe. Have you mastered that trick of yours? The one you've been working on lately?"

"Yeah, but I don't see how it applies here…" Renji replied, confused.

Rukia allowed a small smirk that resembled Ichigo's own. "I'll provide a few pillars. Think you can handle the rest?"

"No problem."

"What're you two dead Shinigami talking about?" Apache demanded.

"You know, Shinigami are almost always dead to begin with," Mila-Rose teased. "After all, how else would they end up in Soul Society?"

"Fuck you, Mila-Rose! You know god-damn well what I meant!"

"Apache!" Sun-sun scolded. "You shouldn't give them any opportunities. These two are strong and you know it. We might even have to bring out our pet."

The high-strung Fraccion scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"Renji, I'm going to need you to protect me for a little bit," Rukia asked quietly. "What I'm about to do is going to take quite a bit of my reiatsu and concentration…"

Renji nodded, which the diminutive ice-user felt due to their size difference. "I've got your back, Rukia."

She closed her eyes and began calling up as much reiatsu as she could.

"Fuck, she's doing something!" Apache noticed and yelled out.

"We know! So stop her, we're kinda being blocked by her partner!" Mila-Rose replied back. "Sun-Sun, go help Apache, I'll keep the redhead occupied!"

"Oh no you don't! Howl, Zabimaru!" Though his Shikai was already released, Renji couldn't help calling on his Zanpakuto. It was a matter of pride.

To all three Fraccion's surprise, the chain-sword circled around the two of them dozens of times, forming a small protective sphere of blades, guided by Renji's reiatsu. All three Arrancar began hacking at it, and Renji focused his reiatsu into Zabimaru. _Hold on there, partner. Rukia's almost done. _

_Do not worry about us, Renji. We are fine for the moment, as long as they don't begin blasting Ceros at us. _

Unfortunately, after a few strikes Sun-Sun had that exact idea, and after relaying it to her fellow Fraccion, the three charged up Ceros and fired them at once at the same spot on Zabimaru, making it howl and hiss in pain from its ape and snake heads within Renji's Inner World.

"Renji!"

"About time!" Renji called Zabimaru back to its initial Shikai state, freeing them both. "Whatever you're going to do, do it quick!"

"Some no mai," Rukia intoned, but her voice was doubly-layered with something that made Zabimaru stiffen in recognition. "Tsukishiro!" 

Dozens of ice pillars appeared around them in a circle, forcing all three Fraccion to dodge out of the way repeatedly to keep from being frozen solid. Rukia fell to one knee in mid-air. "Go, Renji," she whispered, trying to adjust to the severe reiatsu depletion. _Thank you, Sode no Shirayuki, for your help. _

_Anytime, Rukia. I am glad to help. _

Renji's eyes widened in awe of what he had just observed; Rukia had truly outdone herself there. _Well I'm not going to waste the opportunity! _He shot Zabimaru out towards Apache, who easily dodged. What she didn't see was that Zabimaru had been deflected and redirected by the impact with the ice pillar behind the Arrancar. Now it was subtly aiming towards Sun-Sun, who instinctually realized the danger and dodged as well.

"Watch out!" Sun-Sun warned Mila-Rose, who had her back to the oncoming blade.

From there it became a fun game – for Renji – of trapping the three of them in a cage of Zabimaru's blades. Finally, it was complete was the Zanpakuto's end blade hooked onto one of the previous segments. The pineapple-haired Shinigami smirked as he prepared to pull it tight and shred the three Fraccion. "Gotcha."

"We don't have a choice!" Apache cried out, pulling off her bracelets, which revealed themselves to be chakrams and her Zanpakuto. "Thrust, Cierva!"

"Devour, Leona!" Mila-Rose yelled, for once agreeing with Apache.

"Strangle to death, Anaconda!"

The energy emitted from the triple-Resurrección was enough to push Zabimaru's blades far enough apart for them to escape. Frowning at the lost opportunity, he quickly took stock of their new forms. Apache was now completely covered, from neck to toe, in fur. Dangerous-looking antlers topped her otherwise-unchanged head. Mila-Rose's warrior outfit had dissolved and had been replaced with garments made of Hollow bone that barely covered everything. It consisted of an armored thong, thigh-high boots, gloves that reached her elbow, and two claw-looking pieces that supported her breasts while concealing just enough to remain within the bounds of decency. The bone necklace she had worn had expanded into neck protection, while the crown morphed into a headdress that had long golden hair reaching down to the small of her back. Sun-Sun now resembled a naga, a mythical creature whose bottom half was an extremely large snake, while from the waist up was a woman.

"Shit," he muttered. "Rukia, you alright? Things just got worse."

"You don't say?" Rukia responded sarcastically, but she nevertheless got up to fight. "The pillars are still up. Why can't you just trap them again?"

"I don't mind trying, but I get the feeling that they're too strong to be held by my Shikai any longer," Renji explained.

"Then why not go Bankai?"

"Keh. They're not strong enough to need to go to such extremes. We just need to work together."

"You bastards!" Apache screamed at them. "Mila-Rose, Sun-Sun, let's bring out our pet!"

"Yes, let's," Sun-Sun agreed. Mila-Rose merely nodded.

What happened next stunned Renji and Rukia into silence; all three tore their left arms off and then threw them together a small distance away from them. "Quimera Parca!"

There was a bright light, and the three arms swirled together to form a gigantic being. He resembled a satyr somewhat, as from the waist down he had deer legs ending in hooves, while the torso was that of a highly muscular human. However, the being also had a long snake tail, a deer skull for a mask, and an extremely long mane. He let loose a Hollow scream before charging at Renji with a speed that belied his size.

Renji, on the other hand, was the fukutaicho of one of the fastest Shinigami in Soul Society: Kuchiki Byakuya, who had trained from a young age with the Goddess of Flash, Yoruichi herself. He vanished in a flicker of Shunpo and reappeared behind the monster, swinging Zabimaru to take off the being's head. Incredibly, the chimera bent to the side at an angle that would have made the fukutaicho wince in sympathy in any other circumstance, then twisted and punched. Too close and too surprised to dodge, Renji braced himself as best he could, using his Zanpakuto to block. He grunted with effort, putting all his strength into keeping that enormously strong hand from hitting him. "Rukia! Freeze the damn thing!"

"Tsugi no mai! Hakuren!" Another avalanche of ice erupted from Sode no Shirayuki, engulfing the beast in ice. However, the ice hardly slowed down the monster, which broke free in mere seconds. However, it was long enough for Renji to Shunpo to Rukia's side.

"Heh, you'll never defeat our pet, Allon, like that!" Apache taunted.

"Allon is our ultimate weapon," Sun-Sun cut in. "With all the strength, speed and ruthlessness of an Espada. He's never been beaten."

"Though we haven't really tested him out against any Espada…" Mila-Rose pointed out. "We don't exactly wanna kill our mistress, Harribel-sama, and Aizen-sama forbade us from attacking any other Espada…"

Renji seemed to have garnered the full attention of Allon as they chased each other, Renji often just barely escaping. "Rukia! Some help here?!"

"I'll try, but I'm running low on reiatsu… Bakudo 9: Geki!"

To the incredulous astonishment of everyone present, Allon seemed vulnerable to the Bakudo, freezing in place as he glowed a gentle red, the tell-tale sign of that particular Bakudo. "Let's finish this, Zabimaru!"

Renji's Zanpakuto thrummed in his hand, sharing its master's bloodlust as the Shinigami swung it at the immobile chimera. But suddenly, with no warning at all, Allon broke the binding and rushed at the redhead, easily avoiding Zabimaru's blades. Renji only had time to utter two words: "Oh fuck."

"Hado 63: Soren Soukatsui!"

Rukia's Kido struck Allon right in the head. However, it was only enough to push Allon to the side, just enough for his enormous fist to rip off Renji's left arm instead of punching through his chest. Renji grit his teeth as a wave of pain came over him. _I'm gonna have to go see Inoue… _But when Allon turned his sights on Rukia, Renji knew he couldn't just leave his childhood best friend behind. "No choice, then." He began to glow a fiery red as he gathered his reiatsu. _Let's go, Zabimaru!_ "BANKAI!"

Moments later, the massive bone snake known as Hihio Zabimaru lunged at Allon, successfully snatching him up in its mouth just before he could reach Rukia. "Hikotsu Taiho!" Renji called out. On cue, the reiatsu that held the segments of Hihio Zabimaru together expanded exponentially, glowing the same red as a Cero-like blast began to manifest in the head. What none of them could see was that in the back of Allon's head, hidden by the mane, a single eye opened a charged a Cero of its own.

Hikotsu Taiho met Cero and battled for supremacy. Ultimately, it was when Renji slammed Allon to the ground face-first by having Hihio Zabimaru aim straight down that the Cero's power faded and Renji's technique blasted straight through the chimera. The blast continued and destroyed several building, and there was no doubt that Allon had been completely disintegrated

"They… they defeated Allon!" Mila-Rose breathed in horror.

"Yeah, and you're dead."

Suddenly, all three Fraccion were hit in the head with a spiritual arrow. Moments later, they began to dissipate into spirit particles as well, having been killed instantly. Both Renji and Rukia looked up to see the grim face of Ishida Uryuu. "You two should go get healed up. Renji needs his arm back and you're both running low on reiatsu."

"Where the hell were you?!" Renji demanded, angry that the Quincy had just appeared and killed the three Arrancar only after Allon, the primary threat, had been destroyed.

"Not that it should matter to you, but I was over there keeping the towers safe from various Gillian who had sensed the battles and were coming through," Ishida snapped.

"Renji, Ishida!" Rukia yelled, getting both their attention. "Now is NOT the time for your pointless, testosterone-induced squabbles! There is a war going on! Renji, accept that Ishida was helping out in one of our primary objectives! Ishida, Renji just lost his fucking arm! He's got the right to be angry when to all appearances you hadn't done anything! Now Renji, you and I are going to get healed. Ishida, continue to protect the towers. If you two are going to continue like this I will kick BOTH your asses! Are we all clear?!"

"Yes ma'am," both answered dully as Renji dismissed his Bankai.

"Good. Now let's go, Renji."

* * *

Harribel clenched her fists as she felt her subordinates' reiatsu be extinguished. "Skilled warriors on the towers?" she whispered hoarsely, remembering what Yamamoto had said as she watched the massive bone snake vanish. She turned to go after the ones who had killed her precious Fraccion, and vanished with a burst of Sonido. She arrived where the fight had taken place, only to find no one nearby. There was a single human in white clothing atop one of the towers, who was systematically destroying Gillian as they appeared using a spiritual bow.

The Espada shook her head. _That can't be him. He looks too busy, and he's obviously not a Shinigami whose ability involves a giant snake. _The thought struck her to destroy the tower herself, and Harribel paused for a few moments to consider. She decided against it, however, as she wanted to take personal vengeance on whoever had caused the death of her subordinates, and if she did not pursue immediately, she would not be the one to exact revenge. Harribel's head whipped to the side as she felt Barraggan's Fraccion die, and she sensed that several Shinigami had worked together to defeat them quickly and easily. Noting that they once again returned to the towers to protect them, she shook her head to remind herself of her mission, and began looking for traces of her Fraccions' killers.

She spotted two Shinigami making their way to a building on the ground, and her blood boiled as she realized that they must be the ones who had killed Apache, Sun-Sun and Mila-Rose. _They're heading to a healing station!_ She dashed after them, memorizing their appearances so even if they escape momentarily, she would know them by sight.

The smaller of the two jerked suddenly before turning to look straight at her. Following suit, the redheaded one looked the same way, and a grim realization crossed their faces. Harribel smiled behind her mask and high-collared jacket. _That's right, see your end as I come to take your lives._ She drew her sword from behind her back. It was much wider, and shorter than most swords, but the truly unique aspect as that it was completely hollow inside. It consisted of nothing more than the edges and hilt. Her sword in hand, Harribel lunged at the two…

…only to be blocked by another sword, one very familiar sword. "Grimmjow?! What do you think you're doing?!" she demanded.

"Kurosaki had me beat, was about to kill me, but then offered a way out. He agreed to spare my life if I protect that building and whoever is inside. Something tells me he would count anyone trying to get there, and nothing personal, and I can't die just yet," Grimmjow explained.

"Traitor! I'll cut you down!" She jumped back and channeled her reiatsu into her sword, making the hollow inside become filled with her yellow reiatsu. "Ola Azul!" She brought her sword down in Grimmjow's direction, and the blade-shaped reiatsu launched itself at the Sexta Espada.

Grimmjow grimaced as he realized that if he dodged, the building he was sworn to protect would be damaged, and he couldn't afford that if he wanted to survive past today. He fired a Bala at the attack, which successfully decreased its power and deflected it away. While he felt he was on par with the Cuarta Espada, Ulquiorra, he knew that until he proved that, Harribel as Espada Tres would remain out of his league. _If I can't win against Ulquiorra, I know I can't win against Harribel. But I must survive so I can grow stronger! _There was only one option, so Grimmjow reluctantly swallowed his pride. "Please, Harribel, can't it wait until the ones you want come back outside? I can guaran-damn-tee they will, because they wouldn't be able to stand not being able to help their friends."

"They killed my Fraccion!"

Grimmjow honestly could not see why Harribel cared for her Fraccion so much; his own Fraccion had been cowards, the lot of them, giving up on their dreams of Vasto Lorde. However, it was as good a reason as any for vengeance, he supposed. "So you want revenge? Fine, then! But wouldn't your vengeance be so much sweeter if you crushed them while they were at full power? To make them see that it didn't matter what they did, they had lost the moment they faced off against you?

Harribel stopped in the middle of casting another Ola Azul, hit by the possibility Grimmjow's words offered. They made a kind of poetic sense. _They destroyed my Fraccions at full power, the least I could do is do the same to them. _She sheathed her sword. "Very well, Grimmjow Jaegerjacques! Tell them when they come out that I await them where they killed Apache, Sun-Sun and Mila-Rose."

"I don't think you'll get that chance." Harribel spun on her heel to see someone she had not seen in a long time. There was a woman, garbed in a torn two-piece olive green outfit. She had long, blue-green hair and her mask fragment was the front part of a skull with a pair of curved horns similar to a goat's. There was a crimson line reaching across her face directly underneath her eyes, across the bridge of her nose.

"Nelliel Tu Odelschwank!" Harribel breathed. "But, how? I was told you were lost!"

"I was," Nelliel agreed. "I was betrayed, Tia-chan. Nnoitra and Szayel attacked me from behind, and damaged my mask. I lost most of my reiatsu, and reverted into a child form with amnesia. My faithful Fraccion, Dondochakka and Pesche, took care of me." She shook her head. "Just earlier today, we came across an Arrancar named Cazador de la Luna. Later, we found out that he was the Inner Hollow of Kurosaki Ichigo, who was very kind, and refused to strike me or my friends down. I came to see him during his battle with Grimmjow, but in my child form I was unprepared for the intensity of such a fight, especially when Kurosaki Ichigo had pulled on his Hollow mask. The enormous surge of reiatsu, right next to me, forced open my memory block, and I collapsed from mental strain. I woke up in that building you are trying to attack, thanks to a wonderfully kind human with a gift for healing. Somehow, she had repaired my mask, and with that I regained my old form, with all my old power."

"I am glad you are recovered, Nelliel, and I understand that you owe your recovery to these people. But they killed my Fraccion! Tell me you wouldn't do the same if yours were killed!" Harribel shouted.

"I cannot," the former Espada Tres admitted. "But you must put the blame where it truly lies, Tia-chan. Who is responsible for their death? Would the ones you seek have killed them if your Fraccion hadn't attacked them first?"

"I don't know. Does it matter?"

"Very much," Nelliel insisted. "You must understand, Tia-chan, that the Shinigami and humans here are merely defending this town, and their own lives."

"But Aizen-sama needs this town to create the Ouken!"

"And why does he need it?"

"To ascend to the Royal Realm, and become a god."

"And there was no other way?" Nelliel questioned. "Of course there was. Aizen looked for the original Ouken for a long time in Soul Society. The best he could find were the instructions on how to make a new one, and that only the soutaicho knows where it is. All he would have had to do is become soutaicho, and then he could have ascended without causing all this needless violence and death." She shook her head sadly. "You know I abhor fighting, even when I know it is necessary. I cannot help but hate Aizen for causing so much pain and death and forcing us to fight. He betrayed Soul Society, his own comrades. He forced several of us to submit through sheer might. He refused to punish the ones who betrayed ME, and even promoted them! Is it any wonder that the Shinigami refuse to simply lie down and die? No, Tia-chan, the Shinigami are not responsible for your Fraccions' death. Aizen is!"

The two Espada Tres looked at each other in silence – Nelliel waiting for Harribel to say something, the latter struggling to digest her predecessor's words that held the ring of truth. "Why then?" Harribel finally asked. "Why did you serve Aizen-sama if you knew this?"

"What choice did I have? I desired to live, and Aizen did use the Hougyouku on me, for which I will forever be grateful. And I admit, for a time Aizen did have my loyalty. But I have seen him for who, no, what he is now. Aizen is a monster beyond that of any Hollow."

"Nel? Is that you?"

Both Espada Tres turned to the side, where they saw Kurosaki Ichigo, currently in Bankai, looking at the blue-green-haired former Espada incredulously. "Ichigo!" Nel promptly tackle-glomped him, sending Ichigo tumbling to the ground. "I'm so glad to see you're ok! I was worried when I woke up that I wouldn't have a chance of help you!"

Ichigo blinked and tried to keep from turning too red; Nel was most definitely a full-grown woman, and if he so chose he could have an excellent view of her breasts. Plus there was the fact that Nel was now straddling him… _Now's not the time! _"Erm, Nel? I'm glad to see you too, but could you let me up please?"

"Oh, right." Nel giggled a little, standing up before giving Ichigo a hand up as well. "Ichigo, this is Tia Harribel, Espada Tres. Tia, this is Kurosaki Ichigo."

The two glared at each other in suspicion before the Vizard tentatively offered a hand to shake. The Espada looked at it for a moment before reluctantly doing the same. They shook hands quickly then let go. Ichigo quickly turned his attention back to his friend. "Nel, how did you grow up so fast? Last I saw you were still a kid!"

"That friend of yours, Inoue, has a real talent for healing!" Nel explained happily. "She fixed my mask, and viola, I'm back to my old self again."

"Well, I'm glad you're better." Harribel was surprised to see honesty in Kurosaki's eyes. "What do you plan to do now? I won't lie, we could use your help, but I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to go near Aizen or his forces ever again."

"Well, I could go after Nnoitra…" Nel mused. "I do owe him a good beating."

"He's dead, a Shinigami taicho killed him," Ichigo interjected.

"Damn. What about Szayel?" At the Vizard's confused look, she elaborated. "Tall, pink hair, glasses, pretty creepy? Has a tendency to stalk other people, supposedly so he can study their powers and find ways to nullify them? "

Ichigo burst out laughing for a moment. "You mean to tell me there's a tall, creepy guy with pink hair and glasses in your ranks? He must be the laughingstock of the Espada!"

"You've got no room to talk," Harribel put her two cents in. "Orange hair? Really?"

That shut him up for a moment. "Anyway, he's not here. If he's an Espada and still alive, he's probably back in Hueco Mundo getting slaughtered by the team of taicho the Shinigami sent there."

"Shame. I would've liked to introduce him to my Resurrección," Nel commented. "Oh well. Who all is left around here?"

"Well, from what I could see on the way here, the Septima Espada is dead, Grimmjow's guarding this place, Nnoitra's dead, Ulquiorra's retreated and left Aizen's ranks… most of the Fraccion are dead. Only ones left so far as I know are the guy on the throne, the bored-looking tall guy and his Fraccion, and Harribel here," Ichigo summarized. "Oh, and Aizen, Ichimaru and Tousen who are still trapped by Yamamoto-jii's flames."

Harribel looked at him oddly. "You made Ulquiorra retreat? How did you manage that?"

Ichigo glanced at her, his eyes slightly frigid. "I don't want to talk about it." What was left unsaid was _I don't want you to know, just in case I have to fight you later. _

"Wait a minute, have you killed even a single Espada yet?" Harribel demanded incredulously.

Ichigo thought about it for a minute, rubbing his chin with his hand. "Let's see. Yammy? Nope, he escaped. Rukia killed that Aaroniero guy. Ishida's the one who killed Zommari… Grimmjow's alive, so is Ulquiorra… Nope, haven't killed even one of you yet."

"And that doesn't bother you?" Harribel questioned.

"Not really. Don't really have anything against Ulquiorra. Sure, I think he's a little creepy, but hey, who'm I to judge? Grimmjow pisses me off…"

"Yeah, you piss me off too, asshole!" came Grimmjow's yell from a distance away.

"…but if I don't need to kill him I won't. Yammy I would have killed if I had a chance, but that's only because Ulquiorra said he'd defect to our side if we did, as it would show that we had enough power to possibly defeat Aizen. Would've killed Aaroniero and Zommari too for a number of reasons, but Rukia and Ishida wanted to face them alone." Ichigo shrugged. "Doesn't matter though. We just need to defeat Aizen, to protect my town and those who live in it." His eyes softened a little as he gazed at the rest of the faux town, taking in the sheer destruction before hardening again. "As for whoever works for him… I don't give a damn. If you all just went back to Hueco Mundo, I wouldn't follow you. Just leave my town and my friends alone."

Harribel was forcibly reminded of Nelliel's words from earlier. _You must understand, Tia-chan, that the Shinigami and humans here are merely defending this town, and their own lives. _She turned her back on the two of them. "Fine. I'll help you finish Aizen, and then go back to Hueco Mundo."

"Yay!" Nel cried out happily. "You can trust her, Ichigo. She always keeps her word! And I'll help too!"

Ichigo looked surprised, but then gave Harribel a look of appreciation. "Thank you. Let me just warn the others not to attack you two."

With that, he Shunpo-ed away, back to Yamamoto. _Wow, I totally did NOT expect that much help. Now we have two high-level Espada on our side! _

_That is indeed fortunate. _

Ichigo almost did a double-take. _Zangetsu? Wait, I thought Cazador was back in control…. Not that I'm against hearing from you! _He shut up before he could dig a deeper hole for himself.

The Vizard got the oddest impression of his Inner Hollow shrugging at him instead of taunting him for his conversational stumble, which immediately made Ichigo feel uneasy. _**Eh, I'm not completely back up to full strength, so technically Zangetu's still in control. For some reason though he feels that we're both going to be needed at some point today. **_

That put Ichigo on edge. Zangetsu had never once been proven wrong in his memory, and had been a source of wisdom and strength for as long as he'd known him. _Zangetsu, can you give any details? _

_Merely that in light of your opponents' superior years of experience, you will likely need every advantage you can gain. Therefore I would rather not waste either Cazador's or my own strength in a struggle for dominance. _

_Good idea. _The Shinigami schooled his face into one of his classic scowls. More than ever, he was glad he'd made the deal with his Inner Hollow. So far, it had only helped him. He would ask Cazador to teach him a new Hollow power to give him an edge in the coming fights, but Ichigo had been aware of most of Cazador's time in control. The Hollow side of the Vizard hadn't used any Hollow-specific powers aside from Sonido, Cero and Garganta, all of which were instinctually-based. Most likely, Cazador would have nothing new to teach him, and the Cero wasn't as versatile as the Getsuga Tenshou.

Almost before he knew it, he had arrived where the Shinigami and Hollow sides were beginning to square off. Yamamoto had not taken an opponent, but Ichigo understood why. _He's saving his power for Aizen. _Ichigo rapidly observed who was pairing off; it would seem that Barraggan had risen from his throne and had chosen Hitsugaya-taicho for his opponent, while Starrk appeared to be eyeing Kyoraku-taicho. Starrk's Fraccion, Lilynette, was glaring distrustfully at Ukitake-taicho.

It suddenly hit Ichigo that those three were all that were left of Aizen's supposedly loyal Espada that were here in the fake Karakura. It gave him hope to realize that they now far outnumbered Aizen's forces. However, he had the grim feeling that Starrk and Barraggan were the most powerful, and most dangerous of the Arrancar they had faced thus far. The Substitute Shinigami shook his head to clear his thoughts before approaching Yamamoto. "Oi, Yamamoto-jii! Two more Arrancar have joined our forces. One's Nel, she's the one wearing a green tank top and skirt, and the other one's Harribel, the one with the coat that covers all the way up past her mouth."

"How can you be sure they can be trusted?" Yamamoto queried, almost tiredly. _How is it that this boy can gather loyal followers so easily, without even trying?! _

"Well, turns out that Nel was betrayed by Aizen a while back, and only just regained her full abilities. I was kind to her back in Hueco Mundo when I regained control over my Hollow, so she got a good impression of me, so she came to help me out," Ichigo explained. "As for Harribel, Nel talked to her for a bit and convinced her that Aizen was evil. She's more against Aizen than with us, if you know what I mean."

Yamamoto was quite familiar with the concept. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," he murmured. "Very well. Once Aizen is defeated, ensure she returns to Hueco Mundo, and we will not hunt her. Kill her if she doesn't comply."

Ichigo's eyes darkened, but said nothing. _I'm not under your command, Yamamoto. At best, you are an ally. _However, he knew better than to make an enemy when he didn't need to. "Fine. I'll go see if the two are willing to fight the remaining two Espada so we can get to the traitors." Without waiting to be dismissed, he vanished with Shunpo, rejoining Nel and Harribel who had been following from a distance.

Yamamoto breathed out in a long sigh. He could tell that Kurosaki Ichigo was rebellious and held distaste for his orders, but at least he accepted them. _What am I going to do about him? He's too strong to force to submit, especially when we need him to help defeat Aizen. And there is no guarantee that even with Shihoin Yoruichi's guidance that he'll want to join the Gotei 13. _He shook his head imperceptibly. _That is a problem for another time… I must focus on Aizen. _

With that decision made, he returned to carefully observing everything around him, wary that Aizen would break free of his fiery prison or utilize his illusion abilities without the soutaicho knowing it.

Meanwhile, within the prison made up of Ryuujin Jakka's flames, Aizen Sousuke, Tousen Kaname and Ichimaru Gin waited. Being unable to observe anything outside the flames with their five normal senses, they were forced to rely on their reiatsu senses. Since Tousen was by far the most skilled at it – he relied on it to cover for his blindness – he had been giving occasional reports of what he could detect. The prison itself made it somewhat difficult, however, as it consisted entirely of reiatsu, and thus clouded Tousen's perception.

Nevertheless, the blind Shinigami had adjusted and was reporting to his commander. "Barraggan and Starrk are preparing to fight. Harribel appears to be with a familiar Arrancar of Espada-level strength… I believe it is Nelliel Tu Odelschwank, but I cannot be sure. Kurosaki is now with both Nelliel and Harribel, with no rise of reiatsu to suggest that they are fighting. Grimmjow is also nearby."

"I see," Aizen commented, a small smile on his face. "Disappointing, but not a terrible loss. Neither Harribel nor Grimmjow are of sufficient strength to pose a threat to us. Their sole purpose is to weaken the Shinigami. What of Yamamoto?"

"He has yet to move from his previous position. It appears he is focusing on containing us."

"Predictable, but I must admit it is still an effective method of keeping me from unduly influencing the battles with my illusions," Aizen admitted. "I will be calling for Wonderweiss soon. Possibly after Starrk or Barraggan dies."

"I wonder how many Barraggan will kill before he is taken down?" Gin thought aloud. "His ability is truly fearsome."

Aizen's smile grew. "I predict… none."

"What? You don't have faith in his abilities?" Tousen queried, confused.

"I do. I merely know that the Gotei 13 have more than one person with a possible counter. It is all a matter of when they will realize it."

* * *

And that's a wrap!

OK, so I made Ichigo one hell of a badass in this chapter, but I did try to give everyone else a chance to shine. Rukia teaming up with Sode no Shirayuki to create the large number of towers was inspired by the realization that if Zangetsu could help Ichigo fight Kenpachi, then why can't Sode no Shirayuki help Rukia? And Renji's technique of bouncing Zabimaru off of surfaces was actually shown in the Zanpakuto arc, but I saw it and had to include it. Not to mention it was very bad-ass.

Yes, Allon was defeated by Renji. NO ONE in the manga who fought him had their Bankai. None. And Yamamoto didn't even have to try with his Shikai to kill him. I figure that Renji's Bankai Hikotsu Taiho would do the trick just fine.

You know, I had come into this chapter planning to kill Ulquiorra, but it just wrote itself out this way. Ulquiorra retreated, based on what he'd learned from Chad about the lengths to which a human will go.

As for Harribel switching sides, who saw THAT coming? Not me, that's for sure. I had planned for the last few chapters to have Nel and Harribel face off, former and current Espada Tres fighting. But then it came to me that Nel really doesn't like fighting, and Harribel might actually listen to her. Now I've got an excellent idea for what Harribel's gonna do next chapter. Heh heh.

In regards to Aizen getting reports from Tousen... why the hell wouldn't he? What else is there to do? For someone who's used to controlling EVERYTHING, being aware of EVERYTHING, I'd find it enormously infuriating to no longer be able to see what's going on.

Read and Review!


	18. Reinforcements

Hey everyone, I'm back! I'd apologize for taking more than a month to send you another chapter, but I've got good reasons

1) I got married on June 13 and was on my honeymoon from the 21st to the 28th.

2) School is a bitch when you're less than 3 months away from graduation. I go year round.

3) My inspiration kept jumping ahead to the chapter AFTER this one. I have over half the chapter written already, and they're all badass scenes.

4) Going wtf at the latest manga and trying to make incorporate it into my fic. See my notes at the bottom past the spoiler space.

Anyway, with any luck you should be getting the next chapter relatively soon.

New terms!:

Respira - Spanish for "Breath"; this is Baraggan's primary power when in Resurreccion. It uses the "aging" effect to completely rot everything that can be rotted: organic and inorganic.

La Gota - "The Tooth" one of Harribel's attacks in Resurreccion. She's able to fire a shark-tooth-shaped blade of water about as tall as she is. Not only is it sharp, but if it fails to cut it's still a highly pressurized blow of water.

Guncho Tsurara - one of Hitsugaya's attacks in Bankai. With a sweep of his sword, he creates several daggers of ice and fires them at his opponent.

Hirviendo - Spanish for "Boiling"; this is Harribel's ability to make any form of water into liquid water that she can use, whether that is condensing water molecules in the air, or more commonly boiling ice

Cascada - Spanish for "Cascade"; No, Harribel is NOT calling on the music group. She's creating a cascade of highly pressurized water slamming into an opponent.

Ryuusenka - one of Hitsugaya's finishing blows. By stabbing someone with Daiguren Hyourinmaru, Hitsugaya is able to freeze someone from the inside out, killing them nigh-instantly. However, this takes a great deal of reiatsu, and cannot be used frequently.

Tensou Jurin - the essential form of Hyourinmaru's ability; All water under the heavens can be controlled by Hitsugaya. Clouds, rain, lakes, sweat, even water generated by Harribel's Resurreccion. Hitsugaya is wary of using this power to its full extent in Bankai; his immature powers (being quite young) cannot control it completely.

Hyouten Hyakkaso - Hitsugaya's ultimate technique; Using Tensou Jurin, he freezes the precipitation, turning it into snow, and then superfreezes it, making it as cold as possible. From there, he simply allows the snow to fall freely around him, using Daiguren Hyourinmaru to make sure he is not touched. Every snowflake that hits an opponent creates a large ice flower upon them. It quickly creates an enormous tower of ice flowers, with the opponent trapped inside. As soon as the last snowflake falls, the opponent is dead.

Cero Metralleta - Machine-Gun Cero; Starrk can fire multitudes of Ceros out of his guns in Resurreccion.

Cero Doble - Nelliel's ability allows her to "eat" a Cero fired by someone else, layer her own on top of it and create a "doubly" powerful Cero, hence the name.

Chapter 18: Reinforcements

Hitsugaya Toushiro and Baraggan faced each other in silence, neither preferring to talk at the moment. They had clashed in silence a few times, with no wounds to either. Each was testing the other's abilities, but it was time to take things up a level.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!" Hitsugaya Toushiro called out as he slashed downwards in his opponent's direction. His sword reshaped into its Shikai, extending slightly in length and gaining a chain on the hilt not unlike Tensa Zangetsu's, but smaller. On the end of the chain was a small crescent several inches long.

As the taicho slashed at his foe, a stream of ice shaped as a Chinese dragon lunged out at high speed, attempting to hit Baraggan. Just as it was about to strike, the dragon slowed for no apparent reason, giving the Espada a chance to move out of the way. "It's useless," he told the Shinigami taicho. "You will never hit me with an attack of that speed."

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes. _He's slowing down the attacks before he can be hit, I know he is! But how? And how do I get around it? _An idea struck him. _Perhaps if he doesn't see it coming… _Easier said than done; Baraggan appeared to be the strongest of the Espada, if the way he immediately took charge was any indication. Once again, he flung a dragon-headed serpent of ice and water at the Espada, who once again dodged easily, only to be forced to parry a physical blow from the diminutive taicho. Baraggan swiftly and easily retaliated with a bone-cracking punch, making Hitsugaya fly back several meters and attempt to recover. What Baraggan did not see was that the attack had spiraled and turned around, attempting to strike him in the back.

However, that attack too had slowed down moments before striking, allowing Baraggan to Sonido to the side, having felt the frigid air behind him. "A paltry attempt," the stout Arrancar declared. "Weak! Slow! Pitiful!"

"It's not that my attacks are slow, but that you somehow make them so," he countered coolly. "Is it simply a quality of your reiatsu, that anything that approaches you is slowed? Or is it a special technique of yours?"

Baraggan shook his head slowly. "What you do not understand yet is that all the Espada were not simply chosen for their strength, but also for embodying an aspect of death. Rage. Greed. Madness. Intoxication. Destruction. Despair. Nihilism. Sacrifice. Loneliness. And my own, Old Age. Each of these aspects is a cause of death, and Aizen thought it fitting that the Espada be their avatars. As the avatar of old age, the most powerful and inevitable causes of death, I have control over time itself. Nothing can touch me!"

Hitsugaya's mind went into overdrive as he attempted to think of a way around Baraggan's admittedly impressive and highly lethal ability. In an attempt to stall for time, he commented aloud, "It must be nice to control time… I think if I had that power, I would use it to age myself first. I've been in this child-like body for decades, and it makes me lose the respect I deserve, having earned this position of mine with sweat and blood."

The time lord laughed lowly, a horrifying sound. "An interesting prospect. Perhaps you would like me to do it for you?" Before the white-haired Shinigami could answer, Baraggan had Sonido-ed directly in front of him and laid a hand on his left shoulder.

Hitsugaya screamed as the bones in his shoulder grew larger, but far more brittle until they shattered from being unable to support their own weight. He vanished in as fast a Shunpo as he could. _Fuck! _

"Do you see now? Time follows the whims of no one but me. You wished to have an adult body to reflect the power and position you have, but you failed to anticipate that without the necessary nutrients and preparation, your bones would grow steadily weaker as you grow older!" Baraggan told his enemy calmly.

"Ola Azul!"

Baraggan was caught by surprise, but even so the attack predictably slowed down before it could hit him, giving the Espada a chance to dodge. "Harribel. What do you think you are doing?"

"What does it look like?" Harribel asked calmly. "I'm aiding the Shinigami."

Her simple statement caused the stocky, scarred Espada's face to contort in fury. "You betray me?"

"You were never my ruler, Baraggan," the female Arrancar retorted. "Aizen was, and I no longer serve him. You are not even the Primera Espada, but the Segunda!"

"That does not matter. I rule everything, for nothing can withstand the test of time," Baraggan uttered heavily, drawing his weapon, a massive double-sided battle-axe as large as he was. Where the two blades met was a slit eye. Despite its obvious weight, he wielded it easily with only his right hand. He lunged at the Espada Tres. "Die a traitor's death, Harribel!"

Harribel blocked with her own sword, reinforcing it with her own reiatsu, making the hollow inside once more become filled with the light of her power, similar to when she was using Ola Azul. Even so, her Zanpakuto buckled against Baraggan's sheer might.

Thankfully for her, Hitsugaya was not content to simply sit and watch. He had dashed at Baraggan's exposed back, sword at the ready as he conjured another ice dragon using the water from the atmosphere. He fired it from point-black range, only for Baraggan's time dilation to slow it just enough for him to disengage from Harribel and Sonido away. Luckily, Harribel also managed to evade.

Standing side by side with the Shinigami taicho, the Espada Tres glanced downward. "You manipulate ice?"

"Yeah. What can you do?" Hitsugaya shoved his questions about why the Arrancar was helping him into the back of his mind to ask later; he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"I manipulate water in my Resurreccion."

"… I think I have an idea."

Before Hitsugaya could explain his idea, Baraggan approached again. "I see I need to teach you both about time. Namely, that it is inevitable to die at the hands of it!" He held his Zanpakuto with both hands, holding it downward. "Rot, Arrogante!"

The eye in Baraggan's battle-axe opened widely and then erupted in dark flames that rushed over to the Espada. Hitsugaya watched with wide eyes as the blackened translucent fire burned away Baraggan's flesh, but the high-level Arrancar made no sound of pain, not even when his eyes melted. In mere moments, he had become nothing more than a skeleton. The Hollow mask had reshaped itself into full, highly decorated, extremely bejeweled crown. Then Baraggan's clothing, which had still been burning in the fires of his Zanpakuto, put itself out and revealed their new form: a black cloak with a fur collar darker than pitch. The slit-eye pendant from his Zanpakuto hovered before him for a moment before it spontaneously grew an elegant chain on either side, becoming a necklace. The scar over Baraggan's right eye also had transitioned over, manifesting as a crack over the right eye socket in the skull.

"You think you are Shinigami?" Baraggan asked, though for the life of him Hitsugaya couldn't see how he could speak with no vocal chords. "No, it is I who am the true Kami. All is equal before my judgment."

"Careful!" Harribel warned, motioning to where Baraggan stood; the building he stood on was crumbling and rotting away even as he spoke. "Do not get close to him, or you will die!"

"Then it's a good thing we're both elemental users," the ice-wielding Shinigami responded. "Bankai!" Ice erupted from his Zanpakuto, covering him momentarily before unveiling his Bankai form, complete with ice wings and a tail.

"Destroy, Tiburón!" With a flash, Harribel's coat disappeared, revealing her Hollow mask remnant that covered everything from her nose to the nipples on her breasts, just before a cocoon of water erupted around her. Moments later, she cut her way out of it. Now she wore a miniskirt made of bones, underneath which she had a black undergarment. Harribel also sported knee-high boots and elbow-length gloves, and the impressive mask she'd had earlier had changed dramatically, now forming as a thin, spine-like series of tiny bones going from her waist to the underside of her breasts. Her breasts were mostly uncovered, but the nipples were hidden by extensions from a collar that had formed around her neck.

However, Hitsugaya's attention was not on her body, but her sword, which had reshaped itself into what appeared to be an enormous, elongated shark tooth, with gill markings on each side. The hand guard itself completely covered her hand, making it nigh-impossible for Harribel to accidentally lose her weapon. _An interesting, and very useful asset, _he mused.

"Let's go!" With a single slash, the Shinigami taicho unleashed four ice dragons at Baraggan, who realized that he couldn't use his time dilation to make the ice disappear. But he did use it to slow down the dragons long enough to evade.

"Hmph! You presume to use water, knowing that I cannot rot something that is as eternal as I," Baraggan observed. "Fine then! Let's see if you can evade this." He opened his mouth. "Respira."

A black haze oozed from his open mouth and spread quickly. _Too fast for me to evade, even with Shunpo! _Hitsugaya realized, before he quickly used his wings and tail to form a cocoon of ice around himself, generating more to cover any weak spots. There was only one problem. _I can't see the outside… how am I supposed to know when it's safe to come out? And what keeps him from attacking me while I'm in here?_

Luckily for Hitsugaya, he wasn't alone, and Harribel had managed to escape the Respira. "La Gota!" she cried out, generating water from the gills of her weapon and firing a shark-tooth-shaped blade of water at the higher-level Espada. She fired several of them one after another, forcing Baraggan to give up his Respira in favor of dodging. Sensing the dark, deadly reiatsu of the Respira retreat, Hitsugaya came out of his icy shell and observed with a critical eye, to see when he could strike.

"Enough of this." Out of his cloak, a far more dangerous and wicked-looking battle-axe than the one Baraggan had originally wielded appeared. It was pitch black and had two pointed blades on either side of the metallic shaft. Grabbing it with his skeletal hand, he easily cleaved right through Harribel's attacks, rushing towards her and releasing his Respira technique again.

"Guncho Tsurara!" Hitsugaya cried, sweeping his Zanpakuto horizontally and releasing dozens of ice daggers at Baraggan, who once more had to evade. This, coincidentally, put the daggers straight on a flight path to Harribel.

"Hirviendo." The ice melted and flowed around her continuously in a circle. As the water-manipulating Arrancar raised her sword, the life-giving liquid she had used in her La Gota attacks also returned to her. "Cascada!"

All the water that Harribel had accumulated was sent as an ongoing blast of high-pressurized water at her opponent, whose time dilation was insufficient to keep the water from striking him. Instead, he blocked with his new axe. Her attack continued as she pumped reiatsu into her Zanpakuto to keep the gill markings generating more water, keeping them in a standstill. "Now, Shinigami!"

"Ryuusenka!" Hitsugaya Shunpo-ed as fast as he could at the time lord, stabbing him in the back with his sword. From the stab wound, ice erupted all around Baraggan, quickly encasing him. Thankfully, the cascading water that Harribel was continuing to fire provided plenty of material to freeze the Segunda Espada entirely.

As soon as the Espada was completely frozen over, Hitsugaya withdrew his sword and breathed a sigh of relief. However, when he saw the ice become clouded over and misty from the dark breath of Respira, he jumped back and readied his Zanpakuto once again.

The ice rapidly melted off the Espada as he continued to laugh. "You think to freeze me eternally? Perhaps that would have worked if we fought in a colder climate, but your ice was exposed to warm air! All it took was me aging the effects to break free!"

"Then perhaps I should introduce you to the frost of a glacier," Hitsugaya responded coldly. "Harribel, I appreciate your help to this point, but I highly suggest you maintain your distance. I didn't want to do this in Bankai, as I'm not sure I can control it fully yet." He raised his Zanpakuto the sky.

"Can't control what, you insolent fool?" Baraggan asked derisively.

"My Zanpakuto's greatest and most basic power. Tensou Jurin. All the water under the heavens is at my command."

Harribel looked up, seeing heavy, black clouds gathering overhead. _Such power…! How can one so young wield this? _

Suddenly the clouds opened up, and it began to snow heavily. "Snow?" the skeletal Arrancar asked disbelievingly. "This is your greatest power?" He didn't bother to utilize his time dilation, but this soon cost him. However, when just one of the snowflakes touched his hand, he saw a very large ice flower blossom. With a rush of realization, he activated his time dilation and attempted to dodge the snow.

Hitsugaya looked on coldly. None of the snowflakes touched him as he watched his opponent fruitlessly attempt to evade and only gain more ice flowers for his effort. "You should know, Espada, it is impossible to dance between every snowflake of my Hyouten Hyakkaso, just as it is impossible to evade all the droplets of rain in a storm."

Luckily for Harribel, her continued use of Hirviendo allowed her to melt the snowflakes before they could touch her, and with some focus she could redirect the water away from herself. She watched in astonishment as Baraggan screamed his fury as he was covered in a pillar of ice that just continued to grow as it snowed. The sudden drop in temperature that came with it also prevented him from using his Respira to break free as he had before.

"When the last of the petals fall… your life will be over," Hitsugaya told Baraggan quietly, turning away.

_Just like that… just like that, he defeated one of the most feared Hollows ever known? _Harribel asked herself. Baraggan had been known as the King of Hueco Mundo, commanding armies and conquering everything, before Aizen had appeared with his two Shinigami lackeys and turned him into an Arrancar. And now, suddenly a Shinigami taicho with the appearance of a child had taken him down! _Not without injuries or assistance, of course, _Harribel noted, viewing Hitsugaya's left shoulder and arm. _And admittedly, the two of us were wielding water, one of the few things that Baraggan could not rot away with his time powers. So perhaps it was simply a poor match-up for him? _

Even so, Harribel had to admit that the Shinigami was highly skilled. _I hope never to fight him after he has fully matured and mastered his powers. _"Can I ask your name, Shinigami?"

"It's Hitsugaya Toushiro, taicho of Squad 10. And yours, Arrancar?"

"Tia Harribel, Espada Tres. Or at least, I was before I defected from Aizen… You are quite powerful, Hitsugaya-taicho. I am glad I don't have to fight you."

Hitsugaya turned away. "I am glad of that as well. Defeating someone with similar powers to my own would cost me too much reiatsu and leave me unable to help defeat Aizen." He eyed the prison of fire that held the traitors to Soul Society warily. "Soon, this nightmare will be over…" he murmured under his breath, unaware that Harribel could hear every word. "… and then Momo can truly begin to heal."

* * *

"Well, that's unfortunate," Kyoraku Shunsui murmured, casually blocking Starrk's own halfhearted strike against him.

"What's that?" Starrk just as easily blocked Shunsui's counterstrike before lowering his sword in a sign of temporary truce.

The Shinigami taicho gestured towards their surroundings. "Look around you. Surely you can tell that we're the only ones fighting now."

Starrk sighed. "How troublesome. Are all Bankai as strong as the one that has entrapped Baraggan?"

Shunsui looked over where Starrk was indicating. He held no fear that he would be attacked – neither he nor Starrk had been fighting at anything remotely close to their full strength. Starrk had sent his Fraccion, Lilynette, to fight Ukitake Juushiro. Currently, Shunsui's best friend had somehow deprived the Arrancar of her Zanpakuto, a scimitar of some sort, and was very easily keeping her from it while refusing to fight someone who to all appearances seemed a child.

Seeing the pillar of ice that reached to the heavens, he smiled. "Bankai is a Shinigami's secret weapon, the pinnacle of a Zanpakuto's power. The stronger the Shinigami, the stronger the Bankai."

"Then is he stronger than you?"

The blunt question made Shunsui pause. "In a hundred years, he might be." He smiled again. "Toushiro is a very quick learner…"

"Then yours is stronger. I wish to see it." The lazy Arrancar eyed Shunsui seriously. "You are not even using the short sword at your hip. I suppose I have to earn seeing your release?"

"I'm afraid so. It's somewhat troublesome for me to simply release, and if you manage to force me, I'll explain why," the Shinigami offered.

Starrk sighed. "Lilynette, come!" he ordered.

"But Starrk, my sword!" the child Fraccion whined.

"Forget about it, just come back to me."

Lilynette gave the completely unharmed Ukitake-taicho a dirty look before reluctantly returning to Starrk's side. Ukitake took the opportunity to Shunpo to Shunsui's side, only to be caught off guard as his best friend tossed him the pink haori he typically wore. "Wha-?"

"I think he's finally ready to fight for real," Shunsui answered with a small smile.

Starrk looked at the pair of Shinigami seriously. "We are different from all the other Espada," he declared softly. "When they evolved from Hollow to Arrancar, they chose to seal their powers into their Zanpakuto, their weapons. However… my power is split between myself and Lilynette. Long ago, we were one. And now, to release our full power, we will become one once again." He placed a hand on Lilynette's shoulder, flaring his enormous reiatsu. "Kick About, Los Lobos."

Lilynette seemed to melt into Starrk's side, becoming reabsorbed by her other half. A swirl of reiatsu surrounded Starrk and kept him from being seen for a few moments, and when it dissipated, the Primera was kneeling on one knee. Part of Lilynette's mask, the part that had covered her left eye, had materialized on his face, which Shunsui had anticipated – the rejoining of their powers would naturally combine their masks to an extent.

What Shunsui was surprised about, however, was Starrk's new clothes and his weapons. The Primera now donned a grey, fur-lined jacket over a vest, in addition to skin-tight pants with fur from the ankles to the knees. Finally, Starrk didn't wield any kind of sword; instead, in each hand he held a stylized pistol.

_A long-range fighter? Guess I don't have much choice… _"You look pretty strong," Shunsui complimented. Shunsui brought his two swords against each other in a cross in front of him. "Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer, Katen Kyokotsu."

Whirlwinds twisted around his hands and swords for a mere moment before the taicho's Zanpakuto revealed its new form: a pair of huge, highly-curved Chinese scimitars with long red tassels on the end. Shunsui held them angled upwards and away from his body from his sides, in a clear battle position.

Starrk looked at his opponent with a critical eye. "This… is not your Bankai. I went through the trouble of this pain-in-the-ass release, so show me your Bankai already."

"I have no intention of showing you my Bankai," the Shinigami replied easily. "If you want to see it, you'll have to force me to resort to it."

Starrk's expression changed to one of annoyance before he swung his right pistol up to shoulder level, and in that swift motion fired an extremely large Cero directly at Shunsui, seeming to engulf him. When the Cero's light faded, Shunsui was nowhere near.

Starrk wasn't fooled for even a moment, and spun around, blocking Shunsui's powerful melee attacks with his guns, reinforcing them with reiatsu to withstand the assault. "Such simple tricks won't decide this battle, Shinigami," Starrk told him calmly, seeming to teleport several feet away, almost faster than Shunsui could follow. "Vanishing with a high-speed technique to make it seem like I'd annihilated you, then capitalizing on the moment of weakness that would come with my relaxing my guard? You insult me. That one shot would not have killed you; you're too strong for that."

"Why, thank you," Shunsui accepted the compliment gracefully even as he readied himself for another long-range attack. "You're pretty strong yourself, and from the looks of it your speed is incredible. Your gun fires Ceros, right?"

"Right."

"Can it do anything else?"

"No."

The Shinigami taicho smiled thinly. "You're a poor liar."

Starrk gave an identical smile back. "So are you. You're holding back, I can tell even now. Surely you don't think that I would be fool enough to think that your release simply increases the size of your swords? What do I have to do to see your Bankai?"

"More than simply fire Ceros at me," Shunsui answered.

Meeting the mild rebuke with a frown, the Primera Espada once again raised his right pistol, but this time he spoke as he fired. "Cero Metralleta." Instead of one Cero, a dozen appeared simultaneously, all of them aimed right at Shunsui, who was taken by surprise.

"All Waves, Rise now and Become my Shield, Lightning, Strike now and Become my Blade, Sogyo no Kotowari!" Ukitake Juushiro jumped in front of the multiple blasts, his twin Zanpakuto – connected by a thin rope – held at the ready, and suddenly an enormous blast was headed straight at Starrk.

Starrk disappeared with a burst of Sonido, reappearing several meters outside the blast range. "How did you fire a Cero?" he demanded. "You are not Hollow or Arrancar."

"Who knows?" Juushiro replied blithely with a knowing smile. "Maybe if you do it again, you'll figure it out."

"Don't, it's a trap!" Starrk's pistol suddenly ringed out with the voice of Lilynette, surprising both Juushiro and Shunsui.

"Even if it is, I find myself… curious." And with that, Starrk fired another Cero at the white-haired Shinigami, only to once again have it coming right back at him instead. Frowning, he Sonido-ed away, much closer this time to his target. "Cero Metralleta."

This time, however, he was able to see what was truly happening. Dodging the latest reflected energy attack, he approached the chronically-sick Shinigami. "I see. You are not simply reflecting all my attacks back, but absorbing them into one of your Zanpakuto blades. Then the attack flows along the rope that connects them, and it is fired out of the other blade at a target of your choosing. The process is fast enough to merely appear as though my attacks cannot affect you."

Ukitake Juushiro was not a very easily surprised man. He had gone to the Shinigami Academy with his best friend, Kyoraku Shunsui, and after witnessing and even helping to cover up so many of the playboy's exploits, Juushiro had developed a resistance to surprise and now had a tendency to take everything in stride. The fact that his enemy had deduced his Zanpakuto's ability so quickly, so seemingly easily, however, was enough to make the snowy-haired taicho gape. "You figured it out, after only three attacks?"

"Yeah." Starrk sighed. "I'm glad you can't reflect any and all attacks, though. The fact that you have to absorb the attack first implies that you have a limit. I wonder if you can absorb a thousand shots at once."

"Starrk!"

The Arrancar froze in the action of raising his gun to test the theory. "… Nelliel? Is that you?"

Indeed, the well-endowed Arrancar was right in front of him. "Yep, it's me!"

"What are you doing here?"

"I've come to ask you to leave the living world, and Aizen. Look around! You're the only Arrancar left who is still alive and loyal to Aizen, but the Shinigami have barely even been injured!" Nelliel pointed out. "You did not grow this strong by being suicidal. Leave, and live another day."

Starrk grimaced; what she said made sense, but being able to work alongside others who did not die simply from being in his presence had been a blessed reprieve from the utter loneliness that he'd lived with for so long. How could he just leave?

"Hold on!" Lilynette's voice rang out. "I can still sense the others! Grimmjow and Harribel are still alive, at least! Are you telling us they defected?"

Nelliel's strong affirmative shocked both Starrk and his Fraccion-turned-weapon. "Why?" he asked, his voice catching as he felt anger and betrayal for the first time in recent memory.

"Grimmjow wasn't really loyal to begin with; he only wanted to get stronger to kill Aizen. Harribel lost her Fraccion because of Aizen. Please, Starrk, Lilynette, leave now before Aizen escapes his fiery prison!" Nelliel pleaded. "You were a wonderful friend to me before my accident, please don't make me lose you because you chose the wrong side!"

Silence reigned as Starrk struggled with a decision. Finally, he sighed. "I can't do that, Nelliel. Sorry, but I owe Aizen too much. Thanks to him, my time with the Espada fulfilled my greatest wish: companionship. Can you understand, Nelliel? Can you understand the unbearable loneliness you suffer when anyone who approaches you dies because you are so terribly strong that your reiatsu suffocates them, crushes them over time? Lilynette and I split our very soul to lessen our loneliness, but Aizen allowed me to escape that fate. I owe him my loyalty."

"But he's just using you!" Nelliel exclaimed, knowing even as she did that the Primera's mind was set.

"I know. I'm sorry, Nelliel, that it had to come to this." He raised his left pistol at her head. "Please leave before I am forced to take your life. Please… for my sake if not for your own."

Tears trailed down her cheeks as the former Tercera Espada drew her beloved sword on one of her dearest friends. "Shinigami… If I fight with you, will you promise not to kill him if at all possible? Just incapacitate him and let me escape with him to Hueco Mundo, I beg you!"

Shunsui and Juushiro looked at each other. In that single glance, a whole conversation was had, courtesy of their centuries-long friendship. Finally, the laid-back Kyoraku shrugged nonchalantly, though inside he was taken aback at just how Shinigami-like the pair of Espada were. _The desire of companionship, loyalty over personal wants, sorrow over the possible death of a friend, willingness to work with Shinigami for a greater good? Those aren't Hollow traits. _"Eh, why not? But we might have some trouble with that…"

Nelliel Sonido-ed to his side, her throat feeling as though someone were choking her as she gathered her reiatsu to fight. "Then I will fight him with you. Declare, Gamuza."

Smoke emanated from her Zanpakuto before quickly engulfing her. Mere moments later, the smoke cleared and Nelliel's new form was revealed. Her hips down had reshaped into a light brown horse's body, giving her the appearance of a centaur, complete with a black tail. Her mask remnant had changed little, the horns extending and curving more, framing her face. Nelliel's shoulders, elbows and hands had gained a white armor of sorts, and the skin between them was covered in black material. In her right hand, she wielded a double-ended lance. All in all, Shunsui realized that their new ally resembled nothing more than a centaur knight.

"Please, Nelliel… don't do this," Starrk pleaded, his face twisted in reluctance and sorrow.

"If you won't leave Aizen willingly, I have no choice," she whispered quietly.

The Primera sighed, regretting once again being so strong. _If only I were weak… _"I don't want to kill you. Please be careful, Nelliel, and don't die." Bringing up both guns, he fired twin Cero Metralletas at Shunsui. Both of the target's partners jumped in front of him once more, Juushiro quickly absorbing as much as he could before seeing how Nelliel was holding up. To his utter surprise, she had simply opened her mouth and seemed to _eat _the dozens of Ceros!

Sogyo no Kotowari got his attention with a mental poke, reminding its wielder that it couldn't hold onto the attack forever. With a silent acknowledgment, he fired it right back at Starrk, only to be surprised once more as Nelliel appeared to have done the same, sending back the Ceros she had eaten, and layering her own Cero on top of it!

Starrk had no choice but to get out of the way, surprised for only a moment. "I should've known… I forgot you had that Cero Doble ability, your special ability."

"How could you forget it? It's the only reason we were even close to the same level in our occasional spars," the former Tercera reminded him with a hint of a teasing tone in her voice.

Catching it, Starrk smiled in fond memory. "You surprised me the first time you used it, you know. I never thought someone could absorb someone else's Cero and use it against them, and now I'm fighting two people who can do it." He eyed Shunsui. "No chance of you doing that as well?"

"Not so far as I'm aware, but you never know," the Shinigami replied glibly.

It was then that the distinct sound of the sky ripping open caught all the fighters' attention. A small blond boy in an Arrancar outfit stepped out, followed by an enormous grey Hollow of some sort, taller than the tallest Menos Grande. Shunsui's eyes widened when he noticed that the beast had Gillian masks for nails on its enormous feet. It was Starrk who spoke first, however. "Wonderweiss… It seems that Aizen tires of this battle."

As if to mark his words, the boy, Wonderweiss, gave what sounded like a bestial cry, and the monstrous Hollow let out a mighty blast of wind that blew away the fiery prison that held Aizen, Tousen, and Gin. Wonderweiss then turned towards the ice tower that held Baraggan, and screamed louder, creating a sonic shockwave that shattered the ice, releasing the Segunda Espada.

Ichigo, who had been watching with Yamamoto and the remaining Shinigami taicho as he rested to recover his reiatsu, felt a sudden wave of despair that almost made him think that Ulquiorra was in the area in this Resurreccion: Segunda Etapa again. He looked at the knowing smile on Aizen's face, the one that seemed to say, "Come then, let me show you how futile all your efforts are," and Ichigo scowled. "No chance of your entrapping him again?" he muttered to Yamamoto.

"There is no longer any point. His forces have all but been annihilated, between the deaths and the ones that turned traitor," Yamamoto rumbled. "Hitsugaya-taicho, finish the job with the Arrancar that was just freed. Komamura-taicho, I believe you wished to confront the traitor Tousen. Soifon-taicho, hang back and look for an opportunity to end this war. Kurosaki, you are to-"

He was cut off by the call of a new voice. "Ya have no authority over him or us, Yamamoto-soutaicho!"

Ichigo turned around and smirked before Shunpo-ing next to the newcomer. "You made it. I almost thought you weren't coming to the party."

Hirako Shinji snorted, gesturing behind him to the other Vizard. "What, and miss out on all the fun?"

Ichigo gave an amused sound before turning around to see the reaction of the Shinigami taicho. "Hirako Shinji?" Yamamoto breathed, eyes wide for once in his life. Soifon appeared to recognize them, but Hitsugaya looked more bewildered.

"So you were hiding in the human world after all…"

The leader of the Vizard ignored the commander of the Shinigami, instead choosing to address the other Shinigami-Hollow hybrids. "It's been a while since we've seen 'em. Anyone wanna say hello to anyone in the Gotei 13?"

"Nope!" Hiyori said dismissively.

"I'm fine," Love put in quietly.

Rose nodded in Love's direction. "Me too."

"There is no one in the Gotei 13 that I'd like to greet," was the input from the neutral-sounding Hachi

"Me neither," Kensei agreed with a bit of a bitter tone.

"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii Berry-tan!" Mashiro yelled happily, making Ichigo palm his face. _Of all the things she could have said…_

Lisa, however, was silent and vanished in a flicker of Shunpo. With a shrug, Shinji turned his attention back to the leader of the Gotei 13 and flickered over to him.

"Have you come to settle your grudge?" Yamamoto asked wearily, but sternly.

"With Aizen, yes. We don't really have anything against you, aside from fighting behind such a stupidly strong barrier that we couldn't get in earlier!" Shinji thumbed a finger at a Shinigami who, on cue, appeared in a kneeling position before Yamamoto. "If it wasn't for him, we'd still be outside trying to find a weak point."

"I apologize, soutaicho."

"Very well… Hirako Shinji. Can we think of you all as allies?"

Shinji fixed him with the most serious look Ichigo had ever seen adorn his face. "The answer to that is obvious." Waiting a beat to let that message sink in, he finished with, "Absolutely not. We're not _your _allies. Ya banished and tried to kill us, remember? We're not on your side. We're against Aizen. That… and allies of Ichigo." With that, he vanished again into Shunpo, returning to his friends.

Yamamoto silently seethed with frustration. _Kurosaki Ichigo AGAIN? How in all the worlds is he gaining so many allies, all powerful enough to pose a threat to Soul Society? Is he trying to build an army?_

"You done talking?" Love asked as Shinji reappeared next to them.

"Nah, but the time for talk is over. Besides, the enemy won't wait any longer."

Indeed, Wonderweiss took a deep breath, and began to scream again. In response, as though following orders, Fura opened a gargantuan, toothless mouth, and began to vomit a black substance, which quickly separated upon contact with the ground and then reformed into dozens of Gillian.

The people who were guarding the four pillars – Ishida, Kira, Matsumoto, and Hisagi, as Rukia, Renji, Yumichika and Ikkaku were all in various stages of being healed by Inoue in Urahara's shop – all looked on in horror and awe as a veritable Gillian army materialized before them. "How… how are we to fight all those?" Similar thoughts were had by the taicho, but they were grimly determined.

However, the Vizard were more than ready. "… Let's go," Shinji said softly. Every single one of the former Shinigami reached for their face as one, and together they ripped their masks into existence, flaring their reiatsu as high as they could go.

Behind his Gillian mask, even as he leapt into battle with Tensa Zangetsu in hand, Ichigo couldn't help but think, _It's gonna be a bitch to go back to school after all this. Too bad this ain't a paying job, or I'd be making a killing. _

It was only a little worrying when Cazador de la Luna began laughing his ass off inside Ichigo's head.

* * *

There we are, took long enough. I really, really wanted to give Ichigo a badass scene of being in front of the Vizards, in Bankai, as he unleashes his Adjuchas mask... but ya know, he knows better now. It's a secret weapon, unlike his Bankai. Yes, Soifon has a point. He uses it in every freaking fight ever. But then again, can you blame him? He's always fighting people who are strong enough to kick his ass otherwise. Let's go through the list, shall we? Byakuya. Ichigo TRIES to hide his Bankai, he tries! But then Byakuya pulls out HIS Bankai, and Ichigo has no choice. From then on out, the enemies just get tougher. Eventually there's just no point in hiding it. But there IS a reason to hide his Hollow powers. That could be considered a secret weapon, but more so is Ichigo's second sword. Literally NO ONE but Ichigo, Urahara, Tessai and Ulquiorra know about it, although Nelliel and her Fraccion might suspect.

And here's a sneak peek of what's up ahead!

Zangetsu and Cazador de la Luna both looked up in Ichigo's Inner World as the sky darkened with thunderclouds before promptly letting loose a drenching, freezing rain. "Well, shit. Oi, Zangetsu, what's going on?"

The spirit form of the mighty Zanpakuto bowed his head. "… An old wound that has never been healed, that I fear never may truly mend, has been reopened. Watch carefully, Cazador de la Luna, and witness your true origins." 

Anyway, now for the spoilers

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OK, wtf? Aizen was a Shinigami worm, gets a Hougyouku cocoon, and now becomes the Kami butterfly? Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. But how insane IS he to implant the freaking Hougyouku into HIMSELF when literally no one understands it? Oh, I get that Aizen had plenty of time to research it... But seriously, first ever moment here! Test it on someone else FIRST! *sigh*

I appreciate that Tite Kubo didn't give Aizen Hollow powers - though it would've been interesting. I also appreciate that Aizen just took three levels of badass. What I don't get is... How the HELL did Kurosaki Isshin wear Aizen down to near defeat? Isshin JUST recovered his powers. And Aizen has been touted as having the God Mode Zanpakuto. I mean the most powerful illusionary Zanpakuto known to Shinigami. What in Hueco Mundo, Soul Society or the Royal Realm kept Aizen from freaking USING IT?

Next on "wtf" moments was Isshin using a Getsuga Tenshou. That gave me the weirdest form of "wow! EXCITED for the next chapter" and "Groan. Really? Are you really going to give Isshin and Ichigo the exact same power? Next you'll have him going Bankai and it'll be the inverse outfit of Ichigo's black coat that canon Hollow Ichigo wears." So now we have Isshin's "Engetsu" and Ichigo's "Zangetsu". Scathing Moon and Cutting Moon. Both have "Getsuga Tenshou", or rather, "Moon-Fang Heaven-Piercer". I have to ask, is this the ONLY set of apparent "twin" Zanpakuto? Completely separate, for different people, but with the same damn power?

Moving on. OK, I'm glad that Ichigo gets an upgrade to his Shinigami power in canon. For once. Yay for learning a Shinigami technique to enter his Inner World without assistance! Yay, learning the Final Getsuga Tenshou! Wait, wtf? Who's that? Tensa Zangetsu? I have to say, that really threw me for a loop. I always thought that Zangetsu and Tensa Zangetsu were the same damn spirit, just different forms of it. And I kept trying to think of an instance where Zangetsu's spirit spoke or was recognized or something while Ichigo was in Bankai, outside of the anime-only arcs. I had to concede defeat. This means that my fic has broken canon. This is what I consider not just a little break, but a big break in canon. So allow me to fix that with this theory.

Zangetsu and Tensa Zangetsu ARE the same spirit. Tensa Zangetsu is simply the younger version, with changes in his personality accordingly. Maybe a little more hotheaded, maybe a little more impulsive, maybe a little more violent... things like that. My thoughts are that in canon, Tensa Zangetsu never spoke up or appeared before Ichigo the way Zangetsu did because Ichigo was never ready to meet Tensa Zangetsu. Too many things going on, and Ichigo never really proved himself; even after the reprimand for not learning more about Zangetsu, Ichigo never really did anything to get closer to his Zanpakuto. Why SHOULD Tensa Zangetsu have shown himself?

So in my fic, the times that Tensa Zangetsu should have shown himself were: after the fight with Cazador de la Luna when Ichigo called out for Zangetsu, every time Ichigo or Cazador has talked to him mentally while Ichigo was in Bankai, and possibly while Cazador was in Resurreccion. The reason he didn't in my fic is similar to canon: they weren't ready. Ichigo was just getting to know Zangetsu. While Ichigo had gained his Bankai, he needed to be completely comfortable with Zangetsu, and have completely mastered everything there was to know about Shikai, before meeting Tensa Zangetsu. Zangetsu's previous practices with Ichigo in canon lend support to this idea, in that Ichigo was not taught the Getsuga Tenshou, but used it repeatedly without knowing its name, until Zangetsu told him. I believe that Zangetsu wanted Ichigo to learn everything about his Shikai before letting Ichigo unlock the true mastery of his Bankai.

Anyway, my last thing to rant about. The new fused form of Ichigo's power, the Zangetsu/Cazador combo blend. I must say I applaud that part. Cazador de la Luna and Tensa Zangetsu, both being part of Ichigo's power, blending and forcing Ichigo to become master of it... I like it. The Arrancar look of the blend is a nice touch. Good luck, Ichigo. And hopefully you stop being so OOC! And it looks like I need to do a quick modification to my fic at large... the Adjuchas mask as I currently have it does not have the horns and uber-hair and everything else. No problem... I do plan to have Ichigo lose his sanity at a point in the near future. In fact, let me give you a brief look at the coming events.

The Shinigami Substitute breathed very shallowly, his eyes wide in renewed emotional pain as he pulled himself away from the unforgettable memory that defined his life from such a young age. "You… you set the Grand Fisher on my mother that day." The pain in his heart slowly changed into something more useful. "Because I was soft, and weak, and completely reliant on her." It was something more than anger, and Ichigo could feel it rising within him. "You knew that killing her would force me to harden and grow stronger." It was something more than fury, and Ichigo could feel it beginning to twist his perception and warp his mentality. "You knew it would give me resolve to never let it happen again." Ichigo now knew the word for what he felt. Madness.

Ciao for now!

NeoRyu777


	19. Curses and Blessings of Instinct

Hello everyone!

Looks like I was a bit off about the scenes my muse gave me. They're not gonna be coming for another chapter or two. As a result, I had to write what happened between. Problem is, at this point a lot of it HAS to happen like canon, because I haven't really done anything to warrant it happening otherwise. So if this chapter seems a lot like a regurgitation of the manga, that's because a lot of it is. But I did try my best to put in new ideas. Subtle differences in how fights start will create large differences in how they proceed.

Due to the sheer number of newly introduced Zanpakuto and Bankai in this chapter, I'll be giving some names here to help keep track of what belongs to whom.

**New Zanpakuto List**

Suzumushi (Cricket) - Tousen's Zanpakuto. Unique in that it has two different Shikai forms that create different effects. "Cry" creates a sound wave that under normal circumstances will knock out anyone in range save Tousen himself. The other is unused in this chapter, but makes Suzumushi vibrate in a way that creates multitudes of blades, which are sent all at once.

Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi (Cricket Final Form: Devil Cricket) - Tousen's Bankai. All told, it's a sensory deprivation field whose size is defined by the rings it throws off when Bankai is invoked. All senses save touch are dampened to nonexistence, but anyone who can touch Tousen's Zanpakuto becomes immune to the effects.

Tenken (Heavenly Punishment) - Komamura's Zanpakuto. A giant armored disembodied arm will appear and mimic Komamura's sword swings.

Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō (Vidyaraja of Kalasutra's Heavenly Punishment) - Komamura's Bankai. Instead of just the arm, the whole giant appears. It's enormous, dozens of stories high, and it follows Komamura's movements exactly. However, the two bodies are linked. Damage to one appears on the other.

Shinsou (Sacred Spear) - Gin's Zanpakuto. Shinsou has the ability to extend and retract up to 100 times its own length, making it quite useful as a spear-type attack, but also very useful for extremely long sword swings.

Kamishini no Yari (God-Killing Spear) - Gin's Bankai. Take Shinsou's ability, multiply the speed to the point where even Ichigo in Bankai can't follow it, and make the range 13 kilometers. In canon, its speed is supposedly 500 times the speed of sound. God-Killing Spear indeed. That's an assassination weapon if I ever heard one.

Sakanade (Counter-Stroke) - Shinji's Zanpakuto. Sakanade's power is to completely reverse the senses. What's left is right, what's up is down, what's in front is in back. Even the direction you're looking and the direction you get attacked from is reversed. The effect is called being in the Inverted World, and is applied via scent. It can apparently be focused on a single person in canon.

Ryuujin Jakka (Flowing Blade-like Flame) - Perhaps the most infamous of all Zanpakuto, this is Yamamoto's. It's the most powerful of all fire-type Zanpakuto, and its badass-ness is perhaps best defined by its release phrase. "Reduce all creation to ash." Ryuujin Jakka's ability is the generation and manipulation of fire, much like Hitsugaya's Hyourinmaru has the ability to generate and manipulate ice. In Shikai, Ryuujin Jakka literally takes the form of fire shaped into a blade.

In response to some of my reviews...

nom - I couldn't see where someone had stolen my idea. If you can provide a link that'd be appreciated.

DBZLOVER - There is a difference going on, yes. For one thing, Ichigo's using the Adjuchas mask, which I've documented has a drawback; he gains the hunger of a newborn Adjuchas. Very distracting for someone when they're trying to stay sane. Cazador dampened it, yes, but Ichigo was still fighting under a handicap. Furthermore, Ichigo wasn't giving EVERYTHING into this fight; he was trying to keep some strength back for fighting Aizen later.

Orange205 - Thank you for your review, but get some sleep! But be ready for the next chapter, because if you think you've seen awesome, you ain't seen nothing yet.

marc - You asked how strong is Ichigo compared to canon. That's a difficult question, because he's gotten stronger is so many aspects. Physical strength and speed from his training in human form, Kido, reiatsu control and sensing, new techniques for use in Shikai and Bankai, upgraded mask forms, double-Bankai ability, and overall not as hotheaded, plus having Cazador not trying to eat him every other second... Ichigo's pretty damn strong at this point. So I'm gonna have to compare him to an Espada to make a proper point. If he went all out, used all of his power to the best of his ability. This would be Adjuchas Mask, Double-Bankai, "I don't care what it takes as long as you die" attitude, and using his new techniques with enhanced Getsuga Tenshou... Strong enough to kick Ulquiorra's ass. Baraggan might even be taken down. Maybe.

justbin - That's the whole point of leaving teasers like that, you know. ;) But I also put them out there to see if my public likes the ideas that drop into my head when I'm out driving.

Yami-no-Tamashii - I found your review highly, highly amusing, just so you know. But I agree with you, anime characters are very frequently more fun when insane. Ichigo? He's just gonna get even more badass.

Majin Hentai X - Sadly, this chapter has to follow canon a lot. But I'm not doing the Vizard showcase... what's the point of just showing them kicking all sorts of ass just yet? They're gonna finish off their allotted Hollows, but then they're gonna team up on someone you'll never guess... But that's next chapter.

Max J - That's one hell of a review right there. And just so you know, I recognized every reference you made. Now, in regards to pairing. I'm sure I've said this before, so let me just put it in bold...

**There is no currently planned pairing for Kurosaki Ichigo. One may develop in the future, but not yet. **

**Pairings for other characters are undecided. If you detect signs of pairing between characters, it is often due to the nature of war. As it is said, "You start off fighting for your country. You end fighting for the man in the foxhole beside you."  
**

**I get the most questions concerning Renji/Rukia, Ichigo/Rukia, and Ichigo/Inoue. Let me repeat, Ichigo has no planned pairing. The Renji/Rukia hints in a previous chapter are due to character development. I have no plans to get them together.**

**When I say I have no plans in regards to a pairing, I mean it. I have this fic planned out to what happens after Aizen. Any pairings that occur will be because my muse demands it, or the characters decide to write themselves. **

**Any reviews asking me to pair/not pair certain people will be ignored.**

**If a pairing does occur, it will not be Yaoi. I have nothing against homosexuality, but I have much difficulty writing it. Yuri is also unlikely.  
**

Now that that's done, let me just say that I'm touched at how many people have related to me that my fic is how canon should have gone, or that it's better than canon, or similar sentiments. Thank you.

Anyway, the chapter's a touch short, yes, but it's filler and it's taken me this long to try to get it out. I have some good material for what's up next though, so hopefully that's come out faster.

Anyway, you've waited long enough!

* * *

Chapter 19: Curses and Blessings of Instinct

Ichigo grinned dangerously behind his mask as he finished off the last of the Gillian in his area. It felt _damn_ good to let loose on the enormous Hollows, and it felt even better to finally not have to hide his Hollow powers from the Gotei 13.

_**Damn straight, **_Cazador de la Luna agreed. _**Too bad there aren't more to demolish. **_

Looking around, Ichigo noticed that he was the first one done; not surprising, given that not only had he put on his mask, but he was in Bankai. The others weren't far behind, but what caught his attention was that Shinji was facing Aizen, striking down at him, only to be parried by Tousen. Komamura appeared in a flicker of Shunpo and used his left gauntlet to block Tousen's next strike, and while Ichigo could not hear what was said, after a few seconds both Tousen and Komamura left for a more spacious battle zone.

It was the next observation, however, that held Ichigo's full attention. _Aizen's wide open. There won't be a better chance! _His eyes widened before his grin took on a feral quality. _Let's finish this! _He vanished into Shunpo, launching himself at Aizen's back…

… Only to be stopped mere inches away by a sword backed by a fox-like grin. "Heya, Ichigo," Ichimaru Gin greeted. "'Fraid I can't let ya double-team him."

Infuriated that his perfect opportunity to take out the enemy had been stopped by another of the traitors, Ichigo turned his rage upon the oh-so-convenient target. _**"You can't LET me? I'd like to see you try to stop me!" **_He lunged forward, the black flames of the Getsuga Tenshou flooding down Tensa Zangetsu in a fashion that eerily reminded Gin of Yamamoto's Ryuujin Jakka.

Even so, he did not hesitate, Shunpo-ing out of the way, and well away from Aizen, before pointing his sword at the orange-haired Vizard. "Hmm, I'm not stupid enough to face your Bankai without releasing my blade. Shoot to kill, Shinsou."

Remembering Shinsou's ability from his first attempt to break into Soul Society, Ichigo jumped to the side, watching carefully as Gin's sword extended at high speed. With that done, he realized that Gin's side was exposed, and Ichigo flickered over, already swinging. _**"Getsuga Tenshou!"**_

To Ichigo's mild surprise, Gin had already managed to shrink Shinsou back to its usual length, slightly longer than a dagger, and used it to hold off the attack long enough for him to dodge to one side, allowing the incredibly destructive moon-fang to pass him by harmlessly. Instinct gripping him, Ichigo leapt backwards and swung his sword again, managing to bat away the suddenly extended Shinsou again. _**"You know, your sword's power is really annoying," **_he said deadpan, reaching up and crushing his mask. Masked Bankai was rather overkill against Shikai, and he really did need to conserve his strength for Aizen, not to mention he still didn't have a clue what his time limit was anymore. "It's impossible to get within your guard, because your sword just resizes so you can strike from any range."

"Aw, that's not quite true," Gin said, his foxy grin firmly etched upon his face. "As you've seen, Shinsou has the ability to extend and retract, but can ya guess its range?"

"Eh, a few dozen meters maybe?"

"Up to 100 times its length," Gin answered gleefully. "But that's just Shikai. Now that you know that, can you guess how far my Bankai can extend?"

"Who cares?" Despite his nonchalant attitude, Ichigo was indeed trying to estimate it. The thought hadn't occurred to him that Gin would have Bankai as well, despite having been a former taicho.

For once, Gin's smile faltered. He took on a disappointed look as he gazed on the Vizard. "How sad, you won't play with me? Alright, I'll just tell you. My Bankai can extend up to 13 kilometers."

Ichigo froze. "That's…!"

"I know, an enormous length, isn't it? But it's one you can't really understand until you see it." Gin brought his sword up to point it in the general direction of the faux city where no one else was fighting. "Bankai. Kamishini no Yari."

The next moment, several buildings in the distance had been cut cleanly in half and were collapsing on themselves, with Gin's ridiculously long sword to the side.

Ichigo gaped for a moment before instinctively bringing Tensa Zangetsu to the side, stopping Kamishini no Yari's blade in its tracks. He smirked at Gin's face. "Why are you so surprised, Gin? A Bankai can always be stopped by another Bankai!" Batting the blade away, Ichigo promptly swung his sword in Gin's direction. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Gin was hit from point-blank range, but when the smoke cleared, the traitor was only mildly wounded. His clothes were singed, and his forehead and knuckles bleeding somewhat, but it appeared he'd deflected most of the attack using his suddenly short sword. However, there was something wrong…

Gin's eyes widened as he realized; Ichigo was no longer there. He threw himself to the side even as he spun around, but it was too late to fully evade all injury. Tensa Zangetsu cut deeply into his back as Ichigo rushed by him, narrowly missing Gin's spine but it was enough to be quite painful.

"You've gotten a lot stronger and more ruthless since we last fought," Gin complimented, trying to buy some time. He'd underestimated the kid, and now he was injured. "I remember, after I cut Jidanbo's arm… You came rushing at me with such a threatening attitude…" He smiled. "'What an amusing kid,' I thought to myself."

"… I don't remember that."

Gin chuckled. "Liar, liar. Are you trying to provoke me? Because I'm sure you could do better than that."

Ichigo shook his head. "No. I don't remember your sword, or your heart. When your blade crosses that of another's, you understand a little about them, like the strength of their resolve, whether you're acknowledged or looked down on." He paused for a moment. "When I'm actually fighting someone, I'm always fighting for my life so I don't get the chance to think about it. But afterwards, it comes to me. And what I've found is, the stronger the person, the more of their heart is translated to me."

"My, my, how poetic," Gin commented dryly.

"Shut up, I wasn't finished. I didn't get anything from you. Neither acknowledgment, nor resolve, nothing! You didn't even see me, you were busy with something else! Maybe your upcoming defection?" Ichigo theorized.

"… I thought you were amusing, but now I can see that you're rather creepy…" Gin said carelessly. _He's grown so fast! _"I think I see why Aizen-taicho is interested in you…"

Ichigo sweat-dropped. "I'm not gay."

Gin looked at him oddly, his smile becoming somewhat strained. "That's not what I meant." He took on a pensive expression. "Then again… I've never known him to be with a woman. Not even his old fukutaicho, Hinamori, who was so desperate to please! He could have had her in a minute had he chosen…"

"Don't you think that you should have known whether he was gay before you and Tousen ran off with him? I mean, with his hypnosis abilities, and you being off in a dark secluded location for months, who knows what he's done to you?" Ichigo pointed out.

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds as neither of them moved, before both shuddered in unison. "Let's just forget we ever had this conversation and get back to the fight," Gin suggested.

"Yeah."

* * *

"We meet again, bug."

Hitsugaya did not deign to respond; he was very tired, and had yet to be healed from his previous encounter with Baraggan. He did sneak a glance out of the corner of his eye, seeing Harribel once more at his side, still in Resurreccion. _How are we going to kill him for good? I don't think he'll give me the time to trap him again, and even if he did, I'm not sure I have enough reiatsu left to pull it off. How do you kill something that you can't even touch? _

"Not going to say anything? I'm not surprised. It must've been such a shock to see that your so-called ultimate technique was ultimately worthless against the might of time."

Speaking of time, Hitsugaya decided to try to buy some while he tried desperately to think of a plan. "Technically, you didn't break out of it yourself. You had to rely on someone else. Seems that you, oh avatar of old age, still have limits." _He's a skeleton. _"Even time must bow to the everlasting."_Without any muscular padding, the bones themselves should break relatively easily… if they weren't being reinforced by his reiatsu. But I can't get close without being aged into dust! _

He glanced at Harribel. _Given the strength of his reiatsu, we would need a colossal amount of power, compressed to a single point. If we can break his skull, or maybe even some of his ribs, that might give us the advantage we need! _

The only one that came to mind who seemed to suit that particular requirement was Kurosaki Ichigo, whose Bankai was unique in that its immense power was compressed into a simple sword. Hitsugaya shook his head; _Melee is suicide against him. Kido is our only hope… _

"Mind if I join you?"

Hitsugaya spun around, ignoring the pain in his shoulder, only to see a rather large man wearing a very odd, human-style outfit standing beside him in midair. Suddenly recognizing him from the glimpse of the Vizard before they had pulled on their masks, Hitsugaya's eyes widened momentarily before realizing he didn't have much choice. "I'm afraid I don't know who you are, but at this point we could use all the help we can get."

"I am Ushoda Hachigen, Kido specialist." Hachi kept his eyes on Baraggan as he spoke. "It seems to me that you are injured beyond anything normal Kido can heal."

"It was an effect of his time dilation," Hitsugaya reported. "Don't get close, no matter what. His time dilation ages and disintegrates everything around him. What happened to my shoulder and arm was his time dilation before Resurreccion, I really don't care to know what would happen if you get close now."

"I don't plan to get close. Go visit your healing station; I will take care of this Arrancar."

As much as it pained him to admit it, Hitsugaya knew that was the best option. Someone fresh that Baraggan hadn't fought had a better chance of surprising him. With a curt nod, he Shunpo-ed away.

* * *

Inoue was quite tired. She'd spent the past several minutes healing several people. Yumichika and Ikkaku had left a few minutes ago, and she was working on restoring Renji's arm. "And… there." She stopped her Souten Kisshun technique, breaking the god-like event reversal barrier. Renji's arm was restored as though it had never been lost.

Renji stood up and flexed it a few times, testing it. He sent an honest, appreciative smile to the human who'd singlehandedly fixed an injury that Unohana-taicho herself could not have repaired. "Thanks, Inoue."

She smiled back. "No problem, Abarai-san."

Renji opened his mouth to correct her and ask her to call him by his given name, but Hitsugaya's sudden appearance cut him short. "Hitsugaya-taicho! What happened?"

"The second Espada," the diminutive taicho said shortly, clutching his wounded shoulder. "Inoue Orihime-san. Please heal me as best you can, I must rejoin the fight soon! Aizen is free!"

Renji's eyes narrowed in anger and frustration. "Aizen!" he bit out. Before anyone could stop him, he vanished into Shunpo.

"Damn that hothead, he's as bad as Ichigo!" Rukia cursed as she turned to follow him.

"Kuchiki, I would not normally ask such a thing of you as you do not have Bankai, but the two of us are the only ice users here," Hitsugaya interrupted Rukia. "The one I fought, he is susceptible to ice and water. Please, go aid the large man who took over for me until I return. But be cautious, and fight from a distance; melee is suicide, even to a taicho!"

"Yes, sir!" Rukia flickered into a Shunpo of her own.

"Lie down," Inoue ordered wearily. She was tired, but she could not afford to rest now, not when everyone needed her! _I may not be able to fight physically, but I can at least help where I am needed most! _"The healing goes faster if you are completely resting."

Hitsugaya gave a short nod before lying down, doing his best not to jostle his wounded shoulder and arm any more than he already had.

"Souten Kisshun!" As soon as the healing barrier came over him, Inoue frowned in concentration, determining just what had happened; she'd never seen an injury like this before. "Hitsugaya-taicho, your shoulder and arm's bones are longer and more brittle than the other side's. What happened?"

"They were forcibly aged with a time dilation field," the white-haired taicho said wearily, feeling the injury start to mend.

"Aged?" Inoue murmured. _That explains why the bones are so weak and brittle there right now. They collapsed under their own weight! _"Don't worry, I should be able to fix it, and your arm will be good as new."

That intrigued Hitsugaya. "The man who replaced me said that my injury was beyond any Kido. How can you fix it?"

"I don't use Kido," the redhead told him. "My power is rejection. This shield allows me to reject your injuries, and make it as though they had never happened. I haven't found anything I can't fix given enough time and reiatsu."

And that gave the taicho of Squad 10 an idea.

* * *

Komamura Sajin looked stoically at his old friend they stood, staring at each other. Well, staring was perhaps not an appropriate word, for the blind Tousen Kaname could only see by way of his reiatsu sense. He spared a glance at his left bracer, which had been slightly damaged from taking Tousen's sword strike. "I never thought I'd be protecting someone from you," he murmured lowly.

But Tousen's keen hearing caught it anyway. "I knew. We were always destined to cross blades one day, Sajin, and on that day, one of us would die. That time is now." He raised his sword to begin, only to suddenly have it wrapped in chains… very familiar chains.

"Forgive me, Komamura-taicho… But may I join you in this fight?"

"Hisagi!" Tousen recognized. Hisagi Shuhei, Tousen's ex-fukutaicho, stood there with his released Zanpakuto, Kazeshini. Kazeshini took the form of two medium-size scythes linked by a chain at the hilt of each. The scythes themselves were double-bladed, but the second blade was upside-down compared to the second in that instead of reaching down like the first blade, the sharp edge curved upwards.

Komamura gave Hisagi a brief, but critical once-over. Hisagi appeared to be doing quite well; he'd probably managed to get some healing and rest between fights. He wasn't at full strength, that was obvious, but close enough to fight well. "Very well."

Hisagi merely nodded, his mind burning on the tattoo of the number 69 on his cheek. _On that day as a child, I was saved by a man who bore this number. Now it is time for me to save my mentor! _"It's been a long time, Tousen-taicho. I'd like to thank you."

The dark-skinned blind man's face hardened somewhat. "Are you being sarcastic?"

"No. Thank you for everything you've taught me. I will be using those very techniques I learned from you, to open your eyes and take you back to Soul Society!" Hisagi finished strongly, determinedly.

"'Open my eyes?' You really think you can do that? …Hmph. You haven't changed," Tousen scoffed as he focused reiatsu to his Zanpakuto. "Suzumushi." His blade vibrated strongly, emitting enough sound to force the chains of Hisagi's released Zanpakuto, Kazeshini, around it to loosen, allowing its owner to draw it easily. "I do believe I taught you that men who do not know fear are not fit for battle, for it is only knowing that fear that grants the wisdom and caution needed to succeed. But there isn't a shred of fear in your words. Not a shred. No matter, now that Aizen-sama has entered the battle, I will fight at my full power. Let us fight our destined fight, Komamura!"

"You will release your Bankai? Then so shall I!" the giant of a Shinigami promised, preparing to unleash his full strength upon his traitorous friend.

However, Komamura was startled when the sightless enemy scoffed and shook his head. "No, I will not. For what is Bankai, when I have achieved a power so much greater?" And with that, he reached up to his face.

Komamura recognized the move instantly, having watched several Shinigami do it in tandem mere minutes earlier. Beside him, Hisagi was equally shocked. "Tousen! Don't tell me you've…" Horror erupted anew from within Komamura's chest as Tousen proceeded to complete the move, spawning a swirl of reiatsu that blocked sight of the traitor for a few seconds. "Just how far have you fallen, Tousen?" he roared, both in anger and in pain from the realization of just how much his ex-ally had betrayed him.

"Taicho…!" Hisagi grunted, standing his ground despite the reiatsu trying to push him away.

Then the smoke cleared, and Tousen was revealed. He had materialized a white, blank mask with only a line reaching vertically down the middle. Astoundingly, a chest plate and shoulder guards had also appeared, bearing the same design as the mask. Komamura's keen intellect that had borne him through to his position as taicho coldly informed him Tousen must have completely mastered Hollowification.

"A Hollow form?" Hisagi asked incredulously.

"_**Yes,"**_ Tousen confirmed matter-of-factly.

"Why?" the fukutaicho cried out, his voice breaking as he struggled to comprehend why one of the strongest Shinigami would turn his back on everything to become a Hollow.

Tousen said nothing, but was suddenly in front of his ex-subordinate, swinging down. Luckily, Hisagi managed to block the worst of it with his own Zanpakuto, though he still received a deep cut to his shoulder.

"Tenken!" Komamura barked as he swung his sword at his friend-turned-foe. A disembodied arm swung down with him, a giant sword bearing down upon Tousen as though to cleave him in half.

However, the newly revealed hybrid blocked with merely his unreleased blade. There was no apparent strain either, which made Komamura's eyes widen, even as he was abruptly sent flying back and down by a retaliatory kick that moved too fast for him to see, even with a taicho's experience. _What? What is… this power?_

The anthropomorphic canine crashed down into a building, then, but Tousen did not pursue. _**"It's strange," **_he said. _**"You are all quite willing to align yourself with, and even fight alongside, that half-Shinigami boy, Hollow form and all. But when I gain the exact same power, it's something I should be ashamed of?" **_

"Kurosaki Ichigo was never given a choice, and even if he had been at the time, he required all the power he could gain to go against the will of the Gotei 13 and save his comrade," Komamura argued. "But you, who were so strong, so respected, so liked among all the Gotei 13… you chose to become this! How have you become corrupted?"

"_**Corrupted?" **_Tousen sounded almost amused by the thought. _**"How does flirting with my Inner Hollow mean that? No, Komamura, you are blinded by what Yamamoto has taught you, that Shinigami and Hollow are opposites and never meant to mix."**_

"I'm not talking about that," the canine growled. "You threw away everything you ever knew for forbidden power! Your friends! Your subordinates! People who trusted you, who believed in the justice you preached! That, dear friend, is where your corruption has led you astray."

Distracted by the conversation, Tousen was caught completely by surprise when the same chain as earlier wrapped around his neck and picked him up off his feet, slamming him into a nearby roof. A moment later, Hisagi appeared in a flicker of Shunpo and gripped Tousen by the throat, holding one of the blades of his released Zanpkauto at his ex-taicho's throat.

"… _**You are being far too lenient," **_Tousen reprimanded.

"I know," Hisagi admitted freely. "But this is one of the lessons you taught me, not to use excessive force. There was no true malicious intent in catching you with my chain, which I suspect is why you did not do anything about it. But I need to know, Tousen-taicho… you taught me that those who do not fear and respect their weapons did not deserve to see battle. You told me that because I was so afraid of my blade, my Kazeshini whose blades look like they reap life itself, I was a true warrior. How can you say such things, and then ignore them? Look at yourself! What drove you to do this? What drives your fear now?"

It was a close thing, but being in peak condition and recuperated from his previous fight, Hisagi felt more than sensed Tousen stabbing at him from the ground. As it happened, Suzumushi stabbed through one of the links in the chain between Kazeshini's two scythe-like blades. Abandoning his grip on the Shinigami-Hollow hybrid's neck, Hisagi leapt back, using Kazeshini's chain to snag the Zanpakuto in the link it'd stabbed through before tugging. Suzumushi had still penetrated Hisagi's shoulder somewhat, but it was merely an annoying injury instead of a crippling one.

Startled once again at the unusual maneuver, Tousen suddenly found himself without his Zanpakuto. This was a highly unusual situation for him, as Suzumushi was the last remnant of the woman he'd loved so long ago. _Have I become overconfident since I acquired these powers? _Reflecting over what had just happened, the traitor was forced to admit to himself that he needed to get serious. _**"For the last hundred years, Hisagi… my greatest fear has been integrating into the Gotei 13 and dying a pointless death! Cry, Suzumushi!" **_

As Tousen was not holding the weapon to provide some reiatsu, Suzumushi was compelled to do what it could with the reiatsu it had. As a result, it let out a very high-pitched, grating sound at point-blank range. Hisagi dropped his knees, his hands having released their grip on his own Zanpakuto in favor of holding his ears, trying to shut out the incredibly painful, all-encompassing noise. Tousen took the opportunity to calmly retrieve his Zanpakuto, and raised it in preparation to finish his former subordinate…

"Bankai! Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!"

… only to be forced to block a literal giant's sword as Komamura's enormous armored Bankai swung down upon him. _**"I was beginning to wonder when you would step in," **_Tousen commented calmly. _**"But to fight me with merely a Bankai is foolish. Especially when I already know this one's weakness." **_And with that comment, he leapt up and slashed at the giant's right arm, noting with satisfaction that an identical wound appeared on Komamura. _**"Power, yes, but your Bankai is based on the idea of a crushing strike, without giving opportunity for counterstrike. A wound to the Bankai appears on you, and a wound to you appears on the Bankai. Simply put, you are linked, and your Bankai has insufficient defense to keep me from striking, and is too large to use evasive techniques effectively." **_

"Perhaps so," the taicho affirmed, "but even if you know my power, that doesn't mean you can evade my own attack!" As a taicho, Komamura was extremely good at Zanjutsu, and he used it then, striking at Tousen over and over again as the giant he controlled mimicked his movements and speed to the letter. However, it was the instinctual backhand from defending from one of Tousen's counterattacks that dealt the first damage. The giant's enormous fist managed to completely crush Tousen's left arm.

"Don't forget about me," Hisagi's cold voice reminded him, as Kazeshini's reaping blade skillfully cut off the newly-useless arm. "Can't you see, Tousen-taicho? Even with Hollowification, you cannot defeat us together."

Behind the Hollow mask, Tousen Kaname's face contorted with rage and frustration. _I willfully gained this power, I abandoned everything except the pursuit of my dream, but I'm still so weak? I need more time to prepare… __**"It seems that this form is not enough. Let us see what you can do when you've lost all senses except pain!" **_He placed his left palm against the ring on the end of the hilt of his Zanpakuto._** "Bankai!"**_

The ring began to spin rapidly, then as it span it grew incredibly large, as large as Tousen himself, before suddenly splitting into ten rings, which flew out a very large distance, a few blocks at least, and then darkness filled the space between them. As Komamura and Hisagi prepared for the fight to recommence, they watched Tousen's form disappear as he finished calling out the name of his Bankai. _**"Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi."**_

Both Komamura and Hisagi were very familiar with Tousen's Bankai, being his best friend and fukutaicho respectively. They knew, theoretically, that it would deprive them all senses except that of touch. Sight, hearing, taste, smell, even reiatsu sense was dampened to the point of nonexistence. Tousen himself called the effect "Ignorance". The only one immune to the effects was anyone touching Tousen's Zanpakuto.

But while both Shinigami had knowledge of the effects, only one was prepared for them. Komamura knew he'd be fighting Tousen today, so he'd talked to Kenpachi, the only one he knew who had defeated Tousen's Bankai.

_**Flashback**_

"_Eh? It's you. Whaddaya want?" Kenpachi asked boredly, watching his division spar and wishing that even one among them could challenge him. _I wonder how Ichigo's doing…?

"_Zaraki-taicho," Komamura greeted. "I need some assistance with something, something that only you can help me with." _

"_Oh? What's that? Does it involve a good fight?" Kenpachi began to grin in excitement. _

"_Possibly." Komamura was very well acquainted with his bloodthirsty comrade's tendencies, but luckily it worked in his favor. Besides, a fight with the man would be good training for the both of them. _

_The taicho of the 11__th__ Division gave the man his full attention. "I'm in. What can I help ya with?" _

"_I need to know how you fought Tousen, and won, in his Bankai." To sweeten the deal, he then added, "That's the fight I'm offering. You fight me until I can fight him the same way you did. An opponent of captain-level strength, you could not ask for a better fight than that. In return, I'll help you become an even stronger fighter by helping you gain your Shikai. I can't imagine how strong you'll be after that."_

_Komamura was more than slightly disturbed by the eager ferocity in his fellow taicho's expression. _

_**End Flashback**_

In order to duplicate the effect, Komamura had worn a blindfold, stuffed his ears and nose, and enlisted the Research and Development Division to create an armband that could temporarily inhibit reiatsu-sensing ability. What ensued were perhaps the most brutal, crushing defeats he'd ever received in his life. However, each defeat succeeded in honing the key to victory: instinct… until one day he'd won and managed to put Kenpachi in the hospital, though the fight-happy maniac went down the biggest of grins on his face.

Instinct was the key to defeating the sense-depriving Bankai, but it had to be developed. To be able to fight with only the sense of touch to guide you meant being able to interpret the barest of sensations against your skin; the gentle movements of air as someone comes towards you, the nearly-nonexistent tremor of the ground beneath your feet as your opponent, the coldness of steel as it approaches and touches your skin before it penetrates. To defeat Tousen's Bankai, Komamura needed the instinct to recognize them and react accordingly. Counterattack was the key to victory.

During his time with the Squad 11 taicho, the canine had gained an enormous amount of respect in Kenpachi, despite the man's odd ways of running his division. To be able to fight under such conditions and win decisively was incredibly impressive. The fact that Kenpachi still did not have Shikai simply made the achievement that much more astounding. True to his word, Komamura had aided the man in achieving the state most conducive to conversing with his Zanpakuto. It had required using a stronger version of Kenpachi's reiatsu-sucking eyepatch to lower his levels enough to actually do so, but Kenpachi did eventually manage to learn how to talk to his Zanpakuto. While he hadn't managed to get into his own Inner World yet by the time they had stopped practicing together, it was a promising start.

As it was, Komamura was prepared for fighting Tousen's Bankai. However, there was a variable he hadn't thought of: Hisagi. He knew how to win in one-on-one combat… But with someone else there, there was no way to know who was attacking. All he could do was hope for the best. However… _Sorry, Tenken… You're a bit large for this fight. _Komamura dismissed his own Bankai, allowing the armored giant to dissipate and return to his Zanpakuto.

Tousen observed his two familiar opponents as they prepared themselves for combat. Unsurprisingly, Hisagi seemed nervous, if his reiatsu was anything to go by. _There truly is little he could do in this situation… _Tousen mused. However, he was intrigued by his former colleague, Komamura. The fox-like being had taken on a strangely familiar stance. It seemed a blend of what he typically used, but it held hints of… _**"Zaraki!"**_ the masked traitor spat in realization. _**"So, you've been learning how to fight me from that brute?" **_

Naturally, Komamura couldn't hear, and so didn't respond.

Tousen took a deep breath to calm down. _**"No matter. I'm far faster in this form, and you cannot possibly counterattack fast enough to catch me." **_With that, he began walking towards Komamura; Hisagi was weak, and could be easily disposed of after Komamura was put down. Besides, the darkness that concealed him was more than sufficient to hide how his arm was being restored by his Hollow powers. _**High-speed regeneration is truly a godlike ability… I never would have gained such power if I limited myself to purely Shinigami abilities.

* * *

**_

Shinji and Aizen continued to face off, neither of them injured. But then, they had only been testing each other's capabilities through speed and swordplay, and Shinji was trying to buy some time. He'd seen Ichigo's attempt to tag-team Aizen, and it was a good idea, especially with Shinji's Zanpakuto's power. However, there was no more delaying the true fight; it was time to take it up a notch. "Aizen, I hope you realize you're going to die today," Shinji prophesized.

"Of course I am," he agreed unexpectedly. "But then, to be reborn as a Kami, one must die in a certain sense of the word."

"You were right all those years ago that I could have seen your betrayal coming if I'd just come to know you, let you become a friend. But I always kept you at arm's length," Shinji recalled. "But that goes both ways, Aizen! You have no idea what my Zanpakuto does, and if you think you're the only one with a Zanpakuto that affects the senses, then you've got another thing comin'," Shinji informed him lowly. "Why do you think I was always so good at detecting your damned illusions?"

Aizen merely smirked. "And just what does yours do?"

"You'll see. Collapse, Sakanade." Shinji's sword pommel became a large ring about two hand spans wide, while the sword itself grew very straight and gained five small holes along the length. He began spinning it almost out of habit.

"An interesting shape," the leader of traitors complimented.

"Yeah, Sakanade's great, but I'm certainly not lending it to you," came the Vizard's rebuttal.

"But it doesn't seem to be giving off any sort of aura of power," Aizen observed with a frown. "Did I mishear about your Zanpakuto having sensory-affecting abilities?"

"Take another look," Shinji suggested. "Oh, by the way… doesn't it smell nice here, for all the fire and destruction around?"

Aizen's eyes widened, and suddenly, everything was upside down.

"Too late to escape, Aizen. Welcome to the Inverted World, Sakanade's specialty," the blond Shinigami-Hollow hybrid boasted. "All your senses have been inverted."

Aizen observed his surroundings carefully. "An interesting ability, I admit. Everything appears opposite. Up and down, and if I'm not mistaken, left and right as well."

The upside-down form of Shinji grinned viciously as he stopped spinning his Zanpakuto, ready to wield it as the sword it was. _It's time! After all these years, vengeance! Let's finish this, Sakanade! _"My Sakanade equalizes all opponents in that everyone reacts on instinct in close quarters, Aizen. Every time they see something coming from their left, they'll block to their left… but in this Inverted World, the block will go to their right! It's impossible for the brain to interpret all the opposites in time to change your reaction accordingly, and so you fail, every time!" With that, he dashed at Aizen, hoping to finish it quickly.

Aizen prepared himself, having figured out another secret of Shinji's Zanpakuto. _Back and front are reversed too. Did you think I wouldn't figure it out? Your power is simplistic, but it certainly has potential. _He span around at the last moment and smiled, slicing at the Shinji coming from behind. However, Aizen was shocked when it went right through. Luckily for him, his own instinct made him leap to the side, keeping him from being stabbed straight through, but he received a deep gash for his efforts. He opened his mouth to question what had happened, but was cut off by the sudden appearance of a familiar giant bone-snake, a red orb of explosive power in its mouth.

"Hikotsu Taiho!" Renji roared, bringing his most powerful attack to bear upon the traitorous leader of the Espada.

Aizen, thinking he'd learned the trick, did not spin around this time, but faced the blast head-on. However, as soon as he felt the heat and power of the attack upon his back, he realized he'd been had. But it was too late, as he was engulfed in the enormous blast of Hihio Zabimaru's Hikotsu Taiho.

* * *

And there we are! Renji keeps getting beat down in canon. I don't think he's won a single fight in the manga. Initial opening against Ichigo? Lost. Second fight against Ichigo when he gets Shikai? Lost. Fight against Byakuya after gaining Bankai? Lost. Fight against Szayel with Ishida? Lost. Fight against Yammy with Rukia, Chad and Ishida? Lost. But now is Renji's time to shine! Go Renji! Obliterate Aizen, become the unexpected big hero!

... Of course, we all know how that's gonna turn out. But hey, you all don't know how much damage he's done. Heh heh, I'm saving that for next chapter. Might make an Omake for Renji being the one to beat Aizen though.

Tousen has used his Bankai instead of Resurreccion because I figure that it takes time to gather the Hollow reiatsu to transform that way for a Shinigami. On top of that, he got a wake-up call when Hisagi stole his Zanpakuto. Given how surprised he is that he can see in canon, I've surmised that Tousen has not used his Resurreccion, ever, so he decided to stick with what he knew to whittle them down until he can release it and show them just how hopeless it is.

I had Komamura undergo sensory deprivation training with Kenpachi because seriously. He knew he was gonna fight Tousen. Why not prepare for it? Plus it provides a nice tie-in to canon when Kenpachi hints that he's heard his Zanpakuto when fighting with Nnoitra.

Now, as for canon...

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...

I SO FUCKING CALLED IT! Aizen became that god-damned butterfly!

*deep breath* I'm ok. Now, as for Gin's betrayal. Who didn't see that coming? I saw it. The only thing that was unexpected about it was how he did it, and released more information about Kamishini no Yari. Wow. God-Killing Spear indeed. But how the hell did Aizen survive that? If he can survive having his CHEST blown apart, how is Ichigo supposed to kill him? Are we gonna see another version of Goku versus Majin Buu? "He just regenerates if I hurt him! I have to completely obliterate his very molecules!" Substitute Goku with Ichigo, Majin Buu with Aizen, and Spirit Bomb with Final Getsuga Tenshou. I swear, if that's how it happens, I will be so disappointed...

Hmm. Speaking of Ichigo, I wonder how he's doing in his Inner World. Haven't seen him since that one pic of him with blood coming out of his mouth.

Also, Chizuru. She's pretty intelligent, right? Despite acting like a bimbo around Inoue. She knows the others are hiding something. Betcha anything Ichigo appears out of nowhere and surprises the hell out of her.

Here's a snippet of what else I plan to include in the next chapter or two, just for your viewing pleasure.

To everyone's surprise, Ichigo threw his head back and laughed. With the powerful Adjuchas mask on his face changing his voice, it came out as a horrible, soul-chilling laugh, and his allies in the area all shivered violently. After a few seconds, he looked Aizen straight in the eyes. **_"You're so strong, Aizen! Look at us! I'm at my strongest form yet, yet you are keeping up with me! You haven't even used your Shikai's effect on me!" _**

"Are you scared, then?"

This only made Ichigo laugh again. **_"Are you kidding? Why on earth would I be scared? I just couldn't help laughing at how hopeless it all seems right now! But I got something that you don't!" _**

Anyway, I'm too busy looking forward to the next manga to say much more. The only thing I'll say is, I hope no one's forgotten about Yumichika and Ikkaku. Until next chapter!

NeoRyu777


	20. Sorrow of History, Rage of Present

Back! And this chapter is much longer than the ones from recently because I REALLY wanted to get through the sneak peeks I showed you in previous chapters.

Anyway, a few replies to reviews...

Max J: No worries, I wasn't upset at you, more like irritated in general at the sheer number of requests for pairings.

DBZLover: See, there's a balance to be upheld. Ichigo fighting at full power (double-Bankai, Adjuchas mask) has the handicap of having to put up with the lust to eat souls, though dampened by Cazador. If Cazador were fighting at full power (Resurreccion, double-Tensa Zangetsu), then he wouldn't be able to use Shinigami powers very well. No Shunpo at least. Each has drawbacks. In regards to Cero or Bala, you'll see it soon enough. ;)

Murasaki Tsukimaru: I couldn't help but laugh aloud at your review. Thank you, I needed that.

Orange205: Given the latest manga, I think that we got a slight bit of variation off it... I'll discuss it below in my spoiler section.

Anyway, new terms!

Bushōgoma - Kyoraku Shunsui's technique using Katen Kyokotsu. It's essentially a spinning top of wind.

Irooni - Kyoraku Shunsui's technique using Katen Kyokotsu. It's a colors game adapted to battle. You can only hit the color you call out, but it also opens up the color on yourself. The amount you wear determines the amount of damage you do. Minimal color, even with full-power strike, will do almost no damage. Maximum color, minimal strike, could do an enormous amount of damage.

Butō - (Dance Step) Gin's technique with Kamishini no Yari. By placing the hilt of his Zanpakuto firmly against his chest, he can maximize its extension speed.

Butō: Renjin - (Dance Step Serial Blade) Think dozens of Butō in a fraction of a second. Very, very difficult to block.

Hado 63: Raikōhō - (Thunder Roar Cannon) Massive electric blast.

Higa Zekkō - (Bite of a Broken Baboon's Fang) In Bankai, Renji disconnects the segments of Hihio Zabimaru and makes them lunge point-first at his opponent from all directions.

Suzumushi Hyakushiki: Grillar Grillo - (Cricket Hundredth Ceremony: Chirping Cricket) Tousen's Resurreccion. Nightmare fuel. See below for a description, or easier yet, look it up on mangastream.

* * *

Chapter 20: Sorrow of History, Rage of Present

It is said that it is far easier to kill someone than it is to simply capture them. This lesson was being relearned by Kyoraku Shunsui as he worked with his old friend, Ukitake Juushiro, and the ex-Espada Nelliel Tu Oderschvank.

"Cero Metralleta!" Starrk barked out, firing hundreds of Ceros at once from his two guns, attempting to overwhelm them.

Once again, Juushiro and Nelliel jumped in front, and mere moments later, all of Starrk's attack had been redirected back towards him. However, Starrk had gained his position as the Primera Espada for good reason; he'd soundlessly used Sonido to get behind them, attempting to knock out at least one of his opponents.

Shunsui had other ideas as he countered the Espada with Katen Kyokotsu, before slashing his swords across his body in opposite directions. "Bushōgoma!"

Stark was taken by surprise when blades of wind erupted from the Shinigami's two blades and merged, forming a sharp spinning circle of reiatsu-infused wind. Blocking with one of his pistols, he aimed the other and fired a Cero straight through, diffusing the attack. "You'll have to do better than that," he called out with narrowed eyes.

"Starrk, look out!" Lilynette's panicked voice came from one of the pistols.

He reflexively Sonido-ed a distance away, narrowly avoiding being struck in the back of his head from Nelliel's lance. Seeing her obvious pain at fighting him, his eyes softened somewhat. Starrk understood; he felt the same pain himself, fighting a former comrade and friend of his. But he owed Aizen everything for freeing him from the hell that is loneliness.

Despite his feelings on the matter, Starrk knew that if this fight continued much longer, he would lose, and he couldn't afford that. He sheathed his pistols and absorbed Lilynette further into his body. _Time to take things up a notch, eh Starrk? _Her voice echoed in his, no, their head.

_Yes. _

"Then let's go, Starrk," Lilynette spoke softly from within their shared body. With that, the combined being of Starrk and Lilynette gathered their power.

The three opponents were stunned at seeing hundreds of gray wolves materialize behind Starrk. Of course, Shunsui put it best. "Huh. That's new."

"Nelliel, what can you tell us about this?"

"I don't know, I've never seen him go this far!" the green-haired Arrancar admitted.

"We don't like rejoining to this point," Lilynette explained with Starrk's mouth, distinguishable using her own voice. "It makes it more painful to separate again…"

"But for the sake of companionship, any pain is worth escaping loneliness," Starrk finished, his expression hardening. "I'll ask again. Nelliel, please retreat. If you continue to fight, I can't guarantee your life."

"You know I can't do that, Starrk," the former Espada Tres reminded him sadly, but just as determined. "I can't let you help Aizen sacrifice an entire town of innocents just so he can ascend to a greater power! Let me make you the same offer. Please surrender, and come with me back to Hueco Mundo! I'll be your companion, you won't have to be lonely anymore!"

"You know I can't do that, Nel…" the Primera answered in the same tone. "I should have known that would be your answer. You're so kindhearted, you hate unnecessary death and fighting in general… But you must understand! How could I live with myself if I turned my back on the man who gave me my heart's desire?" He sighed. "It seems there is no other way."

Nelliel nodded in sorrow. "I know."

Shunsui fidgeted a little, uncomfortable at witnessing such a personal moment. He felt as though this wasn't his battle at all, but Nelliel's. A quick glance in Ukitake's direction told him that his chronically-ill friend felt the same. It was getting harder to think of the two as Hollows with Shinigami powers, when they acted so very human. Shunsui couldn't even bring himself to take advantage of the opening their conversation made to strike.

He tried to give himself a quick pep talk. _I am a taicho! My sword strikes with the weight and strength of duty! _But Katen Kyokotsu felt so heavy, her blades dulled with reluctance. Even her usual enthusiasm to play her deadly games was diminished… _Aw, who'm I kidding? I want those two to have a happy ending. _"Yama-jii's gonna have my hide for this…" Shunsui muttered under his breath.

"Mine too," Juushiro agreed. "Letting such a powerful Arrancar go without really trying to slay it? He'll burn us alive. But it's the right thing to do."

"Think we can blame it on the Kurosaki kid? He's already recruited a few of Aizen's Espada…" Shunsui mused, his eyes glittering with amusement.

"Shunsui… don't go causing trouble for him when he's done nothing wrong." But the white-haired Shinigami was smiling.

A sudden rise in reiatsu from Starrk and Nelliel alerted them that it was time to resume the battle. Gripping Katen Kyokotsu's blades, Shunsui leapt into the fray. _What game shall we play, darling? _

_Hmm… Let's play Irooni! _Katen Kyokotsu decided.

Shunsui chuckled lightly. _This is gonna be interesting, with the additional players… _

_That's why I chose it! _

Having little choice, the normally laid-back Shinigami called out the name of the game that they were all forced to play now. "Irooni!"

Familiar with his friend's Shikai, Juushiro immediately called out, "White!" He promptly began a furious assault on his opponent, who dodged and blocked every attack before leaping back, sending several wolves to attack the taicho.

_Trying to end it early, old friend? Perhaps that's wise… Aizen is still waiting. _"White!" Shunsui called out, intercepting one of the grey wolves and striking on an odd white spot. He struck with Katen Kyokotsu, wounding it. However, much to his surprise, the damage was regenerated nigh-instantly. But something about the _way _it'd regenerated bothered him. _It's not like Hollow high-speed regeneration… _Shunsui's eyes widened as he realized what it reminded him of. _It's like it's made of flame! _"The wolves are made of fire or something!" he warned. "They regenerate if you strike physically!"

"Indeed. Our wolves are fragments of our soul," Starrk explained. "Soul fragments, imbued with reiatsu, which gives us the ability to direct them all. They have no body, so they cannot be physically hurt. Now that I have explained that, why are you calling out colors?" Starrk queried with mild interest.

"My Zanpakuto's power is the ability to force children's games into battle. I don't get a choice in what game is played; Katen Kyokotsu enforces her rules on everyone within reach of her reiatsu. If you win, you live. If you lose, you die. Irooni is a colors game; you can only harm someone on the color that you call beforehand, and you can only call the one color at a time," Shunsui explained. "If you hit someone on a color that you didn't call, then no damage is given."

"I see… In that case, black," the Primera decided. "But against so many of you, I'm glad that my wolves are on my side."

Shunsui blinked; he'd almost forgotten about the pack of spirit wolves directly behind Starrk. _This could get messy… Thanks, Katen Kyokotsu. Irooni may just save our lives. _

_Hmph! I have a reason for choosing every game we play, it's not my fault if you don't grasp it immediately. You should call me out more often. _

The taicho sighed to himself with a small smile. Katen Kyokotsu liked her games, but Shunsui didn't particularly care for having the rules of battle change on the whim of a bored Zanpakuto spirit. He hardened his eyes, steeling his resolve as he faced the horde of wolves.

Juushiro struck then, attacking some of the white parts of the light grey wolves. He struck one, only to be surprised by an explosion as it spontaneously combusted, no longer able to regenerate. He escaped from the smoke mostly unscathed, and began repeating the process with the other wolves. "Careful, they explode!"

"Got it! Grey!" Nelliel called, before firing a Cero directly at one of the wolves. It hit, but did only superficial damage before the wolf regenerated. She frowned; her Cero should have done far more than that if the Shinigami was to be believed… _unless there's more to this Irooni game than what the Shinigami has revealed… There has to be a way to inflict more damage in this game of his… _

She didn't notice Starrk frown thoughtfully, having observed her attempt. He too felt that Nelliel was more than powerful enough to defeat several of his manifested wolves with a Cero, and that it didn't work bothered him. However, it was the child-like mind of Lilynette who gave him the answer. She had always been clever at games, and this was the last piece of the puzzle. The snowy-haired Shinigami, with a white taicho's haori, had called the color white, and had struck at a white spot on one of their wolves, obliterating it, while Nelliel, who had no grey on her, had done similarly but failed to do much. _The color you call out tells where you can strike, but maybe the amount of it you have on you tells how much damage you do? _

_That would make sense, _Starrk agreed. _It's good then that I wear black pants. However, the wolves are apparently not enough._

_We must join the attack. _

_Agreed. _With a moment of focus, Starrk generated a sword made of his reiatsu in his right hand, and lunged at Shunsui. _If I can eliminate him, then I can finish off the other without issue, and knock out Nelliel!_

_

* * *

_Meanwhile, Gin and Ichigo kept fighting, neither gaining any traction on the other. Ichigo had refused to use his Hollow mask for this fight, wanting to save his energy for Aizen, but that decision was being sorely tested at the moment.

Tensa Zangetsu held Gin's Bankai on the flat of its blade, having extended faster than the eye could see. While Ichigo was heartened to see Gin's surprised face, he was thinking furiously, trying to come up with a way to counter the insane speed of Gin's Zanpakuto. "Kamishini no Yari," Ichigo breathed, trying to buy time. "The name of your Bankai reveals it all. The length of your Bankai was never the most frightening aspect of it. It's a spear, a god-killing spear. The reason you told me the length your Bankai could reach, was to distract me from its true deadly power… the speed with which it extends!"

"… You're a really creepy kid, you know that?" Gin repeated his words from mere minutes ago. "You're a human teenager, but you're the first ta figure out my Bankai. Too bad everyone knows how your Bankai works. The power of Bankai, compressed into that blade and your body, allows ya to move at speeds ya shouldn't be capable of. It's the only reason you were able to block, and only as a fluke. Let's see how ya do with this!" Without warning, Kamishini no Yari was back to the length of a dagger, the hilt of which Gin held firmly against his chest. "Butō!"

_**INCOMING!**_ Cazador screamed at him, echoing Ichigo's instincts as his eyes barely caught the extension of Kamishini no Yari.

_Fast! _The Vizard registered, swinging Tensa Zangetsu. To Gin's shock, he had batted away the attack again with one hand! Taking immediate advantage of the opportunity, Ichigo's left hand rose up, index and middle fingers extended in the direction of Gin's head. _If anything is faster than that sword, it's lightning! _"Hado 4: Byakurai!"

Gin managed to dodge to one side, evading the attack, but what Ichigo caught was that his foe had instinctually retracted his Zanpakuto and that his evasion now had it away from his chest, and pointing to the left side. Flickering into Shunpo, Ichigo appeared to the right side of Gin, slashing with all his might!

The traitor barely managed to twist and block with his Kamishini no Yari, but was surprised when he saw a tiny crack appear in his sword. _No!_ He leapt back, bringing his sword back to his chest. "Butō: Renjin!"

_Oh shit! _Against the onslaught of Gin's repeated Butō attacks that attacked faster than he could see, Ichigo found himself doing a variation of what he'd done against Byakuya's Senbonzakura Kageyoshi back in Soul Society; standing still, focusing his speed and reiatsu to his arm, Ichigo stood still and forced his arm to blur into hundreds of blocks, Kamishini no Yari either being blocked by the blade of Tensa Zangetsu, or being batted to the side where it wouldn't hit him. He suffered a few minor nicks to his legs, but he was mostly unharmed.

Finally, Gin's attack was finished and Ichigo took a moment to breathe. _Zangetsu, let me just say, damn am I glad you're my Zanpakuto. I'd have been a goner without you._

_**OK, credit where it's due, that was fucking impressive. Kick his ass, King! **_

"Niiiiice," Gin complimented. "I've never seen anyone come out of that attack as unscathed as you. That Bankai of yours is really something. Even with my sword on the offensive, it still feels like it'll break at any moment against yours!"

"… I don't get it," Ichigo confessed. "That last attack aside, you don't really seem to be trying to kill me."

"Why would I? I'm only keeping you occupied," the fox-faced ex-taicho confessed easily. "Aizen-taicho's interested in fighting you, but he needs to take care of the pests."

Ichigo's eyes widened in realization before he narrowed them, anger and determination dominant in his emotions. He raised and pointed Tensa Zangetsu at Gin, his body turned to the side as he looked down his arm straight at Gin's eyes. "Then I can't afford to waste any more time on you."

"Damn straight you can't, Ichigo!"

The Vizard was shocked when a familiar bald Shinigami jumped in front of him. "Ikkaku?"

"I've got Gin-teme," Ikkaku declared. "You go take down the ringleader!"

"Do you really think you can take down his Bankai with just your Shikai?" Ichigo barked, gesturing towards Ikkaku's Zanpakuto, Hōzukimaru. It was currently in its Shikai form, as a spear with a small but very sharp blade on the end.

"No," Ikkaku agreed easily. "If there's anything I've learned from being defeated by that Arrancar from earlier, it's that when it comes to this battle…" His reiatsu began to build, manifesting in a crimson light around him. "The stakes are too high to hold back! It doesn't matter whether anyone's seen this if we're all dead! BANKAI!"

The red light flared, reaching up to the sky with the immense pressure of Ikkaku's reiatsu. When the light faded, Ikkaku wielded three ridiculously-large blades, all connected by an enormous chain. He held an oversized Chinese Monk's spade, and a gigantic Guan dao, each having the traditional red horsetail tassel attached to the hilt. Behind his back, apparently floating, was an axe-like blade with a parallel handle hovering behind Ikkaku's head. It also held a faded red Chinese dragon crest as an emblem. "Ryūmon Hōzukimaru!"

"What a beautiful speech," Yumichika's voice came from behind Gin, making him spin around.

_How did I not sense him there? _the traitor thought in surprise. _He's not even a fukutaicho. _

"A beautiful speech," Yumichika repeated, gripping his unreleased Zanpakuto tightly. "Ichigo, go. We have this handled."

Ichigo needed no further prompting, and promptly Shunpo-ed away. Gin let him go, seeing as he now had two new challengers. "How interestin'. I didn't know ya had Bankai," he commented.

"It's not something I advertise," Ikkaku answered with a manic grin. "I don't want to be taken away from Kenpachi's squad. Now let's get to it!" He lunged at his opponent with a fierce battle cry.

* * *

Renji waited at the ready, holding the hilt of Hihio Zabimaru as he watched Aizen plow into the ground from a tackle from the head of his mighty bone-snake and a second Hikotsu Taiho. He could not help but take vindictive pleasure in it; after Aizen had damn near killed him in Soul Society during his escape, had almost succeeded in killing Rukia, and had mentally broken Hinamori Momo…

The unknown Vizard who had been fighting him sidled over and whistled at the damage; several buildings had been destroyed as Hihio Zabimaru smashed Aizen through them before plunging him into the ground. "That's pretty good," he commented. "Name's Shinji."

"Renji," the tattooed man answered absently, calling back his Bankai to coil around him protectively, waiting for the dust to clear. It was too dangerous to dive into a situation you couldn't see, not for an opponent of Aizen's strength. "Hope that hurt, you conniving piece of shit," he muttered. He knew that Aizen hadn't died from just that. It'd be too much to hope.

"So, not that I mind the assist, but why'd you decide to take him on?" Shinji inquired.

"Does it matter?" Renji murmured. "Let's just say that he's hurt too many of the people I care about for me to be able to leave this to someone else."

"Ah." Shinji nodded. "I can understand that. It's about the same for me."

The dust finally cleared, revealing an apparently unharmed Aizen. However, the top of his coat had several holes and tears, and it had been almost completely burned off on the back from Renji's Hikotsu Taiho attacks. After a moment, when it appeared that they weren't chasing after him, Aizen Shunpo-ed up to them and began clapping in a slow, slightly mocking manner. "Very impressive, Abarai Renji," he complimented. "Your efforts are futile, of course, but you've grown much stronger in the time I've been away."

_Damn it! That was our strongest attack, and I caught him off guard! _Renji lamented.

_Do not worry, _Hihio Zabimaru reassured him. _We did more damage than you think. _The bone-snake fixed its eyes upon its enemy, letting out a dangerous hiss.

_I don't see how…_ Then Renji saw it. The injury Aizen had received earlier, when attacked by Shinji… it was gone. _He healed himself while in the dust. Either that or he's using his damned illusions to make it look like we did nothing. _"You're gonna die today, Aizen."

Aizen smiled. "So I've been told. But if I do, it will not be by your hand."

"We'll see about that! Let's go, Hihio Zabimaru!" Renji swung his handle at Aizen, directing his reiatsu through his Bankai, and Hihio Zabimaru lunged at Aizen.

"Such a straightforward move…" the lead traitor sighed. "Perhaps I was wrong about your growth." He reached forward to grab the Bankai by the tooth, quite literally, but was surprised when the bone-snake suddenly twisted, veering away before it began circling around him, obscuring his vision. "Oh?" Within seconds, he was surrounded by the coiled form of Hihio Zabimaru, sharp-looking extensions from each segment all aimed directly at him. "I see. You plan to either stab me from all sides at once, or crush me directly. Inventive use of your Bankai, Renji, I applaud you. You have obviously learned much from facing Kuchiki Byakuya's Bankai. But not enough. Hado 63: Raikōhō."

The enormous lightning blast annihilated three segments of Renji's Bankai, disassembling the remaining segments, making them start to fall to the earth below. "I think you're the one who hasn't learned enough from OUR fight, Aizen!" Renji roared. "Higa Zekkō!"

The segments stopped in midair, glowing with reiatsu, before they began flying directly at Aizen as fast as Renji could make them. Aizen finally drew his sword, and almost casually sliced at the first segment that came near. However, when it met no resistance, his eyes widened. It was only then that he saw, out of the corner of his left eye, Shinji grinning and holding up his Zanpakuto.

_Shit! _But it was too late. He'd been impaled through the back by the protrusion on a large segment, and it was sticking out of his stomach.

_Whoa. _Renji blinked. _Did… Was that it? Did I seriously just land a critical blow to Aizen? _

But then, Aizen cut off part of the protrusion, an annoyed look on his face. He then flared his reiatsu, twisted his sword around so he held it in a reverse grip, and then stabbed under his arm, into the segment of Hihio Zabimaru that had struck him. It shattered in an instant. "I underestimated you. That won't happen again," he told the pineapple-haired Shinigami. "But right now… you're wide open."

It happened in an instant. One moment, Renji was at full health, readying himself for another attack. The next, Aizen was somehow behind him, and Renji's chest was sliced open, blood spurting through the air. He looked down at his torso in disbelief, even as he began to fall. Then he looked to his right, where Shinji was, and saw that the Vizard had suffered a similar fate.

"Shinji… your Zanpakuto's power is merely an optical illusion. Your positions were never changed, it was only my perception of them. Once someone gets used to it, your power is child's play."

_Is this… the extent of our strength, Zabimaru? _Renji asked, time slowing to his perception as he fell.

_We fought well, and landed an injury that will help the others. Now rest. _

Renji was about to do just that and pass out, but then a stray thought passed through his head. _What of… everyone else? They may die… No. I cannot afford to rest. I cannot afford to die! I cannot afford to give up when my friends need me! _With the strength of his renewed resolve, Renji caught himself, stopping his fall with the air-walk technique. _Inoue-san! She'll heal me quick again, and then I can rejoin the fight! _

But it went against his pride to just run. He stood his ground and coiled Hihio Zabimaru around him, blood running in rivulets down his chest and legs. He glared up with all his power at Aizen's back. "Once more, Hihio Zabimaru," he whispered. "Let's do this one more time. Let's go! Howl, Hihio Zabimaru! Hikotsu Taiho!"

The giant bone-snake lunged once again at Aizen, who half-turned to face the threat. With a single sword swipe, Hihio Zabimaru's head had been cut in half, and the Hikotsu Taiho exploded in a flare of red reiatsu. When the dust cleared… Aizen stood there, completely unharmed.

_Hihio… Zabimaru? _Even Renji's thought seemed like a whisper. _No! _But it was true, Renji knew it even as his sword reverted to Shikai. Zabimaru would need time to recover, or some healing from a particularly skilled woman he knew. _I'll get you recovered in no time!_ Ignoring the pain of his injuries, he fled to the healing station in Urahara's tent.

"AIZEN!" a female voice screeched. "Baka Shinji, why the hell did you try to fight him alone!"

"I didn't fight him alone, Hiyori! But don't attack on your own, he's too strong!"

The blond glared at Shinji even as he struggled to get to his feet. "I know that!"

"Oh? Are you worried that she'll die?" Aizen taunted. "No matter. Regardless of whatever you may do, the ending is the same. Besides, she has nothing to fear. She and all the rest of you died on that night over a hundred years ago."

Hiyori screamed her fury as she broke Shinji's grip on her leg and lunged at Aizen, drawing her Hollow mask at the same time. _**"Chop Cleanly, Kubikiri Orochi!" **_Her sword warped, becoming a large cleaver almost as tall as she was, with a serrated saw-like edge. _**"Time to get revenge for what you did to us, Aizen!" **_

_**

* * *

**_Komamura barely dared to breathe in the darkness of Tousen's Bankai. In the absence of any stimuli save that of touch, he couldn't afford to be distracted even for a moment. He stood perfectly still, waiting for the moment he knew where his opponent was. _And in that moment, a counterstrike. _

The fur on the left side of his face shifted subtly thanks to a change in the air, and that was enough. He struck! … Except there was no resistance. He'd hit nothing but air. Komamura had anticipated this; Tousen had discovered the weakness of his own Bankai at the same time he had; of course he'd worked to eliminate the problem, that being his own speed.

However, speed had a necessary side effect: the displacement of air. In his heightened sense of touch in lieu of his other senses, his training with Kenpachi was paying dividends. Komamura's face shifted to a grim satisfaction as he tracked his old friend, following him from the gentlest feeling of air brushing his fur as Tousen moved out of the way of Komamura's attack. For once in his life, the anthropomorphic canine was glad for his inhuman characteristics.

_I know where you are. _And that simple knowledge made Komamura smile grimly, revealing his fangs. Even so, he didn't attempt to follow the traitor; it was difficult enough to track someone while standing still; moving around would make him lose track of Tousen. It once again came down to a counterattack, or wearing Tousen down through maintaining his Bankai.

Komamura waited, carefully keeping his attention on his only sense remaining. Even so, the complete darkness and lack of any other sensory input practically invited him to think about his situation. _It's not Tousen's style to make his opponent wait… He doesn't have as much reiatsu as many of the other taicho, he always preferred a clean, quick defeat. _Komamura frowned pensively. _He's buying time. But for what? A secret weapon? _

He had not even a moment to consider the idea, as he suddenly felt the cold steel of a Zanpakuto against his fur and skin. Instinct took over, and Komamura twisted out of the way, taking a shallow gash to his abdomen even as he swung Tenken. He missed, as expected, but he'd also swung his left arm up at where he knew Tousen's neck was, gambling that the traitor would be too preoccupied with his sword to notice. He was gratified to feel it connect, and the stronger vibrations from the ground let Komamura know that his clothesline move had worked, sending Tousen to the floor at his feet.

Not one to pass up such an opportunity, Komamura pounced! He immediately had Tousen pinned, his right arm held behind his back. Komamura's massive knees held Tousen's legs down. As Tousen had been wielding Suzumushi in his right hand, the fox-like taicho took it away, holding it in his left. Instantly, he could see! He smiled, having achieved his goal, but was shocked to see Tousen's left arm having returned. _But Hisagi cut it off! _

"_**Well done, old friend,"**_ Tousen murmured. _**"But unfortunately for you, it's over. Resurrección**__." _

"What?"

But in his moment of distraction, Suzumushi vibrated wildly in his hand, coming loose and being caught by Tousen's left hand. The Bankai's darkness shrunk nigh-instantly, until it concealed only its wielder's body, before violently throwing Komamura away.

Shaking his head to clear it from the dizziness of being thrown so suddenly, Komamura looked up with newfound horror at what his best friend had done to himself. He'd become a full Hollow, complete with a Hollow hole, and gross misshapen form. Komamura had never, not even once, suspected that Tousen could or would go so far.

"**Suzumushi Hyakushiki: Grillar Grillo**."The blind Shinigami hunched over, his four clawed hands dangling beneath him from insect-like arms as he attempted to adjust to his new body. _So this is what it's like to become one with your Zanpakuto for a Hollow… _Tousen mused. He counted four hands, and two legs. _Six limbs in total. I suspected as much, given my Zanpakuto's name. _Similarly, he discovered he had short fur on his body, and wings as thin as rice paper. Again, that could be explained by the insect properties of Suzumushi. His head changing shape was also not a complete surprise; insect heads were very different from human heads. His mask covering every part of his head but his mouth was interesting, but not overly so. He could feel and hear metallic chains as they clinked, covering a set of twisted horns protruding from his back. _A remnant of my Bankai perhaps? _

The one thing that he did not expect, however, was the feeling that his eyes had grown huge and bulbous, and they were poking outside of his head. It was a unique sensation, even if they were closed. But there was something new… there was… was it…? _Could it be? Light? _

The prospect of being able to see for the first time in his life was too much to resist, and his eyes flew open. **"I… I can see!" **He turned and spotted his old friend. **"You're uglier than I thought you would be," **Tousen taunted.

Komamura was able to regain his senses, and he glared up at the man-turned-beast. "You have truly abandoned all traces of being a Shinigami, haven't you?" he accused.

"**Tell me, Komamura, do you remember why I became a Shinigami? What my goal was the whole time?" **

"Justice."

"**Indeed. Do you remember why that was my goal?"**

"Your friend, from before. The one whose Zanpakuto you wielded, and have now perverted."

"**Yes!" **Tousen cried out. **"She wanted to help bring justice! She wanted peace and justice in the world! And she was killed by the Gotei 13! Did you not think it strange that I, whose greatest friend was killed by the Shinigami, would willfully join them?"**

"You always said you had taken up her will, her desire for the ideal of a truly peaceful world!" Komamura answered. "The ideal of true justice!"

"**But what is justice? Goodness, and justice… they are not the same. To live a peaceful life, spreading justice wherever I can… that sounds like a life of goodness, no? But I cannot tolerate that! Where is the justice for the murder of my friend? Living out a peaceful life in the same organization as they who killed her without taking revenge… that would an act of evil!" **

The two of them stood silently for a few moments. Finally, Komamura raised his head once more and looked his opponent straight in the eyes, a new fire of determination within them. "It seems I totally misjudged you, and we will never be able to see eye to eye again. But if our core beliefs are so incompatible, then words are meaningless…" His grip around Tenken tightened as he pointed it at Tousen. "And if words are meaningless, then there is only one way this can end! Bankai! Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!"

* * *

Hiyori leapt back, breathing hard through her mask as she attempted to reel in her rage. Blood dripped down her right arm from a strike she'd taken to the shoulder, and her left leg buckled slightly under weight; she'd received a slash to her thigh, and was losing blood quickly. But not a single one of her attacks had connected. Not one. Her hands clenched angrily around her Zanpakuto. _It… it's like he's just playing with me! _

Aizen frowned at her. "You've grown somewhat stronger, yes… but I expected more after a hundred years. What a waste."

What made Hiyori even angrier, was that she knew that Aizen was right. She had had more than a century to grow stronger than she had been as Shinigami under the Gotei 13, but Hiyori was not one to train for the sake of training, like Kensei. Nor was she a person with much patience, like Mashiro or Hachigen. She wasn't laid-back but serious when the time called for it like Rose and Love, nor was she a woman who strived to better herself like Lisa. She wasn't even calm, collected and incredibly focused like Shinji when he took his personality mask off, and put his Hollow mask on.

All that Hiyori had on her side was an inexhaustible anger and hatred. She hated the Gotei 13 for trying to kill her for something that wasn't her fault. She hated the humans for being so prone to losing hope, succumbing to despair over the smallest of things, because it made them Hollow when there wasn't any need for it if they'd just get off their asses and fix their own damn problems! She hated Aizen for inflicting the Hollowification on her, and she hated Shinji at that moment because he'd been right to try to hold her back and keep her from fighting. Most of all, Hiyori hated herself for being weak. _If I were more patient, or dedicated, or focused, or even a little more serious…_ she berated herself angrily.

"If that's all you have, then run away," Aizen advised coolly. "You are not strong enough to fight me."

Hiyori's eyes flew wide when her mask crumbled, her time limit having been exceeded, before they narrowed. She looked to her lower right, her expression morphing to that of humiliation and emotional pain. Coming to a decision, tears coming unbidden to her eyes, she rushed over to Shinji, picking him up in a smooth motion that ended with him being held over her shoulder, and then rushed to where she could detect Hachigen; she trusted no one but the Vizard to treat a Vizard.

Aizen raised an eyebrow; he hadn't expected her to actually take him up on his offer. _Perhaps she's grown a little, _he mused to himself. Taking advantage of not being attacked, he glanced around, observing his surroundings and counting the fights. _Baraggan is fighting Hachigen, Harribel and… my, is that little Kuchiki Rukia? How bold. Grimmjow is over there, guarding their quaint little healing structure. Starrk is fighting Ukitake-taicho, Kyoraku-taicho and… _"Hmm… Kaname was correct, that is indeed Nelliel."

Taking note of it, Aizen nodded to himself and continued looking around. _Kaname has revealed his Resurrección and is fighting Komamura-taicho and Hisagi-fukutaicho. Ichimaru is fighting… _"Oh?" Aizen let out interestedly, "It seems that Ikkaku-kun has finally revealed his Bankai. I wonder if Yumichika-kun will reveal his Shikai's true form?" _Abarai-fukutaicho, Hiyori and Shinji are heading to be healed. Histugaya-taicho appears to be there as well, but he's regaining strength quickly. Yamamoto-soutaicho… is simply waiting? He's preparing for something, I'm sure… _

Aizen smiled, sensing a new fighter approach. "You can come out now… Soifon-taicho."

The glare on her face could have melted steel. "Sting, Suzumebachi." Her Zanpakuto immediately took on the form of the lethally venomous stinger. "Aizen."

"Soifon-taicho… have you gone insane?" he asked curiously. "You, who followed the rules to the letter, who embodied the philosophy of the Onimitsukido… you would fight me outright like this?"

"Central 46 were fools to make you a teacher at the Academy," Soifon spat.

"No, no, Soifon. Don't speak ill of the dead." Aizen's eyes practically glittered with amusement. "After all, you were fooled as well, as I recall."

"I was never fooled by you, Aizen. I was always watching you, I knew there was something not quite right but I could never put my finger on it, just like Unohana-taicho could not figure out what was wrong with your so-called corpse, just that there was."

"It's a good thing you could never put your finger on it," the traitor said. "If it were that middle finger of yours that was laid upon me, I'm sure that stinger of yours would have pierced me."

"And now it's time for Suzumebachi to take your life." Suddenly, Soifon blurred into fifteen copies, fifteen Shunpo clones.

"Impressive," Aizen commented.

The assassin smiled thinly. "Thank you for the compliment. We don't hear many in Onimitsukido." She, and all her other clones, leapt at Aizen, stinger extended.

Aizen moved to block, swinging Kyoka Suigetsu…

"_**GETSUGA TENSHOU!" **_

… only to be distracted as he was attacked from behind by a masked Kurosaki Ichigo, who swung at his neck with as much power as he could muster. Taken completely by surprise at the Vizard's sudden appearance right behind him, Aizen was visibly thrown off.

Soifon's stinger stabbed at Aizen heart, but the results were completely cloaked by the Getsuga Tenshou that covered a quarter of the fake Karakura Town in its intensity, all of it focused at a single point.

When the overwhelming darkness of Ichigo's attack faded, Soifon could not help but stare in shock, having leapt back after stabbing. The sheer power in that attack had almost suffocated her in its proximity, reminding her painfully of Ichigo's previous declaration.

"… _I swear I will come at you with all my power!" _

But on top of that, Aizen had come out of the conflict completely unscathed! There was no Homonka, hell she hadn't even managed to pierce him! Worse, his head was still attached quite firmly to his shoulders. She watched with disbelieving eyes as a barrier Kido shattered, having successfully blocked Ichigo's attack in its tracks a mere inch from his neck. A moment later, Aizen Shunpo-ed a slight distance away, leaving Soifon and Ichigo standing side by side.

"The back of the neck is a blind spot for everyone. Did you really think that I would leave it unprotected when confronting a military organization out for my life?" Aizen asked with a slightly smug tone, completely ignoring Soifon.

Ichigo tightened his grip on Tensa Zangetsu. _**"It's not over yet."**_

"Oh no," Aizen agreed, "it's barely begun."

"How… How did you block me?" Soifon demanded.

Aizen turned his head slightly to the side to address her while keeping both eyes firmly on the Vizard before him. "When two Shinigami fight, it's a battle of the strength of their reiatsu."

"_**It's like with Kenpachi," **_Ichigo explained, his dually-layered voice sending unpleasant chills down Soifon's spine. _**"Kenpachi naturally emits so much reiatsu from his skin that it works the same way as an Arrancar's Hierro. You need to strike with more reiatsu than he's protecting with to do any damage. It's one of the reasons he's always after me for a rematch, I'm one of the few people who can push him to take off his eyepatch and still manage. Aizen must be the same way… Your strike must not have had enough reiatsu to even push through his skin." **_

"Exactly," the traitor agreed. "So unless you've got another ace up your sleeve, Soifon-taicho, I suggest you give us some space." He smiled. "After all, you'd hardly want to get in the way."

Soifon's fists clenched. "I am not useless!" she growled.

"_**Are you or aren't you a Shinigami taicho?" **_Ichigo snarled. _**"If you can't even lay a hand on him in Shikai, take it to the next level!" **_

The taicho glared at him, though she could hardly keep from cringing at the sight of the masked Ichigo, looking and feeling more Hollow-like than she'd have dreamed a Shinigami could be. Ichigo's left eye, a Hollow amber within inky black depths, was firmly focused on her, demanding she bring out her ultimate weapon, her ultimate shame. But to destroy an enemy of Soul Society, Soifon could bear any shame.

"… Fine. Keep him busy for a few minutes, my Bankai is a long-distance type and it needs some preparation time," she murmured under her breath.

"_**I'll see what I can do." **_

Without a word, Soifon vanished, leaving the two archenemies facing each other. "How are you, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Aizen asked almost cordially, as if they weren't about to fight for their lives. "I imagine it's been a very trying few days for you. Turned into an Arrancar and back to Vizard, chafing under Yamamoto…"

_He's stalling. For what? _But Ichigo didn't dare remove his mask; Aizen was too strong to power down for even a minute. Even so, Ichigo needed to stall Aizen for Soifon's Bankai, whatever it was. _**"I'm fine. Managed to get some rest while my Inner Hollow was in control. Yamamoto can be very frustrating, though. I'm sure you must know what I'm talking about." **_

"Oh, I know very well," the treasonous taicho agreed with what sounded like real sympathies. "Making orders you don't really agree with but have to follow because he's liable to try to kill you otherwise? Let me guess, he's ordered you to kill any Arrancar that you've managed to get on your side if they don't immediately go back to Hueco Mundo after I die… assuming you all manage to kill me," he added almost as an afterthought.

Ichigo shook his head. He couldn't believe he was actually having a decent conversation with the man. _**"Yeah… I mean, they may be Hollows, but they're powerful allies, and most of them are no worse than some of the Shinigami the Gotei 13 employs. It's hard for anyone to top Kenpachi in bloodthirstiness, and they let him become a taicho." **_

Aizen's smile broadened minutely. "Quite true. Then again, I suppose the two of us, as superior beings, are more capable of understanding."

Ichigo frowned behind the mask. _**"What do you mean, superior beings?"**_

"Well, look at yourself for instance. You're no longer just a Shinigami, or just a Hollow. You can't even be defined as just a Vizard or an Arrancar anymore," the master of the Espada commented, gesturing lightly at him. "You've evolved as both a Shinigami and as a Hollow in such a short span of time. That, I suspect, is due to your human nature."

"_**Eh?"**_

"Kurosaki Ichigo, you alone among all the Shinigami, Vizard, Arrancar and Hollow here, remain a living, breathing human being. Your being outside your body is irrelevant. What is relevant, however, is that humans have an incredible capacity for growth and evolution. Just look at the Quincy, for instance. Being attacked and killed by Hollows, triggering high levels of spiritual awareness, and then a method of attack? Within a few generations, being strong enough to wage a serious war against the Shinigami, which had been around for centuries?

"Your other friends are another example. Evolving from having no spiritual awareness at all, to where they are now is truly remarkable. You see, Kurosaki Ichigo, I believe that your being human has allowed you to evolve further, faster than any Shinigami ever could. And that is the reason that transferring Shinigami powers to a human being is as forbidden as gaining Hollow powers," Aizen finished.

Ichigo had to admit that what Aizen said made a degree of sense. _**"You must admit, though, that a lot of my growth is because I had Urahara and Yoruichi. I wouldn't have Bankai or Shunpo if not for them."**_

"Perhaps," Aizen allowed with a small secretive smile. "But perhaps more of it is due directly to my interference."

"_**Like what? Aside from my determination not to let you kill any of my friends, I mean." **_

The traitor laughed outright. "Surely you don't think that was the extent of my involvement? You are a unique creature, Kurosaki Ichigo. Human, Shinigami, and Hollow at once. Allied with the grandson of the man who tried to bridge the Quincy and Shinigami, and two spiritually gifted humans with powers unlike anything the Gotei 13 has ever recorded! I could not help but see how far you all could evolve, I was too curious to just destroy the experiment! No, instead I attempted to further your growth by pitting you against foes that would force you to become stronger!"

Horror blossomed in Ichigo's mind. _No… he couldn't…! __**"You can't mean..."**_

"Oh yes," Aizen affirmed. "Who do you think sent the Grand Fisher to that same place where your mother was killed to fight you? That fight served its purpose, to force you to acknowledge your need for strength. And do you really think that Abarai Renji and Kuchiki Byakuya would be sent to retrieve their love interest and little sister respectively? No! Yamamoto would usually never be that cruel. I was the one who arranged for them to receive the orders, knowing that you would attack to protect Kuchiki Rukia! And it was then that you found out that there was more to being a Shinigami than simply slaying Hollows, you learned about Shikai."

"_**I can see how you would predict that Urahara would come to my rescue, and maybe even foresee his method of restoring my powers, but there's no way you could have predicted where I would end up in Soul Society when I inevitably came to rescue her! How could you possibly have been able to arrange for me to fight Ikkaku, Renji and Kenpachi?" **_Ichigo argued. _**"It could just as easily have been anyone else!"**_

"True," Aizen agreed. "But it didn't matter too much where you landed. I knew that Urahara would have trained you to the point of being able to defeat most fukutaicho. By the time you arrived you would be facing canon fodder until you fought a fukutaicho or someone else comparably strong, because the taicho would naturally be given orders not to engage unless necessary. Their powers are too strong, they'd damage the Seireitei. Kenpachi would be the only one who would willfully disregard those orders; it was only natural you'd fight him eventually."

"_**But how would you have known that I'd win against him? It was a very near thing, and I only won because my Zanpakuto lent me his power and restored himself at the last second!" **_

"Even if you didn't win, I knew that Yoruichi would be among your team. After all, Urahara Kisuke would never let someone as fresh and naïve as you were go without an escort. Otherwise it was just asking for someone to kill you all. Also, by that time you'd encountered a friendly member of the 4th Division, who was traveling with you. Win or lose against Kenpachi, I knew you would be healed and that much stronger for it. And if you did somehow die, then it meant the end of the experiment of how far you could evolve."

Ichigo was grasping for straws now. _**"But you couldn't have predicted how my Bankai would turn out! If you arranged for me to fight Byakuya again at Soukyouku Hill, then…"**_

"A Bankai can be countered by most any other Bankai. Gin's Bankai, as you have encountered, could be blocked by yours through comparison of speed. Alternatively, Hitsugaya-kun's Bankai could have countered Gin's by freezing the metal, rendering it far more brittle and incapable of the piercing power. Or Gin could have countered Hitsugaya-kun's Bankai by punching through his ice wings and killing him in one hit. No matter what Bankai you had, you had an opportunity to counter Kuchiki Byakuya. Given your abnormally high reiatsu, and your Inner Hollow, I found it increasingly unlikely that you would die." Aizen's smile grew. "Especially since you had someone to protect, and the resolve to ensure that no one died because you weren't strong enough like that day your mother died."

Ichigo felt like he'd been punched in the gut. _**"What… do you know about my mother?" **_he finished with a snarl, hackles raised and bloodlust rising at the forbidden topic. _**"How do you know so much about me?"**_

Aizen shook his head. "I've known about you since the day you were born. The unique circumstances of your birth prompted me to watch you. And when you started to grow weak, I acted."

The shock caused Ichigo to lose his grip on Hollowification, and his mask shattered. Ichigo's heartbeat was slowly overwhelming his own hearing even as he felt his body grow more and more numb. As if from far away, he heard himself ask incredulously "… You've known about me since I was born?" A memory flashed, and Ichigo's heartbeat ceased. He couldn't breathe, he was drowning…

Suddenly he was back, back on that fateful day. Back on the day that everything changed. Back on the day that _he _changed. Back on the day that set him firmly on the path that defined not what, but who he was. The rain of memory engulfed him.

* * *

Zangetsu and Cazador de la Luna both looked up in Ichigo's Inner World as the sky darkened with thunderclouds before promptly letting loose a drenching, freezing rain. "Well, shit. Oi, Zangetsu, what's going on?"

The spirit form of the mighty Zanpakuto bowed his head. "… An old wound that has never been healed, that I fear never may truly mend, has been reopened. Watch carefully, Cazador de la Luna, and witness your true origins." 

The unending rain provided a curtain upon the many sideways skyscrapers that littered the mindscape. With it raining so hard he could hardly see a dozen feet in front of him, coupled with cacophony of raindrops hitting the buildings around him, the Arrancar couldn't see how he would be able to witness anything before a surprisingly clear shout startled him. "Hey!"

_**What the? **_Cazador spun around in shock, hand already on his blade's hilt before he got a grip. The rain lightened just enough for him to see a solitary skyscraper a scant twenty feet away. Taking advantage of being able to see, Cazador saw a kid in a yellow raincoat on one of the skyscrapers, rushing towards a girl on the edge who appeared ready to jump. _**I wonder who that is…? **_Peering closely, Cazador watched as the constant rain seemed to paint a picture, an illusion of a river just beyond the girl, and wet grass and mud underneath the boots of the child who was running towards her. It was only after the Inner Hollow had seen a flash of the orange hair that he realized it was Ichigo who was running.

_**Keh, of course. He wanted to save the girl. **_

Then Cazador saw a tall, beautiful woman under an umbrella rushing after Ichigo, and heard her vaguely calling out. "Mom…?" he breathed. It was his first time he'd had a chance to really see her alive. While Cazador shared many of Ichigo's memories, they were mostly after he'd awakened for the first time as Ichigo regained his Shinigami powers.

Just then, lightning struck, and in the brief flash of light, Cazador saw that the girl had been replaced by a strangely familiar Hollow. When the flash faded, he saw that Ichigo was just waking up, apparently having been knocked unconscious. Atop the young boy was the bloodied corpse of his mother.

Ichigo's feelings of shock and the swift rise of horror and denial were so strong that even merely watching, Cazador suddenly found it hard to breathe as he relived his partner's memory. It was then that Cazador recognized the next feeling… It was the emotional sensation of having one's heart ripped out forcefully, the psychic torment of unbearable guilt…

The utter bleakness of despair from which a soul transforms into a Hollow.

Realizations ripped through the Arrancar faster than he thought he could process them.Before he could put voice to them, however, Zangetsu beat him to the punch, his voice low but still clearly audible from beside Cazador de la Luna.

"Yes, that moment is where you were born." The manifestation of Ichigo's Zanpakuto shook his head. "That tragedy planted the seeds of Hollow power within him, and is also the cause of Ichigo's history of fighting. He refused to be weak enough to let the same thing happen to the rest of his family, but even so guilt plagued him for many years, thinking that somehow HE had killed his mother… until he came face to face with the Hollow that killed her."

"And?" Cazador asked eagerly.

"Despite our best efforts, the Hollow known as Grand Fisher escaped." 

Something in Zangetsu's tone made Cazador bite back the immediate disparaging remark about Ichigo's fighting skills. "There's something you're not telling me."

Zangetsu turned to face his Hollow wielder and looked him dead in the eye. "The Grand Fisher is known for having killed and evaded several skilled Shinigami for over 50 years. Ichigo, with almost no experience, no control over his reiatsu, and very minimal skills with the blade, nearly slew him out of sheer might, determination, and lust for vengeance."

The implications were not lost on Cazador. "Wait, if he was able to do that before gaining Shikai, what will he be like with Bankai? And with me?"

Zangetsu was silent now, looking up at the dark clouds as he waited to be used. He noted with ill-concealed worry about the still-growing cumulonimbus that was forming from Ichigo's stormy state of mind. Lightning flashed within the storm cloud again before shooting out across the heavens, illuminating a disturbingly human expression of worry on Cazador de la Luna. While Zangetsu could still contact his wielder, what could he possibly say? Ichigo's mother died because of Aizen, and now the traitor stood before Ichigo, challenging his power. If the Vizard had ever needed motivation to kill with prejudice instead of simply defeat, that was it. All Zangetsu could do was offer his support in slaying Ichigo's enemies, and hope the rain would end soon.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside of his Inner World, the Shinigami Substitute breathed very shallowly, his eyes wide in renewed emotional pain as he pulled himself away from the unforgettable memory that defined his life from such a young age. "You… you set the Grand Fisher on my mother that day." The pain in his heart slowly changed into something more useful. "Because I was soft, and weak, and completely reliant on her." It was something more than anger, and Ichigo could feel it rising within him. "You knew that killing her would force me to harden and grow stronger." It was something more than fury, and Ichigo could feel it beginning to twist his perception and warp his mentality. "You knew it would give me resolve to never let it happen again." Ichigo now knew the word for what he felt. Madness.

Aizen watched in fascination as black flames crept swiftly across Ichigo's eyes, from left to right, replacing the whites of his eyes with an inky blackness, and the brown became a Hollow amber. He noted with satisfaction that Ichigo's reiatsu was flaring out quite magnificently. "Indeed, and you have grown quite strong, Kurosaki Ichigo. I find myself interested in seeing your next step in evolution."

It started low. A small chuckle, barely audible as Ichigo's body shook, before it grew louder and stronger, until he raised his head again, tears streaming down his face from his Hollow eyes as he laughed, his sanity slipping away. His Adjuchas mask slowly materialized and fastened itself to his face as Ichigo continued to laugh and cry simultaneously. The laughter ended abruptly, though, as soon the mask finished appearing. _**"Strength…" **_Ichigo breathed harshly. _**"You killed my mother… to make me strong? To make me evolve?" **_Without any warning, he was suddenly in front of Aizen, black Tensa Zangetsu smothered in the dark power of Getsuga Tenshou as Ichigo swung with all his might.

Aizen blocked with some effort. "Is this all you have? Pity, I would have thought knowing the truth behind your mother's demise to be a much more powerful motivator."

Ichigo fixed a piercing gaze upon his foe. _**"Motivation? You planted the seeds of power in me; now reap what you have sowed!" **_A white Tensa Zangetsu materialized in his hand, thrumming with power and bloodlust as a Getsuga Tenshou ran down this sword as well.

Aizen's eyes widened. _What? A second Zanpakuto? In Bankai no less! _For perhaps the first time in a long while, the perpetually calm traitor felt the stirrings of fear creeping up his spine. He leapt back using the speed he'd worked so hard to acquire, narrowly avoiding the swipe of the white weapon. "Impressive, Ichigo-kun."

Only instinct allowed Aizen to whirl around and block another strike from the Hollowified Ichigo. _**"It's sad, Aizen, is that you can't tell the difference between me and a speed clone when I copied the move from your own subordinate," **_the Vizard cackled before using Shunpo again to vanish. He began circling around his enemy at his highest speed, creating several images of himself as he blurred in and out of sight between them, attacking from every angle, every opening he could find.

Aizen blocked or evaded every single strike, though it was admittedly quite difficult when he had to block more than one sword coming at him. He was highly impressed at how much of a challenge the boy had become, but there was a reason he felt he was capable to go against Soul Society – he had pushed his skills in every aspect of Shinigami warfare as high as he could. However, when Ichigo suddenly stopped, he was confused. "Why didn't you continue your attack?" he asked calmly.

To everyone's surprise, Ichigo threw his head back and laughed. With the powerful Adjuchas mask on his face changing his voice, it came out as a horrible, soul-chilling laugh, and his unseen allies in the area all shivered violently. After a few seconds, he looked Aizen straight in the eyes. _**"You're so strong, Aizen! Look at us! I'm at my strongest form yet, yet you are keeping up with me! You haven't even used your Shikai's effect on me!" **_

"Are you scared, then?"

This only made Ichigo laugh again. _**"Are you kidding? Why on earth would I be scared? I just couldn't help laughing at how hopeless it all seems right now! But I got something that you don't!" **_

Aizen was intrigued at the last comment. "What's that?"

"_**The will to do whatever it takes to kill you, even if it means sacrificing EVERYTHING!" **_Ichigo launched himself at Aizen once more, black Tensa Zangetsu held in a position for a sweeping strike across his body. _**"My body, my mind, my very soul I will condemn to oblivion as long as you just fucking die!" **_

However, Aizen was not the master of Kyoka Suigetsu, the most powerful illusionary Zanpakuto in existence, for nothing. His skill in observing even the tiniest of details was unmatched. Even as he blocked Ichigo's strike, he leapt upwards, narrowly evading the bleached white Tensa Zangetsu coming at him from the side.

Undeterred, Ichigo proceeded to change the arc of the swing by pulling sharply up on the chain and sending a burst of reiatsu down it, forcing Aizen to bring his sword down to block the sudden Getsuga-covered Zanpakuto. The leader of the Arrancar was unable to completely block the next strike, though, as Ichigo Shunpo-ed right behind him with the god-like speed of a Hollowified double-Bankai. _**"GETSUGA…"**_

Aizen's eyes widened, but he didn't have time to say anything else as Ichigo brought his blade, wrought in so much power that it appeared more moon-fang than sword, down upon him.

"…_**TENSHOU!"  
**_

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* * *

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So, longer chapter than normal, eh? Got through a lot of it, but we'll see a lot of other fights (Rukia's, and the rest of the Vizard) next chapter.

Let me know what you think!

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... OK, what the hell? How many freaking forms does Aizen have? He's worse than freaking Goku in DBZ! Although his latest form may be a form of nightmare fuel.

Also, I have to go wtf at Ichigo right now. WHY THE HELL would he use a freaking self-sacrifice technique on Aizen when he's kicking his ass! I mean, why sacrifice your Shinigami powers, when there's no need? You could've killed him! Right then and there! COME ON! Although I have to admit "becoming Getsuga" put Ichigo in a really freaking badass form. That may go on my background once it gets some color.

However, it does tie in with the rest of canon... It may provide a very viable explanation for why Isshin lost his Shinigami powers with his own version of the Final Getsuga Tenshou and is only just now back. Maybe it's not a permanent sacrifice, and that's why he was given the special gigai by Urahara?

And here's another stupid question. Aizen said in canon he'd gone as far as he could in every aspect of Shinigami growth as he could. This would include Bankai and, presumably, gaining his own "final" move, completing Jinzen (the act of meditating and getting the Bankai spirit to teach them their ultimate move). Why hasn't he used it? Or even his freaking SHIKAI? I haven't seen a single illusion on Ichigo yet. Not one. What the hell? Now would be the time! Unless somehow the Hougyouku no longer allows it. Which would be a very crappy Deus ex Machina. *sigh* Of course, this could be Tite Kubo's way of extending the manga. The illusion took place before Ichigo went and performed his Final Getsuga Tenshou, allowing Aizen to escape. Yay for cheapass continuation!

Next, what the hell is going on in Hueco Mundo with Ishida, Chad, Rukia, Inoue, Kenpachi, Byakuya and Mayuri? They're still at full strength or near it! and if they weren't, Inoue would've healed them! They defeated Yammy! There's no one left! WHY HAVEN'T THEY REJOINED THE FIGHT YET?

Anyway, because I'm busy trying to finish my college - just a few more days - here's a quick excerpt of things to come:

Tensa Zangetsu looked at Ichigo once again, Cazador de la Luna standing beside him. "You don't understand, Ichigo, the nature of just what we are," the Bankai form of Ichigo's Zanpakuto told him. "Both your Hollow and I are merely parts of you, representations of your power given personality based on your own." 


	21. Necessary Evil

Hey all, I know it's been more than a month, but while I've had most of this ready to go for weeks, there were some parts in the middle that were just hard to write out.

So, first up we have review responses:

marc: I know that Aizen is currently unable to use illusions against Ichigo. What I don't get is why he didn't reseal his sword (out of Shikai) and then unleash it again on him so Ichigo COULD be hit by the illusions.

Yaiba Odoriko: Thanks for the compliment! I do like to shake things up in the universe, with a dash of common sense here and there. It's only too bad I can't keep some of that common sense for my REAL life. I frequently have a bad case of Open Mouth Insert Foot disease.

Orange205: I never understood why the Gotei 13 in canon didn't seem to do any sort of training. So I throw in a little bit of that here and there, just what makes sense. And when you see things from Soifon's perspective, her Bankai really is a disgrace for her. She's the penultimate assassin. One-hit kills are perfect. Problem: assassins are discreet. Her Bankai really is not.

dragonXXforte: You are so right. What made Aizen such a big-shot was his calm demeanor, calculating strategies, and ability to completely mind-screw everyone around him. It's too bad all the power went to his head.

To all the reviewers who offered the suggestion that Ichigo had already begun using the Final Getsuga Tensho before encountering Aizen: I don't see how that makes sense. The Final Getsuga Tensho involves becoming a human incarnation of a Getsuga, using Mugetsu and completely obliterating the opponent. The fact that Aizen couldn't sense his reiatsu does not mean that Ichigo sacrificed it; Aizen realized later that Ichigo had instead moved on to a higher level, where he could choose who could sense it.

New Terms!

Soul Sleep: One of the critical parts of any Shinigami. This is the source of a person's reiatsu, situated in a person's chest. Damage to it can be crippling to the point of never recovering.

Senka: an move based on Shunpo; by moving and stabbing very quickly, a person can destroy their opponent's Soul Sleep. This was Byakuya's move to destroy Ichigo when he was using Rukia's powers.

Hado 90: Kurohitsugi: (Black Coffin) You remember that old magic trick, where a magician or a volunteer would get into a black box, which was promptly stabbed over and over again with various swords, spears, or other pointy objects? And then whoever was inside would come back out perfectly unharmed? Yeah, this ain't it. Try grievous harm to anyone within it. When Aizen used this on Komamura while escaping Soul Society, in its weakened form due to using no incantation, it injured him so severely Komamura could barely move.

Jakuhō Raikōben: Soifon's Bankai. This is another variation of a compression type Bankai. All of the power of a Bankai is compressed into a single missile. Result? One-hit kill, potentially widespread. Problem: Soifon can normally only use it once every few days, and on top of that it requires time to prepare if she doesn't want to be sent flying. She carries a heavy steel sash for this purpose, wrapping herself to a nearby grounded object when she fires so she doesn't get blown away by the explosion. However, even this apparently fails: when she used this on Baraggan, who was a fair distance away, her attack had enough force to rip her heavy steel cloth and still send her flying.

Bakudo 81: Danku: (Splitting Void) A purely defensive Bakudo, this technique is able to block all Kido up to level 89.

Chain of Fate: Every human soul has a chain linking from the chest of their spiritual body to the chest of their physical body. When the human dies, the chain is severed and will begin to eat itself slowly (under normal circumstances). The reason this is called the Chain of Fate is because if a Shinigami does not purify the soul prior to the chain being completely devoured, then the soul becomes a Hollow.

* * *

Chapter 21: Necessary Evil

Rukia was on the verge of panicking right now. Then again, who wouldn't be if that person was being chased by an insane skeletal Hollow who only had to BREATHE on you from a distance to rot away your flesh and bone? If it weren't for Hachi putting up barriers left and right, Rukia knew she'd surely be dead by now.

_Please, hold him still! My attacks are dances for a reason, it takes a moment to set them up! _"Get him trapped, if only for a moment!" Rukia called out desperately, a plan formulating in her head.

The large Vizard clapped his hands together, murmuring under his breath as he materialized four barriers, which quickly closed into a box around Baraggan, who simply filled the box with his Respira, breaking it down rapidly. "You've only got seconds before it breaks!"

"**Buying time for an attack? Hmph. Against me, buying time is like spitting in the face of Kami. Useless, and ultimately makes things worse for you!"**

"Harribel! Use your Cascada!" Even as the Arrancar responded, Rukia Shunpo-ed over to the opposite side of Baraggan from the water-using ex-Espada. "Tsugi no Mai! Hakuren!"

The barriers broke a mere instant before the pair of ice and water attacks could connect, but in that instant Baraggan vanished into Sonido, evading the attack and going after Hachigen, who promptly put up enormous, nigh-unbreakable barriers. **"Do you really think you can stop me, the Lord of Hueco Mundo?" **

Suddenly a trio of ice dragons erupted out of seemingly nowhere and forced Baraggan to slice them down with his axe. "You're not in Hueco Mundo anymore," a familiar voice stated calmly. Rukia spun around and damn near passed out in relief; Hitsugaya-taicho had returned, fully healed, in Bankai, standing on the roof of a nearby building.

But then she saw someone else next to him. "Orihime? Why are you here?" She Shunpo-ed down, ready to carry her friend away from the mortal danger. "Let's get out of here!"

"No. Here is where I'm needed," Inoue replied quietly.

"You'll get killed!" Rukia argued, eyes wide and pleading.

"… Do you know the true nature of my powers?"

The Shinigami was thrown off by Inoue's tone; her usual kindly voice, reflective of her gentle spirit, had just the hint of steel in her words. Even so, she responded. "Not really… I know you're a healer though."

Of all things, she didn't expect Inoue to shake her head, negating the assertion. "No, that's just what I use them for most of the time. Like Kido can be used for healing, binding or destruction, my powers have different uses. Now please, Rukia-chan, I need to concentrate… Hitsugaya-kun has explained what Baraggan can do, and I need to focus to counter him."

Rukia could only step back and stare at her friend. _When did she… how did she grow so much? She's so confident she can finish him, but she only got her powers a year ago! _She shook her head. Rukia had to admit she didn't know the details of Inoue's powers; it was entirely possible that she had somehow been blessed with a power capable of countering Baraggan's hellish mastery of time dilation and his lethal Respira. She stepped back a little further, Sode no Shirayuki at the ready, just in case.

"**You've returned. I admit I thought you had run, but I see you lack even the most basic of wisdom and primal instinct of self-preservation," **Baraggan taunted in an observatory tone. **"Do you think you can trap me again?"**

"Oh, I'm sure I could," Hitsugaya told him coolly. "However, not only would it kill some of the people in the area, but it would not rid our world of you forever. It might be days, it might be years, but you'd return thanks to your time dilation powers. By inverting it, years could pass for the world around you, but only minutes or hours for you…"

Baraggan laughed. **"Oh, so the ant shows some intelligence! So, now that you see the inevitability of death, just what is your plan for defeating me?" **

"I won't be the one to defeat you. She will." Hitsugaya indicated Inoue on the building, who was staring up at Baraggan with eyes devoid of fear.

There was a pause. **"A human? A HUMAN? You dare to think a human, a flea to the smallest of Shinigami ants, could harm me, let alone defeat me?" **

"I know she can," Hitsugaya said with a small smile. "Go ahead, try to kill her. I won't stop you."

Hachigen looked at him incredulously. "Are you insane? She's only human!"

"She may be human, but she's far stronger than you think," came the response. "Let her show you what she can do. Trust me."

Baraggan laughed. **"Oh, now you've caught my interest. Very well, your death has been delayed. Let's see what this oh so mighty human can do against my Respira." **He turned to face Inoue and let loose his rotting breath, waiting with interest to see how the weak human would react. _Will she flee before my might? Put up some useless shield? Just stand and die? _

"ORIHIME!" Rukia screamed, taking her arm and about to Shunpo, only to have Inoue roughly pull her arm away.

"Rukia-chan… Watch me! I am no longer as weak as I was!" Inoue focused hard, glaring determinedly at the deadly visage of Baraggan's Resurreccion as the Respira rushed towards her. She took a deep breath and steadied her resolve, focusing on her power. This would be the biggest feat she'd yet attempted with it, but she knew, she _knew_ in her heart she could do it. She had to. "Santen Kesshun!" she called out, throwing her arms in front of her as if to brace herself, and her shield. "I REJECT!"

An enormous triangular barrier materialized in front of her, spanning several blocks and reaching high into the sky. The Respira rushed it, impacted, but…

"**Impossible!"** Baraggan roared as even after several seconds, the shield showed no signs of growing weaker. **"Why won't your shield rot? All things made by mortals are susceptible to time! Even Kido falls before me!"**

"This is my power," Inoue announced to the awed eyes of her audience. "You may be able to rot away flesh, bone and sinew. You may be able to decompose earth and metal and even dissipate reiatsu. But my technique is based on none of those, nothing but the eternal force of my will to protect! This is my power, Baraggan, Lord of Hueco Mundo! This power that intrudes on Kami's territory! The power to reject and reshape reality! And I reject you and your power! Tsubaki! Koten Zanshun! I reject!"

The fairy practically erupted from her hairpin, resting momentarily in front of her hands as he generated a thin rejection barrier above and below him, forming an edge as sharp as Inoue's resolve. It launched at her opponent almost too fast for her eyes, accustomed to watching Ichigo's Bankai, to follow. Tsubaki slipped right through her Santen Kesshun as though it weren't there, and continued to punch through the Respira without any signs of slowing or weakening.

Baraggan quickly drew his axe and brought it down on the fairy, but suddenly, the Koten Zanshun had changed directions and was attacking from behind. To the time lord's disgruntlement, the attack seemed completely unaffected by his time dilation. Instead of paying attention to the pest attacking him, he Sonido-ed directly to the barrier and slammed his axe against it. It cracked, giving him heart as he attacked it again and again, making the cracks longer and wider.

Inoue began to falter; keeping up her shield and the attack was exhausting her quickly; the extreme mental focus it required was beginning to give her a headache, and her reiatsu was draining at an alarming rate. But then she started feeling better, and saw that Rukia was using a healing Kido on her. "But… I'm not injured?" she asked confusedly.

"Healing Kido works by restoring the patient's reiatsu first, so the healing of the body can be aided more quickly," Rukia explained. "I'm restoring your reiatsu, now finish him while I keep you going!"

"Right!" Inoue nodded firmly, turning her full attention back to Baraggan. With some focus, the shield's cracks repaired themselves, becoming as good as new as Tsubaki continued to terrorize the Segunda Espada.

Baraggan was understandably outraged that he couldn't seem to harm a measly human. **"How can a human wield such a terrifying power?" **he screamed. **"No one can defy a Kami!" **

"Maybe, but you are no Kami! Sōten Kisshun!"

Rukia immediately recognized it as Inoue's healing technique, and wondered just what she was up to, but was too occupied with keeping Inoue's reiatsu levels up to ask.

In response, Baraggan let loose another Respira… except to suddenly find himself, and all his Respira, surrounded in a golden barrier. Seeing him trapped, Inoue called back her Koten Zanshun and Santen Kisshun, knowing she'd need all her reiatsu and focus now to do what needed to be done. She had refused to show it, but the enemy had even more terrifying reiatsu than Ichigo's mask.

Hachigen took the opportunity to throw several barriers around the Sōten Kisshun as a precautionary measure in case Inoue's tactic, whatever it was, failed. Then he joined Rukia in the healing Kido, feeling that the younger Shinigami was almost completely drained. Harribel and Hitsugaya leaped down to join them, with Inoue at the front.

She looked up at Baraggan with kind eyes. "It's very sad what I'm going to have to do to you now, you know? I've never done it to anyone, and it seems far too cruel a punishment for almost anyone save Aizen himself. But… in order to protect my friends, I've learned that sometimes I have to make sacrifices…" She closed her eyes. "Even if those sacrifices haunt me for the rest of my life. Sōten Kisshun. I reject."

Suddenly knowing, _knowing _what was going to happen to him, fear gripped Baraggan for the first time in longer than he could remember. He poured all his power into his Respira and slammed his battle axe into the Sōten Kisshun over and over again, trying his best to break it to no avail. He even gathered and fired his most powerful Cero! But Baraggan could feel his reiatsu fading away faster than he was spending it. **"No! You can't do this to me!"**

Inoue said nothing, but kept her eyes and focus on the weakening Espada.

"**I'm a Kami! The Kami of Hueco Mundo! You can't, you can't just erase me!" **But the truth was staring him in the face even now. Before his very eyes, the tip of his battle axe had just evaporated, as though it had turned to ash and been whisked away by the wind. **"I won't be defeated by a human! An ant! A mere insect to my might!"**

"… Did you know, Baraggan…" Inoue whispered. "Even insects like me… can bring down the mightiest of monsters."

The axe was now almost completely gone; Baraggan had only one last card to play in his pursuit to survive. **"You do realize that erasing me will erase all the souls that I've eaten, right human? How does it feel to be completely destroying the thousands, perhaps millions of souls that make up my power?"**

"They'll be fine. I'm not rejecting them, I'm rejecting you. I'm rejecting the soul that holds them all captive, the being that wouldn't think twice about killing me or my friends. As soon as you're gone, my will directs that they'll go to Soul Society and rejoin the cycle of rebirth."

That was it. There was nothing left that he could do; he'd tried everything. Baraggan had to admit that he was done, he would not live past the next few minutes. So he nodded his head regally. **"It seems I've been bested… It hurts my pride to admit that a human, one lowly human could defeat me, but I was never facing a human at all was I?" **He turned his eyeless sockets at Inoue, seeming as though he could stare into her soul as his extremities began fading. **"Regardless of your form, I was facing a Kami, someone whose powers transcend that of Shinigami and Hollow, or even that of Vizard and Arrancar. From one Kami to another… beware the machinations and betrayals of mortals." **His limbs were completely gone, and his torso was going the same way. **"They will try to enslave you to use your powers, or kill you for the threat you pose."** Now only his head was left, and it was evaporating quickly.** "Guard yourself well, young Kami." **And with that, he was gone.

Inoue took a deep breath and released her Sōten Kisshun, returning her fairies to her hairpins. She turned around, facing her friends with a troubled, preoccupied look on her face. "Well… that's done… you all should go help with Aizen."

"I'll stay with you; my powers are a bit superfluous when compared against Hitsugaya-taicho's," Rukia volunteered.

The others nodded their assent, though each of them gave a respectful nod to Inoue as well. As soon as they were gone, she turned to Rukia. "Could you please bring us down to the ground? With all the fights going on, I'd rather not be on something that could collapse any minute."

Rukia smiled, bringing them down easily. Sitting on a nearby bench that had miraculously never been touched by the Respira that Baraggan had been throwing out so frequently, silence reigned for a minute. Rukia, who was used to Inoue happily jabbering about anything that crossed her mind, grew increasingly worried, and she glanced at Inoue's downcast expression. "What's eating you?"

Inoue quickly glanced around, as though checking if she were actually being eaten by something. When she realized what Rukia meant, she smiled sadly though her eyes were slowly watering. "Do you know what I just did?"

"You defeated and killed someone that even the combined forces of Shinigami and Arrancar couldn't," the short Shinigami replied as though it should've been obvious.

"I didn't kill him…" Now real tears were slowly trailing down Inoue's cheeks. "Killing him would be bad enough… I'm a pacifist, Rukia-chan. I hate fighting. I hate it when people get hurt. I never wanted to kill anyone in this war, except for that one time when Yammy nearly killed Sado-kun. When people die, then they go on to the next step of reincarnation, right? Humans and Hollows get purified and move on to Soul Society, people in Soul Society die and get reborn in the living world, right?" When Rukia nodded an affirmative, Inoue burst into sobs against Rukia's shoulder. "I was so, so _happy _when I found that out! Because I knew I'd see my brother again someday! Do you know what it's like for a human to know, absolutely know with proof that there's an afterlife? That there's never truly an end, just another beginning? It's such a relief, and it brings hope to those who've lost someone that maybe, just maybe, they'll be able to find each other again."

Rukia nodded as she held her friend. She could understand that, though she'd been very young when she'd died so she wouldn't know from experience. She decided not to remind Inoue of the fact that souls could meet a permanent end if they were killed by a Quincy arrow; Inoue's problem came first.

"But that soul probably didn't do anything to deserve becoming a Hollow. That soul didn't do anything to deserve being twisted into a mockery of its old self with a hunger for other souls. That soul beneath the Hollow didn't do anything to deserve being erased completely from existence. That soul will never get to see its loved ones, will never be reincarnated, will never again feel all the joys and agonies of life! Because of me! What gave me the right to play Kami with people's very souls?"

Now Rukia knew what Inoue was going through, and now that she understood she was a little horrified too. She'd watched Baraggan fade from reality piece by piece, his last words being a warning of all things to the woman who'd destroyed him. Inoue needed someone who could understand… Rukia revoked her previous decision not to speak about the Quincy. "Orihime… you're not the first to have done this, you know?"

"Huh? There's someone else who's had these powers?"

"Not exactly… but there's someone else you know quite well whose powers also destroy Hollows without giving them a chance at reincarnation. Ishida Uryuu."

"What?" Inoue gasped.

"He's one of the last Quincy. There's a reason there aren't many left, Orihime… there was a war, a terrible war between the Quincy and the Shinigami… because the Quincy, when they slay a Hollow with their arrows, the souls that made up that Hollow cease to exist."

* * *

"Shit!" Ikkaku lunged to the side, narrowly escaping being skewered. He had quickly learned the devastating power of Gin's Bankai by receiving a cut to his arm before deflecting it with one of his own weapons, and for the first time Ikkaku wished his own Bankai had better defensive properties. He didn't want to die to this bastard! He swung down with his right arm, attempting to break Kamishini no Yari with the oversized monk spade, only to be frustrated as his target retracted long before he could connect. "This isn't good… I'm being outmaneuvered!" he muttered. _I'm just not fast enough! _He didn't have to glance at the center blade floating behind him to know that the faded red dragon crest was filling more slowly than usual due to the lack of injuries on either party.

Ryūmon Hōzukimaru was highly unusual for a Bankai. Aside from the standard increase in power, it didn't provide any special abilities or defensive properties. Also, it wasn't at full power immediately after releasing, unlike for instance Ichigo and Tensa Zangetsu. No, Ryūmon Hōzukimaru's power was reflected by the red dragon crest on the center axe-blade. The more blood was shed on either side, the more the Bankai would wake up and grow more powerful.

As a result, Ikkaku had a catch-22 on his hands. He couldn't hit Gin to increase his Bankai's power, and he couldn't hit Gin until he had increased his Bankai's power. He couldn't afford to let himself get stabbed and cut in half by the apparently infinitely-extending Kamishini no Yari, so letting himself get hurt was not an option. He couldn't get a moment to himself to spin the entire Bankai by the center handle, which was the only other way he knew of to quickly increase the power. And maintaining his Bankai was draining his reiatsu quickly… too quickly to last for the several minutes it would take for his Bankai to gain a significant amount more power. When he lost Bankai… _I'll die, that's for damn sure. _

Normally, Ikkaku had no problems with fighting to the death as long as he could keep his pride. His number one rule was to always fight one-on-one. Rule number two was to serve under Kenpachi until his death. Anything that compromised one of those conditions was unacceptable, and as a result Ikkaku had hidden his Bankai so he wouldn't get promoted out of Kenpachi's division.

However, Ikkaku had released his Bankai in public because he'd recognized that the alternative – not unleashing it and possibly resulting in Aizen's success – was by far a worse conclusion. Under the same reasoning, shouldn't he swallow his pride for this one fight and see if Yumichika would help?

The man was broken from his musings when Gin extended Kamishini no Yari and attempted to take Ikkaku's legs off with a horizontal swipe. Jumping over the blade, Ikkaku rushed at his opponent, only to be surprised when the man had nigh-instantly shortened Kamishini no Yari to the length of a short sword, re-aimed at Ikkaku's torso, and fired.

Ikkaku twisted, receiving a gash to his chest instead of being killed, but kept running at Gin, hoping that an up-close attack would keep the traitor from being able to use his Bankai effectively.

"You're too slow, Ikkaku-kun," Gin told him with a smile, merely Shunpo-ing a distance away and getting into position to spear him through once again.

The 11th Division member grimaced. _I hate having to resort to this… _He vanished in the tell-tale flicker of Shunpo, much to Gin's surprise, and reappeared right behind him, oversized blade already in mid-swing.

Gin's surprise at seeing Ikkaku able and willing to use Shunpo, a practice that most of the 11th Division considered too close to Kido to use, worked in concert with his previous injuries from Ichigo and kept him from being able to block effectively. Even so, he managed to leap out of the way enough to keep from losing his arm, only gaining another deep gash in his side. Cursing under his breath, Gin evaded the follow-up swing, twisting as he did so just enough to be able to block the next attack. To his horror, Kamishini no Yari cracked a little more under the pure offensive nature of Ikkaku's Bankai.

Ikkaku grinned; he'd landed a hit, and the crimson dragon mark on his Bankai had filled significantly higher due to the severity of the wound. He pressed his advantage, striking again and again, keeping Gin on the defensive, never able to properly point his Kamishini no Yari at him. Ikkaku's grin faltered slightly, however; he didn't have much reiatsu left. _I need to finish this fast! _

"You're better than I thought," Gin admitted, resorting to several successive Shunpo in order to get some distance between them. It worked, as Ikkaku's distaste for the technique had kept him from practicing it enough to keep up with the ex-taicho. "But you're getting slower, and your movements predictable. Your Bankai focuses on pure attack power, and it seems that it gets stronger the more that crest of yours fills. Too bad you won't be able to maintain it much longer."

"You're right," Ikkaku agreed, breathing heavily. "I've only got enough reiatsu left for one more assault, one more with full power!" He rushed at Gin and slashed with all his power!

Gin stood still until the very last moment, but then Shunpo-ed out of the way, a distance behind Ikkaku now. "Tsk, tsk. Ikkaku-kun, ya know I'm not part of the 11th Division so I'm not obligated to fight your way, and my part in this story isn't over yet. Do me a favor though, and don't die. I'm interested in seeing how you turn out." He vanished once more into high speed, escaping and presumably making his way over to Aizen.

"Fuck!" the exhausted member of the 11th Division cried out, even as his Bankai deteriorated and returned to Shikai state. Yumichika was suddenly there as Ikkaku collapsed, holding him up. "I'm too weak!"

"Well, now that you've revealed your Bankai, after this is all over you can ask Kenpachi to help you train with it," Yumichika reasoned.

"Yeah…" Ikkaku looked down at Hozukimaru in his hands. "Yeah… maybe I will."

* * *

The sky of Karakura was engulfed in black-and-red reiatsu in the shape of an enormous crescent, its power focused on the point of contact between Aizen and Ichigo. Watching carefully from a distance, waiting for his chance to finish things, Yamamoto was astounded at the raw power of that single strike. _Moon-Fang Piercer of Heaven indeed. Is this it? _He did not dare to hope.

Ichigo's Adjuchas mask kept all expression hidden as Aizen was revealed, horribly injured. Aizen's clothes had almost completely been burned away, only covered from his waist down in tattered remnants. His back had been cut so deeply and widely that Aizen's spine was exposed, though it hadn't been cut. But before Ichigo's very eyes, the wound was healing! _**"High-speed regeneration…" **_he observed. Behind the mask, he broke out into an insane grin reminiscent of Cazador's. _**"Let's test its limits then!" **_

But before he could once again strike Aizen down, the traitor Shunpo-ed away, facing the Vizard. "No. Do you honestly think that I would make myself a Hollow?" He indicated his stomach, where Ichigo could now see a jewel of some sort, which pulsed softly.

"_**The Hōgyoku?" **_

"Yes. I am the Hōgyoku's master, and by implanting it within me, it protects its host with its own brand of regeneration, among other things," Aizen explained with a knowing smirk.

"_**Whatever! Hollow or Hōgyoku, you got the regeneration! I wonder how much pain I can put you through before I kill you!" **_With that, Ichigo was once again dashing at Aizen, who prepared for another brutal assault.

However, Ichigo flickered into an ungodly fast Shunpo, pushing himself harder as he attempted to use a move he'd only seen once… and that one time was used against him. He appeared behind Aizen and attempted to stab backwards to pierce the traitor's Soul Sleep to rob him of all spiritual energy, permanently.

However, Tensa Zangetsu hit a barrier, and Ichigo had to use Shunpo again to evade Aizen's counter-swipe. _**"Another barrier? One would think that you'd expected to be caught off guard!"**_

"I do try to account for every possibility, and one of them was that Kuchiki Byakuya would be here. Senka is one of his favorite techniques, and the Soul Sleep is a very critical point. A barrier seemed prudent," Aizen explained with a small smile.

Ichigo cackled insanely as he swung his white Tensa Zangetsu against Kyoka Suigetsu, and he brought his masked face mere inches from Aizen's nose as he pressed all his weight against his blade. Unbeknownst to the entirely-too-calm traitor, Ichigo channeled more of his reiatsu to his black Tensa Zangetsu, and with a motion hidden by his body, swung his obsidian Zanpakuto around the both of them with a chain, tying them both together, sword against sword but otherwise completely pressed against each other. Abruptly, the ivory Bankai flared up with another Getsuga at the ready, pushing even harder against Kyoka Suigetsu.

Aizen's eyes widened; it didn't take a genius to know what was going to happen next. He could swear that Ichigo's mask, only inches from his own face, had impossibly widened its grin. Worse, he had no way to evade! The only thing he could do was put his faith in the Hōgyoku's regenerative abilities, and perform a self-damaging technique as well!

"_**Getsuga… Tenshō." **_

"Hado 90: Kurohitsugi!"

Given how Ichigo had not been able to swing, the Getsuga had a different effect than usual. Instead of manifesting as an enormous black, raging crescent attack, it appeared as a bubble-like technique, encompassing them both and growing ever larger. Abruptly, in the middle of the bubble, a large box appeared and black reiatsu swords promptly pushed their way inside.

When the techniques faded, both of them were very badly hurt and several meters apart; Ichigo's left arm hung uselessly from his shoulder, blood running down it, while Aizen himself had suffered more normally-crippling gashes to his chest and waist. Both also had several minor wounds all across their bodies, and the top part of Ichigo's Bankai coat had been largely obliterated, leaving him in tattered leggings and scraps on his right shoulder. Aizen's outfit had also been destroyed further. He barely had enough to cover his modesty. But to both fighters' frustration, their opponents were regenerating quickly – the Hōgyoku was taking care of Aizen, while Ichigo pumped more and more Hollow power throughout his body, focusing mostly on his shoulder. He couldn't afford any crippling wounds.

"NOW!" Yamamoto roared from the sidelines. This was the Gotei 13's chance to rid Soul Society of both threats at once!

"Bankai! Jakuhō Raikōben!" Soifon screamed, having completed her preparations. Her body was tethered to the building she stood upon using what appeared to be a heavy steel sash. Her Zanpakuto turned into what seemed to be an enormous missile launcher melded to her right arm, twice as tall as she herself was, with half a face guard for the right side of her face. The face guard also had slits which were to be used as crosshairs to aim properly, which she promptly used, hauling the massive weapon up and taking but a moment to aim. And then she fired.

Aizen and Ichigo froze, each having been about to continue their fight despite not being completely healed. They looked in Soifon's direction in unison, and saw an enormous missile heading straight for them. Understanding blossomed in Aizen's eyes. _The enormous power of a taicho's Bankai condensed into a single explosive attack! No wonder I've never seen her Bankai before! _He couldn't afford to be hit by that; even the Hōgyoku might not be able to regenerate him from that.

Ichigo was not in such an analytical mood at the moment, but even in his maddened state he knew that he did NOT want to get hit with that. But behind the mask, he grinned. _**"Oh, Aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiizen…" **_he sung mockingly before Shunpo-ing right behind him. _**"Bakudo 1: Sai!" **_

To even Ichigo's surprise, the technique worked perfectly. For only a moment, Aizen was distracted, caught by complete surprise that Ichigo could use Kido at all. With the Vizard's massive reiatsu, awful control, and Hollowified state, Aizen would have bet almost anything that even the smallest Kido would blow up in his face. On top of that, Ichigo had been a Shinigami for so little time, it was almost inconceivable that he would bother learning the tricky arts of Hado and Bakudo when his Bankai was a pure melee type. It made no sense! Why would Ichigo learn anything about Kido when in the time it would take for him to be able to use the weakest of them, he could have grown even stronger and faster physically and played to his strengths? All in all, Aizen had never anticipated that Ichigo could and would use Kido at all.

But even with Aizen's distraction, it took only another moment for him to shrug off the Bakudo. While it was empowered by Ichigo's masked Bankai state, it was still only the very lowest level of Bakudo. Luckily for Ichigo, that single moment was enough. He promptly slashed at the air with some Hollow reiatsu and opened a Garganta, jumping in and closing it to evade the missile's detonation within the emptiness of the void between worlds.

Aizen witnessed Ichigo's escape and cursed; the missile was almost upon him, and that Bakudo, weak though it was, had robbed him of almost all the time he had to get away. He began to Shunpo as fast as he could away from the missile, which tracked him as he went. "Bakudo 81: Danku!"

A translucent white energy barrier materialized behind him as he fled from the missile, even as the Hōgyoku continued to heal his wounds. As Aizen had hoped, the missile exploded upon impact. As he had bitterly expected, the explosion was enormous, even more widespread than Kurosaki Ichigo's latest Getsuga Tenshō, and almost as powerful, though it was not condensed into a single point. Aizen threw up barrier after barrier as he attempted to outrun the explosion, and one after another, each barrier was destroyed with next to no effect on the intensity due to not being completely formed yet.

And then Aizen was caught in the explosion, and searing heat nearly flash-fried his arms as the concussive blast propelled him at speeds he'd never before achieved... into and through a dozen or so buildings as he tried desperately to slow using a variation of the air-walk technique to create drag. Aizen finally managed to slow down enough to flip himself back up into an upright position, standing near the edges of Karakura as he assessed the damage. His hands and arms looked as if they'd been caught in Yamamoto's Ryuujin Jakka, with second and third degree burns running up and down his arms and his hands almost blackened. Even now, though, the dead, burnt skin was flaking off and being replaced by fresh skin generated by the Hōgyoku.

Aizen's torso was better, suffering only mild burns, a broken rib, and several scratches thanks to the several barriers he'd cast prior to battle, though they had all been destroyed. His body was far stronger than those paltry buildings, but steel supports could be extremely sharp for mortal objects, which explained his scratches.

Aizen pursed his lips; the Gotei 13 was stronger than he'd anticipated, and Soifon's Bankai was unexpectedly powerful, though it was clearly evident that she hadn't practiced it, seeing as there was no second missile coming at him now. _Unless I'm out of range, _he mused. _Well, I need to heal up a bit before I engage Yamamoto or Ichigo-kun again._

His eyes widened as he felt more than heard the rip in the sky behind him, and he spun around with Kyoka Suigetsu at the ready just in time to find himself face to face once again with Kurosaki Ichigo, killing intent clearly blazing within his intense, Hollow-like reiatsu.

"_**Getsuga Ten-!" **_And suddenly, the mask shattered, falling into so many pieces through the air. Aizen was easily able to take advantage of Ichigo's shock to kick him into another building.

"You were quite strong," Aizen complimented. "I daresay if you had managed to complete that attack, you might have actually succeeded in killing me."

"DAMN IT!" Ichigo screamed, his body feeling weak and heavy. _I HAD HIM! How is this right? _But before he could continue his thoughts, Ichigo realized that his opponent was coming at him and barely managed to block Aizen's next attack, but then he was sent flying through two skyscrapers and colliding with another. He got up quickly, searching the skies for Aizen. _He's so strong! I, I need more power! _

Ichigo was completely taken by surprise when a mostly-healed Aizen suddenly appeared in front of him, his right hand less than a meter away. "Hado 63: Raikōhō."

The lightning Kido blast completely engulfed Ichigo's form for several seconds, but something began happening in the middle that began to slightly unnerve Aizen. A dark, bitter laugh echoed from within the Kido, and when it faded, Ichigo stood there, with several electrical burns on his arms and hands, but the majority of the damage had been averted by the X guard he'd put up with both Tensa Zangetsu, but still the man kept laughing lowly. "It's not fair," he gasped out. "I was so close to ending it, I was about to KILL you! You who arranged for my mother's death, you who are the source of so much pain! How could I have failed to kill you when I know that you're going to sacrifice all those people for your own ambition? Why couldn't my mask have lasted for just one more second?"

Aizen opened his mouth to speak, but Ichigo just kept going, his words getting stronger as his voice steadied. "But I won't let you do this, I can't let anyone else go through the suffering of losing a parent."

Ichigo met Aizen's eyes, and the latter was surprised to see the Vizard's eyes. The right eye was normal, brown iris on white sclera, but the left eye was completely Hollowified, amber on black sclera. Ichigo's voice was slowly regaining the giveaway Hollow echo, and Aizen could swear that Ichigo's skin was paling. _But… he's not bleeding that badly anywhere, _Aizen noted in confusion. _What's going on? _

"I will do anything to protect those I care about. I will ascend to the heights of heaven… _**or descend into the pits of hell**_," Ichigo vowed, not noticing how his mask was slowly materializing only on the left side of his face. _**"Angel or demon, those titles mean nothing to me, as long as I can fulfill my desire!" **_He didn't know how he knew the words that came to his lips unbidden. But then again, Ichigo didn't care either; all that he desired was to make the monstrous maestro of his mother's murder die. Ichigo smirked as his soul synced with the Hollow within. _**"Blacken the night, Cazador de la Luna!" **_

Time seemed to slow for everyone watching him as their realizations raced ahead of their thoughts towards the horrifying conclusion. His Zanpakuto was well known to be Zangetsu; that oversized cleaver was hard to miss. That left only one option: Resurreccíon. Yamamoto's expression was especially grim; a Hollow with the combined powers of Bankai and Resurreccíon could prove a very fatal opponent. _Let us hope Kurosaki Ichigo can recover… or else we will be forced to kill him. _

And then time resumed, with the white Tensa Zangetsu ripping itself out of Ichigo's left hand, twisting around and seeming to stab him in the chest! Except as it reached Ichigo's skin, it seemed to melt until there was nothing but the chain left, and then everything coalesced into something that every Shinigami there recognized: Ichigo's chain of fate.

Then, the chain ate itself away as it had in the Shattered Shaft, and Ichigo threw his head back and screamed as white, foamy liquid erupted from the new hole in his chest and his own mouth. His mask grew and covered all the way around his head, twisted horns emerging as the liquid spread over his body and underneath Ichigo's Bankai. The Vizard's muscles grew taut and far more defined, the skin on his hands and feet tightened and stretched as his nails grew, until they appeared more as claws and talons.

From the Hollow hole in Ichigo's chest came a pattern of thick crimson lines, two of which reached up and met with the those on Ichigo's mask, and more that circled around his torso to meet with their brothers from the back, hidden underneath a sudden growth of Ichigo's hair that now reached down to his shoulders. The transformation seemed to take only a second, and Ichigo's scream of pain transformed into the triumphant roar of a Hollow ready for battle.

All the conscious Vizard in Karakura blinked and turned towards where they felt Ichigo's reiatsu become far more bestial and Hollow-like. Kensei, Mashiro, Love and Rose glanced once more at the slowly-dissolving corpse of Wonderweiss, then each other. The Espada-class Arrancar had been far more troublesome to deal with than they'd thought he'd be. He seemed to have a very strong Hierro, could take a beating to rival Ichigo, and attacked unpredictably, resulting in Mashiro's temporary knockout. But between Kensei's Bankai and everyone else's support, plus a surprise attack from Mashiro after she'd recovered, Wonderweiss had finally gone down only a minute ago.

Just to be sure, Kensei walked over warily, returning his Bankai to Shikai mode, and swiped off Wonderweiss's head. The dissolving sped up in earnest now, and in several seconds, the child Arrancar was gone.

"So… is that…?" Love asked.

"Yes, it's Ichigo," Kensei stated clearly. "This seems to be one of the results of his deal with his Inner Hollow."

"Another one?" Rose asked incredulously. "First his mask felt stronger, and then that super-mask? What now, Resurreccíon?"

"Maybe," Love answered quietly. "It's impossible to know without looking."

"Then let's go watch Berry-tan fight!" Mashiro chirped.

All four nodded, before Shunpo-ing out to do just that.

Nearby, Lisa decided not to go; she was waiting for an opening on Starrk in order to help her former taicho, Kyoraku Shunsui. She wasn't quite sure what kind of greeting she wanted, but Lisa wanted, no, needed closure. She'd been abruptly pulled away from her taicho due to her own incompetence, she felt, and Aizen's betrayal. That she'd never gotten to say goodbye hurt to this day, and Lisa wanted to fix everything. There was no way she could rejoin Soul Society, Lisa knew this, but she wanted at least a cordial relationship with her old taicho, and maybe with Nanao-chan. Lisa smiled softly as she remembered reading stories to the little girl who grew up to take her place as Shunsui's fukutaicho, before her face hardened. She couldn't afford to lose her concentration.

Hiyori felt the change in the air, but refused to leave her sitting position on the ground next to the unconscious Shinji, who was being patched up by Hachigen. _This is all my fault… _she thought deprecatingly. _God damn you, Aizen! And damn me too, for not growing strong enough to do anything. _"How long till he's fixed?" she demanded.

"At least another five minutes," Hachigen reported. "Are you sure you don't want to see what Ichigo is doing?"

"Of course I want to see what that idiot Strawberry's up to!" Hiyori retorted. "But… Shinji needs protection from those damned Shinigami who still see us as Hollows, and you can't heal and fight at the same time."

Hachigen nodded in acknowledgment before returning his full concentration to healing. However, in the back of his mind he was afraid of how the day would end. He could tell from Ichigo's reiatsu that he was not in control. Would Aizen be defeated, only for one of their own to a mindless Hollow of mass destruction? Or would Soul Society take the Vizard as a threat and wage war on them? Hachigen didn't want to relive those first few years on the run, always looking over their shoulders and fearing every shadow on the street. _Please, Kurosaki Ichigo, _he prayed, _come back to yourself.

* * *

_

And there we go, that's chapter 21. A quick glimpse at the Vizard at the end and... oh my. Wonderweiss is dead because there were some extra people to help out, leaving more Vizard to take out the strangely resilient non-Espada. That means that he's not gonna go suicide bomber on Yamamoto. Meaning Yamamoto's still got his uber flames of doom mega-trap ready. And there's nothing Aizen can do about it. Heh heh heh heh.._. _Oh, wait. Ichigo's out there. And has no idea. So is Yamamoto gonna take the chance and kill both Aizen and Ichigo, or will he hold out hope?

Also, I've FINALLY unleashed Ichigo's completely berserk Hollow form, the one that killed Ulquiorra in canon. Yes, you heard me right, Ichigo is not in control right now. And this time, his Hollow's purpose is not to protect Inoue. Prepare for mass destruction.

And last but certainly not least, Inoue's most devastating technique, stemming from her healing bubble. I hope I didn't make her sound too OOC here, but this was something that I just had to put in. A time lord versus a reality rejector. Seems like something out of Dr. Who.

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OK, so I've gotten several questions regarding my opinion on why Ichigo didn't end up going full Hollow after losing his Shinigami powers. Here's my explanation.

In canon, Ichigo's powers share the same spiritual body, and they are part of the same being. Tensa Zangetsu and Hollow Ichigo demonstrated this multiple times in the manga, but most effectively when they merged to kick Ichigo's ass into non-whiny-ness.

Because they are the same being, if one half "dies" or disappears, the other does as well. After all, can anyone live with half a heart, or half a brain?

So when Ichigo used the Final Getsuga Tensho and sacrificed Tensa Zangetsu, Hollow Ichigo went as well.

Does this mean that Ichigo is a normal human now? NO! His Chain of Fate is still gone. Urahara made sure of that when Ichigo got his powers back after Rukia was taken by Soul Society.

Throw in how Isshin only just got his powers back recently after close to two decades of being without them. Given that Isshin uses the Getsuga Tensho as well, i think it's a safe bet to say that Isshin used the Final Getsuga and lost his powers "permanently" but thanks to Urahara regained them. I don't see why Ichigo can't do that.

Also, who is the master of the Hogyoku? Ichigo? Or Urahara? To me, it could go both ways. If the former, then Ichigo will get his powers back sooner rather than later.


	22. Second Thoughts

Well, I've got a few things to say here. First off, I received some reviews that I feel I should address...

DBZLover had a few good questions regarding Ichigo's latest change. First off, Ichigo needed to sacrifice his white Tensa Zangetsu because of a few reasons.

1) The white Tensa Zangetsu, as I've called it so far, is actually Cazador de la Luna's Resurreccion powers in a sealed form. You may have noticed that Shinigami Bankai affects the blade the most, while Hollow Resurreccion affects the Hollow's body the most, under normal circumstances. In order of Ichigo to unleash Cazador's Resurreccion powers, he needed to sacrifice the blade and let it reveal its true form on him.

2) I really didn't want to make him so unspeakably, unstoppably badass that I'd have to pull out a Deus ex Machina to let Aizen live for more than 30 seconds.

As for Ichigo's boost that the second Bankai blade gives him... it gets enhanced by being in Resurreccion, actually. The reason for his boost originally was because the second blade was compounding the effects, further compressing Ichigo's reiatsu in his body and making him stronger and faster. His Resurreccion will take that to the next level, as now not only is Ichigo using all his own reiatsu, but ALL of his Cazador de la Luna's as well! More than the Adjuchas mask, which only gives a good chunk, but all of it that Cazador can give. Now take that, compress it, make it stronger and more Hollowified... You get the idea.

Next, in regards to Soifon's Bankai's missile. Yeah, it's an enormous area effect. Her Bankai is like no other, taking all the power of a Bankai, and instead of focusing it into an effect, simply making it explosive and shooting it at someone. Throw in the fact that Soifon normally can't fire more once every few days because it's THAT much of a drain in an instant, despite being taicho-level and presumably having taicho-level reserves... If Ichigo, with twice as much reiatsu as a taicho in canon, can repeatedly unleash enormous Getsugas that cover a quarter of the town, Soifon's Bankai had damn well better be on par with a freaking nuclear missile since all her power is going into one attack. All Bankai can counter all Bankai, if used properly.

I was amused to find that a reviewer called natrion called my last chapter "way too much epic, if such a thing was even possible." So let me salute you and say I've never had that said to me before, but it certainly lifted my spirits at the time and helped me continue the next chapter. Thanks!

Darthphantom, I was astonished but very much pleased at your offer. I must've reread it a hundred times, trying to determine if you were being sarcastic or not, but in either case I don't think I legally could - if I take payment for writing a fanfiction, it is quite simply a copywrite violation. As a poor recovering college student, I can't afford that. Thanks, though, you gave me hope that I could finish writing my book sometime in the near future.

I began writing fanfiction as an exercise to improve my writing style for English class of all things, but thanks to it I've discovered a love of writing, so thanks, Darthphantom! Maybe one day I'll get my book out there.

Next on my news list, I got a PM telling me that my fic had been addressed in a query on whether it should be added to the Bleach fanfiction recommendations on TV Tropes. Now let me tell you that that right there, made my week. While it hasn't been put on - I checked - it was still very gratifying to know.

Now that I've finished with those, I've got some new terms!

Bakudo 63: Sajo Sabaku (Locking Bondage Stripes) - This one is like an advanced form of Bakudo 4: Hainawa, which summoned ropes to entangle arms. Sajo Sabaku summons chains to bind the arms to the sides.

Bakudo 79: Kuyō Shibari (Nine Sunlight Traps) - This one is just scary in its description. It creates black holes. BLACK HOLES! While its true effects aren't described too well, eight black holes are creating around a person, with a ninth in the center of the opponent's chest. I'm not sure what it does, besides the obvious, but I think it might be designed to inflict a gravitational effect on the target's body, as well as taking away the target's ability to use reiatsu to brute-force break the technique by sucking out any reiatsu the target emits.

Hado 91: Senjū Kōten Taihō (Thousand-Hand Bright Heaven Culling-Sear) - Very, very powerful technique, possibly designed to go in conjunction with the oft-used Hado 90: Kurohitsugi. This one summons several explosive spears that attack together towards the target at once. I'd imagine this one's difficult to block even without Bakudo holding someone in place...

* * *

Chapter 22: Second Thoughts

Aizen eyed his opponent critically. "Resurrección? I must applaud you, Kurosaki Ichigo…" But he was cut off when the hybrid was suddenly in front of him, Tensa Zangetsu already mid-swing. He barely managed a block, but was then caught off guard when his shoulder was sliced open.

_What trickery is this? _Leaping back and trying to buy time to figure out just what had just happened, Aizen was completely caught off guard when he felt something impale him through the stomach, right next to the H ōgyoku with enough force to alter his path, taking him into a building. Ichigo's new monstrous form seemed to materialize, one claw-like hand gripping what Aizen now realized was the Vizard's sword, the other quite firmly gripping Aizen's throat. Feeling blood running in small rivulets down from small punctures from where Ichigo's sharpened nails had dug into the soft tissue of his neck, Aizen realized that the word claw was perhaps more accurate than he'd first assumed.

Trying to suppress a rising sense of panic, Aizen swung Kyōka Suigetsu at Ichigo's arm, hoping to buy enough time to get some distance and work out his next move, only to blocked by… Tensa Zangetsu? _What? _Aizen asked in disbelief, blinking once, before he glanced down. It took less than a second to register that Ichigo had brutally ripped his sword out of Aizen in a diagonal fashion so he could block in time. The pain was strangely absent, though… And then it hit him hard, and Aizen couldn't help but choke up blood over Ichigo's claw that held him in place.

_Perhaps I shouldn't have antagonized him, _the Hōgyoku-infused Shinigami realized belatedly, gazing into Ichigo's masked visage, bathed in a red light. _Wait, red? _Aizen's eyes widened as he looked slightly up, where a Cero was quickly forming, swirling between Ichigo's horns. Aimed right at him. For a split second, time seemed to pause just long enough for Aizen to verbalize, "Well, shit."

The Cero that erupted forcefully took Aizen out of Ichigo's grasp, leaving long scratches along his neck where Ichigo's claw had attempted to keep its grip. Sent flying once more into another few buildings that were practically vaporized by Ichigo's Cero upon impact, Aizen could feel the Hōgyoku working as fast as it could to heal the wounds while strengthening his body's defense, and he reinforced that with his own reiatsu.

Breathing heavily as he managed to stop himself, Aizen suddenly realized that he no longer felt any pain, and in fact felt much stronger than before. _Am I in shock? _Knowing he had little time, if any, before Ichigo would chase after him, Aizen let his hand feel out where he grievous wound had been, and felt an extremely smooth surface, like glass but not as rigid. Quickly taking an assessment of the rest of his body, he realized he was covered from head to toe in the substance. Realization hit him, and Aizen smiled behind the apparent cocoon. _The Hōgyoku did this… as I thought, it responds to fear! To protect me against this new Ichigo, it gave me powerful armor, and is currently building its energy for the next transformation should it become necessary… _

Aizen was utterly unsurprised when Ichigo suddenly appeared in front of him with a sonic boom. He confidently brought his blade against Ichigo's, smiling wider behind the substance when the block completely succeeded. "My turn, Ichigo-kun."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ichigo opened his eyes with a start. "Huh? What am I doing here?" he muttered, looking around. He was in his Inner World, and the sky looked very ominous, overcast with several threatening-looking clouds, drizzling lightly. Strangely, Ichigo could see neither of the spirits that usually inhabited his Inner World. "Cazador? Zangetsu? Where are you?"

"**Heya, King."** Ichigo spun around to see Cazador in his Resurrección form with an uncharacteristically serious frown on his face, which gave him a very bad feeling.

"What happened? Why am I in here?" the Vizard asked. "And where's Zangetsu?"

"**I'm not sure what happened, honestly… But I'd bet anything that it has something to do with what you did just a minute ago,"** Cazador replied. **"I couldn't tell ya. After Aizen mentioned he took action against our mother, it was raining too hard for us to see outside too well."**

"I… I think I might have actually gone insane for a bit," Ichigo said slowly, trying to remember everything. It was strangely difficult, perhaps because Ichigo hadn't been fully conscious and aware of what his body was doing. "I fought him at full power, Adjuchas mask, both blades. Then someone shot a missile at Aizen and I, and I escaped with a Garganta. Reappeared, about to kill Aizen, Adjuchas mask broke. The next part I remember easier. I think the shock brought me back to some semblance of sanity. I… called out a release phrase, and your name!" Ichigo exclaimed in surprise. "Next thing I know, I'm here."

Cazador nodded. **"That explains the strange call on my power. You must have used Resurreción… But that doesn't explain why you're here, instead of out there and fighting."**

"I believe that I might be the best one to explain that." 

Both Cazador and Ichigo spun to the side, not recognizing the voice. The new speaker was clothed completely in a black, hooded garment, shielding him from the light rain. "Who are you?" Ichigo demanded. "Zangetsu and Cazador are supposed to be the only ones here in my Inner World!"

"I am not surprised you don't recognize me… this is the first time you've entered your Inner World while in Bankai." 

To Ichigo's shock, the figure drew Tensa Zangetsu and removed his hood, revealing himself to be a young man with long, ragged, wispy black hair that barely reached to his shoulders. "Wait, hold on a minute," Ichigo said aloud with a frown. "If you have that, then… are you Zangetsu?"

"I am not Zangetsu. Ichigo, what is the name of your Bankai?"

Ichigo blinked, rubbing his forehead as he tried not to get a headache. "So you're Tensa Zangetsu? Are you a separate entity from Zangetsu, because if you are my head is getting rather full…"

The Bankai spirit smirked in a way that immediately reminded Cazador of the ones Ichigo himself would give on occasion. "I am essentially the spirit of Zangetsu at his prime and full power, just as your Bankai enables you to be at your strongest, in terms of Shinigami power."

"Well, nice to meet you, I think," Ichigo greeted.

"You think?"

"I get the feeling that since Zangetsu never told me about you, and that you've never spoken to me before when I was in Bankai, you only make yourself known when something terrible is happening or about to happen."

"Not necessarily, but I can understand how you would make that assumption." 

"What do you mean?"

"When you are in Bankai, you are fighting someone that you could not win without it. In such a fight, the most minor of distractions could kill you, so I did not dare alert you to my presence before we had an opportunity to properly speak." 

"**Makes sense, Ichigo," **Cazador admitted.

Ichigo frowned, but nodded. "What about the times that I've been in Bankai here in the Inner World?"

"When should I have spoken? Each time you are here and in Bankai, you are fighting for control of your body. When you won, perhaps? But you called out for my older self, Zangetsu, and I knew that any guidance that I could give, it was unlikely that you would trust."

"**So why is Ichigo here? If he got here through meditation, we'd have known it, and Ichigo himself doesn't know why he's here," **Cazador asked.

"Resurrección," Tensa Zangetsu answered simply. "The combination of Bankai and Resurrección is extremely powerful, perhaps overly so. One of the side effects of being an Adjuchas is the overwhelming hunger, especially when fighting at full power." 

Cazador nodded. **"Right, at least until sufficient Adjuchas have been eaten. That weakness appears when Ichigo uses his Adjuchas mask. Are you saying that Resurrección enhanced that to the point where the King's consciousness was overwhelmed and forced here?" **

"Mostly right," Tensa Zangetsu confirmed. "Ichigo did manage to impart one command that his now-berserk body has registered as more important than feeding. To kill Aizen."

"How do I regain control?"

"Are you sure you want to?" came the surprising response. "By using Resurrección, you've created the ultimate killing machine, whose sole purpose is to end the life of Aizen Sōsuke. Have you not accepted the fact that he must die, in order to safeguard not only your own existence, but that of your friends, of those you protect, of both worlds?"

"It won't mean anything if it doesn't come from my own hand!" Ichigo shouted back angrily.

"Why wouldn't it? Everyone you love would be protected." 

"He killed my mother!" Thunder crashed and lightning lit up the sky, the rain beginning to pick up.

"She was not his only murder," Tensa Zangetsu coldly reminded him, rainwater running down his face. "Do you feel that Hitsugaya Tōshiro does not deserve a chance for vengeance for his friend, Hinamori? Or that the Vizard should not have the opportunity to avenge themselves? Remember what you fight for, Ichigo!" 

Ichigo's hands clenched into tight fists as he locked eyes with his Bankai spirit. He hated how much sense he made. "I fight… to protect." He closed his eyes and recalled the words he spoke to Ishida all those months ago, back when Ichigo had first gained Shinigami powers thanks to Rukia. "I want to protect a whole mountain-load of people." Ichigo took a deep breath and opened his eyes, glad to see a subtle approval in Tensa Zangetsu's eyes. Unbeknownst to him, the rain had stopped as soon as he made his decision, and the thunderclouds were lightening, though not disappearing entirely. "Aizen is a threat that cannot be merely subdued. He's too strong for that, and his ambition will drive him to sacrifice those I protect, and we can't allow that."

"**Damn straight we can't!" **Cazador agreed enthusiastically, a manic grin on his face.

"What will you do, Ichigo?" 

"I want my body back," Ichigo decided with his eyes narrowed. "It may be a killing machine, but it's operating without reason, without the ability to create plans or recognize subtle weaknesses. It may be stronger than Aizen for now, but Aizen isn't stupid. He'll figure out a way to lure it into a trap. Tensa Zangetsu, Cazador de la Luna… Help me!"

"**I could cancel your Resurrección, and you'd get your body back, Ichigo," **Cazador said slowly, **"But you'll be stuck as a Shinigami, no mask, and low on power."**

"Likewise, if I retract my powers, Cazador de la Luna will be thrown into control, but he'd be surrounded by the Gotei 13, who would take him as a threat," Tensa Zangetsu offered. "I dare not to that; all of us would die from a misunderstanding."

"Then I need the ability to retake control of my body as it is!" Ichigo declared. "Tell me how!"

The Bankai spirit's smile was almost as predatory as Cazador's could be at times, and Ichigo unconsciously took a small step back as Tensa Zangetsu brought his blade to bear. "In order for you take back your body at its strongest… you must fully embrace your nature, and demonstrate mastery of both aspects of your powers!" 

"What do you mean, embrace my nature?" the Vizard asked, confused.

Tensa Zangetsu looked at Ichigo once again, Cazador de la Luna standing beside him. "You don't understand, Ichigo, the nature of just what we are," the spirit told him. "Both your Hollow and I are merely parts of you, representations of your power given personality based on your own." 

Ichigo blinked. "Wait, just how does that make any sense? I mean, I know Zangetsu, and now you I suppose, are the source of my powers as a Shinigami…" He shifted his attention to Cazador. "And you're the source of my powers as a Hollow. But your personalities were based off of mine?" Ichigo gave a short derisive laugh. "Yeah, pull the other one. Cazador has always been more bloodthirsty than me, more willing and happy to fight anyone and anything that could pose a challenge!

And Zangetsu! He has always been so cool-headed, so wise, so strong and confident, and he was like a mentor to me! He listened and sympathized with my problems, he always explained things so well when I was confused, he was someone that I looked up to and could trust with anything! He was…" Ichigo fell quieter in realization. "He was what I always pictured as true strength."

Tensa Zangetsu nodded solemnly. "Zangetsu and I are based on your very soul, Ichigo. The characteristics you respected, the ones you held as synonymous with strength. Calm, wisdom, confidence, the ability to lead, intellect, prideful yet tolerant, the willingness to never give up, the desire to use strength for protection of others… Can you see it now, Ichigo?" 

"**Ichigo, I once told you that I am the personality you would have had, if you had turned into a Hollow that day in the Shattered Shaft,"** Cazador spoke up. **"And when we first made that deal, when you were convincing Hat 'n' Clogs to let us fight, you said that Hollows are creatures of instinct. Just what do you think I am? Make the damn connection, you retard! I'm your Inner Hollow! I'm your instinct, all the good and bad parts of it! Everyone has the buried primal instincts of when humans were but savages: the primal push to kill enemies, the need for companionship of all kinds, the fear of death, the aggression to be the greatest, the desire to prove your indomitable might… but strongest of all within you, the instinctual need to protect those you claim as your own, at any cost to yourself." **

Ichigo was speechless for several moments. A realization suddenly ran through his head that he felt compelled to speak, however. "What does this have to do with learning and accepting my nature?"

The Zanpakuto looked rather irritated at the question. "You have not truly accepted the truth, Ichigo. You call yourself Vizard, but you have always felt that the Hollow powers are Cazador's."

_Aaaaaaaand back to confusion. _"Aren't they?"

"Fool!" Tensa Zangetsu roared angrily. "Did we not just say that both he and I are part of you? We are fragments of your very soul! The origin of all your powers, Hollow and Shinigami, lies not with us, but YOU! You, Kurosaki Ichigo, are human, Hollow and Shinigami! And until you can accept that, you will never know true mastery of yourself and your powers!" 

Ichigo froze for a moment before his expression twisted angrily. "I am not a Hollow! Do I look like I have a hole in my chest, or a mask?"

"**But you do have a mask, idiot!" **Cazador reprimanded. **"Don't you remember that day you asked me just what I was?"**

Ichigo swallowed a lump that suddenly appeared in his throat. "Yeah. Zangetsu's my sword, and you're my mask…" He didn't want to accept it. "But I'm not a Hollow! I just have Hollow powers because of what Urahara did!"

"Have you never once thought about why Cazador's powers were so strong, so early? Why he was capable of manifesting your mask without your will to save you in your fights in Soul Society? How he could possess your body against the wielder of Senbonzakura?"

Once again, Ichigo was shocked into silence. "Wait, what are you saying?"

"If you had developed artificial Hollow powers due to Urahara Kisuke, why did it manifest itself as a personality within you?" Tensa Zangetsu pressed on coldly. "How could the power become so strong as to overwhelm you within your Bankai state?" 

"**The answer is simple, King. You've been part Hollow a lot longer than you've been a Shinigami." **

"But that doesn't make sense!" Ichigo cried out in confusion. "I would've known if I were… wait, did you say part Hollow?"

"You were, of course, still alive when it happened, so you would never have known had you lived out your natural life, or undergone a Konsō before becoming a Shinigami," Tensa Zangetsu conceded. "Remind me, Ichigo, how does a Plus soul become a Hollow?"

"Too much time being dead without being purified," Ichigo answered promptly. "The chain of fate will consume itself given enough time, and the soul undergoes Hollowification. Or, the soul could be partially consumed by other Hollows, like Inoue's brother…"

"Correct. Humor me, what will keep a soul from moving on without purification from a Shinigami?" 

Ichigo frowned pensively. Rukia had never really gone into this… "Sorrow, regret, guilt, fear… too many 'heavy' feelings keeping their hearts grounded to the living world."

"And what could cause those?"

"Any number of things, I guess."

"Such as a traumatic event." 

"Yeah, that could do it," Ichigo agreed without thinking. Then his brain caught up, and began making connections. "Wait, you can't mean…!"

"**Yeah," **Cazador confirmed. **"Where did you think your increased willingness to fight and seriously injure those who annoyed you came from?" **

"Hold on, you're saying that everyone who experiences a traumatic event of some kind, or suffers from extreme depression, or anything like that, could be part-Hollow?" Ichigo demanded incredulously. "Then why don't we have more people like Chad?"

"Think, Ichigo! Do not rely on me for all your answers," Tensa Zangetsu replied coolly.

Ichigo wasn't sure he liked the sword spirit, but did as he was told. _What's the difference between normal people and Chad? Wait. Normal. _"… Most people don't have reiatsu?" he half-asked, half-stated.

"And without reiatsu, no abilities can manifest. You, however, had enough reiatsu to be able to see Hollows even from that young age. Did you never wonder where your immense reiatsu came from? It's been building itself for years as you fought, as you interacted with spirits." 

The dots were connecting. Ichigo didn't want them to connect, it would mean that he'd become that which he'd feared and fought against. "So you're saying that all this time, my will to fight has been enhanced by latent Hollow powers that I gained through the enormous psychological trauma from watching my mother die as a kid? And because I kept using them unconsciously, the powers got stronger until I became a Shinigami? And that's why Cazador could materialize the mask repeatedly on different parts of my body to serve as a shield for my vitals when I wasn't experienced enough to defend myself properly? And since they continued being in use, they got strong enough for Cazador to briefly take over during my fight with Byakuya?"

"**By Jove, I think he's got it," **the Hollow spirit mockingly addressed Tensa Zangetsu.

"But I haven't become a Hollow!" Ichigo insisted. "I certainly don't have the desire to consume other spirits!"

"Of course you don't. You may be Hollow, but you are no less human and Shinigami," Tensa Zangetsu replied as if that explained everything. "You only gain that urge and desire when you submerge yourself into the depths of Hollow powers, for all strength comes with a price." 

Ichigo could not help but think, _And what will the price for full control of my powers be? _"So how do we do this? You said I couldn't get my body back until I'd demonstrated 'mastery of both aspects of my powers.'"

"You will fight us together…"

"… **one on one." **

Before Ichigo could demand what they meant by that, the two spirits touched, and began to merge. The Vizard looked at the merging critically, trying to figure out which personality would emerge triumphant over the other. But when the resulting spirit walked out, Ichigo could not help but gasp.

The spirit had Tensa Zangetsu's general appearance, black Bankai sword, and right blue eye, but Cazador had had his own influence on the form as well. The left horn of his Adjuchas Resurrección's mask was atop the spirit's head, directly over the Hollowified left eye, and the spirit's hair was a bleached white. Tensa Zangetsu was garbed in Ichigo's Bankai coat, though the neckline of the coat held Cazador de la Luna's red frill-like tufts of hair.

"Come, Ichigo!" the fusion spirit demanded with Tensa Zangetsu's voice, pointing his blade at Ichigo. "Prove to me and yourself that you are ready to accept everything that you are and may be!" 

Ichigo felt a flash of fear, but promptly smothered it under the weight of his determination. "Fine then! If I have to beat you to get my body back, then…" With his left hand, he pulled on his Gillian mask, and brought out the ivory Tensa Zangetsu he'd won from Cazador de la Luna. _**"… let's go!"

* * *

**_

At that moment, Coyote Starrk coughed some blood on the ground, and the rest of the wolves he'd summoned through his Resurrección faded away. It had been a hard fight, but his sheer speed and ability to manifest dual reiatsu blades had allowed him to counter almost every attack to what were now his vitals according to the game of Irooni – any part of him that was white. Nelliel was just too slow to hit him, so she'd focused on eliminating the wolves that kept trying to distract her two allies. Ukitake had joined her, leaving Shunsui to fight Starrk, each of them dual wielding.

To Starrk's frustration, several times he'd seen Shunsui tense, as though about to do something, but then leap back and put some distance between them. He guessed that Shunsui had been about to perform a critical strike to eliminate him, but had stopped due to Nelliel's pleadings to leave him alive. He almost wished that Shunsui would just kill him – that way Starrk could fulfill his loyalty to Aizen, be purified and go to Soul Society, perhaps even laze around a lot more, hopefully with a few friends. _Everyone would win,_ he figured. _The Shinigami eliminate a powerful Hollow, all the souls I've eaten get to go to Soul Society and move on with their existence, I get what I want, my loyalty to Aizen is fulfilled… what's so wrong with wanting that? _

More than once, Starrk had contemplated simply not blocking or countering Shunsui, to catch him off guard and finally be purified. All of his comrades but Nel were dead or traitors. But his loyalty to Aizen demanded that he give his all to defeat Aizen's enemies, so Starrk fought his hardest, and was able to match Shunsui at his own game.

But that had all changed as soon as the game had, as soon as Shunsui had called out "Kageoni." "You've been holding back that move all this time?"

"Sorry, but I don't control my Shikai… it's only now that she allowed me to use Kageoni." Kyōraku Shunsui finished emerging from the shadows behind the man, holding the right blade of Katen Kyōkotsu inside where Starrk's left lung should be. It was a non-fatal wound, but certainly enough to weaken him to the point where...

With a whack from Nel's spear on the back of the Arracar's head, Starrk fell unconscious, his Resurrección fading quickly. With a pop of displaced air, Lilynette reappeared, also passed out.

"Thank you, Shinigami…" Nelliel whispered quietly, picking them up and laying them on the back of the horse part of her body.

"Wait… before you go, what's your name?" Ukitake asked. "You've given the two of us a lot to think about…"

"My name is Nelliel Tu Odelschwank, former Espada Tres. And yourself?"

The chronically-sick Shinigami smiled warmly at her. "Ukitake Jūshirō, taicho of the 13th Division."

"Kyōraku Shunsui, taicho of the 8th Division." The man inclined his head, also wearing a winning smile.

"I'm glad to have met the two of you… I pray the rest of the Gotei 13 will allow us to live in peace, but I don't have much hope for that…" She looked in the direction of Ichigo's fight with Aizen wistfully. "Ichigo has been so kind… I hope I get to see him again."

"Do you want us to give him a message?" Shunsui offered.

The Arrancar looked surprised. "You'd do that? Thank you!" she exclaimed.

The pair of Shinigami taicho exchanged looks, each wondering what it meant to be an Arrancar. Did gaining Shinigami powers affect a Hollow so much? Was Nelliel an example of the rule, or an exception to it? Did they still feel the need to consume other souls? There was no way to know aside from asking one or experimenting on it, and neither of them wanted to subject Nelliel to Mayuri's not-so-tender mercies. This was no time to ask, either, as there was still a fight to be had.

In the end, there was only one thing to say. "So, what would you like us to tell Ichigo?"

* * *

Ichigo's berserk form warred against Aizen, Tensa Zangetsu clashing against Kyōka Suigetsu over and over at high speed, neither of them giving an inch against each other. Despite having gained his armor and increased power from the Hōgyoku, Aizen was wary against letting Ichigo's blade touch him again. Unfortunately for him, Ichigo had not left him alone long enough for him to set up any traps yet. _That's the trouble of fighting someone who specializes in speed, _Aizen thought, frustrated as he once again brought Kyōka Suigetsu up to face Ichigo's next onslaught of high-speed attacks, twisting and contorting his body to dodge what he could, and blocking the rest. _It's just a matter of time, though. I can feel the Hōgyoku strengthening me… preparing my body for the next evolution. _

Spotting the red glow of a by-now familiar Cero, Aizen frowned. He'd never expected to have so much trouble with a single human teenager, despite having put so much effort into the experiment. "Hado 90: Kurohitsugi!"

Apparently sensing the danger, Ichigo's body vanished away in what Aizen vaguely noted was not Shunpo, but Sonido if the sonic boom was any indicator. The powerful Hado enveloped nothing but air, but it gave Aizen a valuable moment to think of a way, preferably ironic enough for Aizen's tastes, to defeat Ichigo's berserk Bankai/Resurrección blend.

_Berserk…? Hmm… There's an idea. _Aizen began to focus his power into Kyōka Suigetsu as he decided what kind of illusion he needed. _Ichigo-kun's never seen me release my Shikai, so I can't just have him attack someone else… I need to have someone defend me, thinking I'm Ichigo-kun. With any luck, the boy will tear apart any and everything in order to reach me… _He began crafting a simple illusion in his head that Ichigo was coming at him, and that Aizen had moved to the side, resulting in their having switched positions.

But despite his skill and intelligence, all Aizen had truly had was a moment or two before Ichigo was back to continue his fierce assault. He hadn't finished adding in all the necessary convincing details that were necessary to convince the taicho of their legitimacy – the feel of wind movements, sound, even smell if that Komamura was among the watchers – before Aizen's mental picture was shattered by Ichigo actually coming at him with all unbelievable speed of a vengeance-possessed berserker, Tensa Zangetsu engulfed in a Getsuga Tenshō that Aizen was sure was meant to pierce not the heavens, but his own skull.

Thinking quickly and trying to summon a similar enough illusion to use, Aizen attempted the sidestep that he had planned on including in his illusion, simultaneously firing a "Hado 63: Raikōhō!" that yet again was easily dodged by his troublesome opponent. The blast hit another building, which crumbled down around them. _That makes 14 buildings destroyed by us so far, _Aizen noted absently. _Hmm. He never uses Bala like my Espada did… Does he not know it? _

"Bakudo 61: Rikujōkōrō!"

_Wait, what? _Aizen found himself bound by six rods of light stuck in his midsection, preventing him from moving. He cursed aloud, wondering who had done it, and more importantly, how to quickly get out of it before Ichigo…

Too late. Ichigo had reappeared in front of him and taken full advantage of Aizen's binding to give a brutal slash to him, unleashing the Getsuga at point-blank range. However, the results were somewhat surprising.

The Getsuga had come down upon Aizen's collar, where the neck met the shoulders, and had successfully managed to shatter the armor around that area. However, it seemed to have used all its energy doing so, so instead of cleaving him in two it only gave Tensa Zangetsu a chance to give a moderate cut to Aizen's neck, which promptly healed due to the power of the Hōgyoku.

Undeterred, Ichigo's body leapt back, charging a Cero aimed straight for Aizen's head. But before he could finish, someone new Shunpo-ed nearby. "You're welcome for the opening, Ichigo-kun."

"Urahara Kisuke…" Aizen greeted softly. "Welcome to the battle. You were the one who used the Bakudo I assume?"

"Of course," the shopkeeper admitted freely. "It's been a long time, Aizen Sōsuke… And it seems you've gone and fused with the Hōgyoku."

"It is not fusion. I _subjugated_ the Hōgyoku. You've lost your chance to be its master forevermore, Urahara."

Urahara glared at Aizen. "Yes, it's true that I failed to master it in the past… But, that is indeed in the past. Right now, you need to be dealt with. Bakudo 63: Sajo Sabaku!" Aizen was suddenly surrounded by glowing yellow chains that promptly snagged his arms and tightened them to his sides. "Bakudo 79: Kuyō Shibari!" Eight black holes the size of Aizen's head materialized around him in the form of a circle, and suddenly a ninth appeared in Aizen's own chest. "Limit of the thousands hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness. Shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky. The road that basks in light, the wind that ignited the embers, time that gathers when both are together, there is no need to be hesitant, obey my orders."

"Do you really think I'll let you finish that spell?" Aizen asked, his voice not revealing any fear at all as he struggled to break the Bakudo placed upon him. The chains shattered, and the rods of light trapping him in place cracked severely, but Aizen was surprised when he felt claws gripping his hands and pinning them behind his back. Ichigo's sharpened nails were digging painfully into Aizen's wrists, cracking the armor around them.

_Well, shit. _Aizen couldn't believe he'd almost completely forgotten about Ichigo's presence. Somehow, in that berserk state, he'd still recognized Aizen as the greater threat and was instinctively keeping him from being able to stop Urahara's Kido! Worse, Aizen could feel Ichigo charging yet another Cero between his horns, held directly behind Aizen's neck. _This… is going to hurt. _He braced himself with reiatsu, knowing that he'd come out of the coming Kido alive, but unsure how much injury he would take in the process. _I am beginning to think that I didn't think this all the way through… _

"Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower. Aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired!" Urahara cried out triumphantly. "Hado 91: Senjū Kōten Taihō!"

Several large spears of light materialized around Urahara before shooting forwards towards the bound Aizen. Struggling to free himself from Ichigo's vice-like grip and the Rikujōkōrō, if only to keep him there and hit by the same Kido, Aizen closed his eyes to shield them as he felt the spears hit and explode violently.

At the same moment, Ichigo unleashed the Cero blast in tandem with the explosion, firing at point-blank range! The combined shockwave ripped Ichigo away from Aizen, sending him flying, but Ichigo's body swiftly recovered and appeared on the opposite side of Aizen from him, waiting for the man to emerge from the smoke.

Urahara smiled grimly as he saw the burns and tears along Ichigo's body from the impact of the spears heal quickly. _High-speed regeneration is truly an incredible thing. I've been lucky that Ichigo is focusing on Aizen, rather than random destruction of everything… what's different than before? _"You've gotten too careless since you acquired those powers," he taunted. "You never would have let me hit you before!"

"You're right." Urahara whirled, hearing Aizen's voice directly behind him, but he knew he was too slow to react in time as Aizen slashed at his shoulder with his bare hand. In the barest of moments, he was able to observe Aizen's physical state. Aizen appeared largely unharmed from the Kido, which Urahara had expected, though his armor was cracked in a couple of places. Where Ichigo had previously shattered the armor, however, was bleeding slightly, though there was evidence that it had been bleeding far more seriously a few seconds ago, if the bloodstained armor in the surrounding area was anything to go by. Urahara couldn't tell what, if any, effect Ichigo's Cero had had on him as Aizen's back was not visible from his angle. _The Hōgyoku must have healed him… _

With a mild sonic boom of Sonido, Ichigo appeared between them, Tensa Zangetsu wreathed in the black reiatsu of a Getsuga as it moved to slice Aizen's hand off. To both Urahara's and Aizen's surprise, it succeeded! Taking full advantage of the opportunity, Urahara leapt forward and tapped both of Aizen's wrists before Shunpo-ing backwards.

Aizen leapt back, clutching his stump of a wrist in pain as he looked at Ichigo in shock. _How can he counter the Hōgyoku like this? How can he be able to inflict this much damage on me after I've gained this much power, when his body is acting and reacting purely on instinct? _Just then, both arms wringed themselves to behind his back, yellow spiritual energy cuffs keeping them together. His eyes widened as he felt a vague burning sensation within him. "What?"

"It's a seal," Urahara explained, turning away and tipping his hat downward over his face. "It blocks off the reiatsu vents located in the wrists of all Shinigami. Thanks to Ichigo, they were nice and exposed for my seal. You'll be incinerated by your own reiatsu, from the inside out. Goodbye, Aizen Sōsuke."

And as if his farewell was the trigger, Aizen was enveloped in a pillar of light that reached for the sky.

* * *

And there's another chapter done. This one fought me a little, but I'm glad I could get it out.

Now, Isshin was SUPPOSED to make an appearance this chapter, but there was too much going on... Isshin is around though, and he's the reason why none of the other Shinigami have done anything yet to help or hinder Ichigo. I'll go into details next chapter.

Anyway, Ichigo ended up not being as badass as I would've liked in this chapter. He was still an unstoppable force, a serious threat to Aizen, but when I really thought about it, what did Ichigo's berserk form do in canon? It paused after tearing off Ulquiorra's arm. It fought Ulquiorra, broke his ultimate attack in one hand, and then cut him down before using Cero on him and mostly obliterating him.

Here, because he's focused completely on Aizen's death, Ichigo hasn't done anything to Urahara simply because Urahara hasn't hindered him. But, all in all, only a few minutes have passed since Ichigo used Resurreccion in this chapter, so it'll get better.

Yep, Starrk's done for now. I really couldn't write that out much more than I did here... I really wanted to get Starrk's thoughts and opinions in there, how he came across to me. But luckily enough, he wrote himself out to survive with Nelliel. The pair of them will be retreating to Hueco Mundo for the time being, but their part in this story has not ended...

Now for the spoilers.

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I'm a bit frustrated at canon at the moment. What the hell, Ichigo? You spent all that time as a Shinigami, you spent YEARS able to see spirits, and you don't check in on your little sister, who's picked up where you left off?

And why haven't you checked in on your Shinigami friends? Renji, Rukia at the very least! I'm sure Urahara would be happy to give you updates!

Furthermore, you sacrificed your time, sweat and blood to be able to protect your friends and family from harm! What good are you now, without any reiatsu? Why are you continuing to lie to yourself, that you're happy not being able to see ghosts anymore? You're useless now if any Hollows come around, and let's face it, there are still plenty of spiritually aware people nearby that are going to attract them! Ishida can't be in every place at once!

And what about your dad? Did you ever get the full story out of him as to who he really is, why he's a Shinigami? It's been a YEAR!

ARGH! Inoue, why haven't you even TRIED to reject Ichigo's loss of powers? You're practically a goddess of rejection here! You could reject mortal injuries! You rejected death itself when Ulquiorra killed him! Why can't you reject his having used the Final Getsuga Tensho?

Also, what about Chad? Where is he? What's he been up to? He's your best friend, Ichigo! Why didn't you see him in school that day? You saw freaking KEIGO!

The only decent thing about the latest developments in canon is that Ishida is beginning to detect reiatsu within Ichigo. That damn well better mean he's getting his power back, even if it means that he's not a transcendent anymore (Transcendent being the term that was used to describe how Ichigo had transcended the dimensions of Shinigami and Hollow when his reiatsu could no longer be detected by those "lower" than him unless he chose for it to be.


	23. Fear

OK, I know this is far faster than I normally post, so don't expect it often, but this one practically wrote itself. I only had a few frustrating parts. I understand however that this is a somewhat shorter chapter though...

Anyway, first up is a clarification of something that happened last chapter. Ichigo failed to cut off Aizen's head, but succeeded on his hand. There's a reason for the apparent discrepancy.

Against Aizen's head, Ichigo released the Getsuga right on Aizen's armored neck, expelling all its energy in obliterating the armor and allowing the non-enhanced Tensa Zangetsu to leave a slash which failed to kill Aizen.

On Aizen's hand, Ichigo did not release the Getsuga. He kept it in his sword, so the energy was not expelled but sharpened Tensa Zangetsu's cutting power. This allowed him to cut off the hand without issue.

Another thing I got corrected on a few times was the whole reiatsu thing that I interpreted as being Ichigo's in canon. Popular opinion is that it's the Shinigami badge that had it. I'm withholding judgment for the time being, but I suspect it's something else...

More than once I've been criticized on following canon too closely instead of making other changes. The idea behind my fic is the cascading changes behind one small event, so some things will be different, some will remain the same. However, that doesn't mean that I haven't thought about some of those ideas...

Seriyuu - The fight ain't over yet, so don't worry about anticlimactic endings. The thing is, I plan on showcasing every one of the trump cards shown in the manga, and that was one of Urahara's.

And to all the people who read this all night instead of sleeping - while I'm honored and very pleased that my fic is that hard to put down, please do get some sleep.

New term!

Los Nueve Aspectos (The Nine Aspects) - this is one of Tosen's attacks while he's in Resurreccion. I believe it's based on the nine rings that emerge to form his Bankai normally. Anyway, Tosen draws rings of green reiatsu in the air, which converge and give a continuous concussive blast of sound at the opponent. It's strong enough to cave in Komamura's Bankai's chest.

Chapter 23: Fear

Yamamoto watched with his eyes opened as the traitorous Aizen Sōsuke fought against the increasingly frighteningly powerful Kurosaki Ichigo. He was carefully watching his surroundings, analyzing the area constantly for any missing minute details… the leaves on trees being identical, for instance, or perhaps a road down below missing a few cracks.

_It seems Shunsui and Jūshiro are done playing with their opponent… _he noticed. _Now… wait, why isn't their opponent dead? I can feel his reiatsu still, but it's dropped to the point of unconsciousness. Why haven't they finished him off? Perhaps the woman who was fighting alongside them has betrayed them? _Yamamoto took a moment to deliberate on whether he should send someone to check on the situation, before he decided it was not worth it. _The two of them are very strong, and not unintelligent. They will be fine. _

Speaking of betrayals, Yamamoto reached out his senses for one of his most loyal, if relatively new, taicho - Komamura. The canine-like Shinigami was greatly weakened, but so was his opponent, the blind Tōsen Kaname. Recognizing Hisagi's strong reiatsu near, if not in, the fight, Yamamoto believed that their situation would be resolved in the Gotei 13's favor as well.

Only Aizen and Gin were left, then. Yamamoto-soutaicho's face darkened as he considered the two of them. At the moment, Gin seemed perfectly satisfied to watch Aizen just as the Gotei 13 was. _Does he believe Aizen will triumph? _Yamamoto's hand twitched, the cane holding his Zanpakuto blackening a little as it was singed by his fiery reiatsu.

"Relax, soutaicho. Ichigo's doing fine." a voice said from next to him. The person this voice belonged to was the reason why Yamamoto hadn't evacuated all the Shinigami from the area as soon as Aizen had evolved, and unleashed his last resort.

**Flashback**

_Aizen had just been blasted away by Ichigo's first Cero, and Yamamoto was about to give the orders for all the available taicho to team up against Aizen and take him out, before a very surprising figure appeared before him. _

"_I wouldn't do that if I were you, Yamamoto-soutaicho." _

"… _Isshin," Yamamoto recognized. "Why are you here?" _

_Dressed in the traditional robes of a Shinigami, with a captain's vest wrapped around his left sleeve, Ichigo's father chuckled. "Why do you think I'm here? I'm here to help my son, as any good father should do." _

"_And why shouldn't I send my forces down to slay Aizen where he stands right now? Kurosaki Ichigo has weakened him."_

"_Look again." _

_Yamamoto did so, and to his consternation, it seemed Aizen had fused further with the Hōgyoku, gaining new strength and making it much more difficult to hurt him. The connotations made sense immediately – the fight just became that much harder, as a few of the taicho would now be useless. Soifon's Bankai, while strong, had failed to kill Aizen before and she had weakened in firing the first shot. Komamura, when he arrived, would be fatigued and his Bankai would not pierce the new shell. Hitsugaya was very powerful, but young and his powers were still maturing – it was unlikely he would have much effect either. _

_As Shunsui and Jūshiro were occupied elsewhere, that only left Yamamoto himself. Since he was still susceptible to Aizen's hypnosis, he'd prepared a failsafe in the fake Karakura Town prior to Aizen's arrival, his ultimate deathtrap of fire, Ennetsu Jigoku. With its power, anything within the flames would be destroyed… even Yamamoto himself, and he would need to stay in order to ensure that Aizen could not escape. Yamamoto had almost cracked a smile when he realized it would also utterly destroy the remaining Arrancar in the area, sparing Soul Society another threat. _

_Once again, he opened his mouth to give a retreat order to his troops – Soul Society would need to remain strong after he was gone, and Yamamoto would be damned if everything he'd worked for fell away after his death – but Isshin interrupted him again. "Let Ichigo handle Aizen." _

"_Do you honestly think he, a human who gained his powers so recently, can defeat a highly skilled Shinigami who has practiced for centuries?"_

"_He's done it before, hasn't he?" Isshin quipped with a grin. "Two words: Kuchiki. Byakuya." _

**End Flashback**

"Do not presume to give me orders, Kurosaki Isshin."

"Wouldn't dream of it. But you have to agree, Ichigo's doing quite well against Aizen."

"If by 'quite well,' you mean that your son has fallen into his Hollow powers and has become a monster that may or may not be worse than Aizen himself, then I agree."

Isshin pouted a little. "You're so mean!"

Isshin's antics tempted the nearby Hitsugaya into staring incredulously at him instead of dutifully watching the fight. _… If this is the influence Kurosaki's had growing up, I think I may need to congratulate him for turning out as well as he did, _he decided, before turning back just in time to see Urahara turn up and complete a textbook-perfect combination of three high-level Bakudo and an impressive level 91 Hado, with Ichigo helping hold Aizen in place before blasting him with a Cero of his own. _Note to self: never, ever piss off Urahara Kisuke. Or Kurosaki Ichigo for that matter. _

True to form, the younger Kurosaki male had utterly impressed the stoic Hitsugaya Tōshiro. Gazing at the horrifying visage of Kurosaki's Resurrección mask, crooked horns aimed forward, combined with the sheer weight of his reiatsu, which had once again jumped to absurd levels… Hitsugaya shook his head. He'd been forced, along with whoever else could breathe in such dense reiatsu, to evacuate those who were in danger of dying simply from Ichigo's full presence to the Urahara shop, which was shielded enough to allow them to recover. As it was, Kira-fukutaicho, Omaeda-fukutaicho, and even his own Matsumoto had been overwhelmed. To Hitsugaya's mild embarrassment, the unseated officer Kuchiki Rukia had been perfectly able to breathe, though she was understandably terrified.

She and Inoue Orihime were watching from a distance as well, though judging by their expressions, Hitsugaya wasn't sure if that was a good thing. With every second that passed, he could tell that their fear was growing, though Inoue seemed to be handling it better. _With good reason, _Hitsugaya reminded himself. _She just destroyed a veritable god of time. _

Rukia, however, had never witnessed just how unbelievably destructive, how undeniably Hollow, how inspiring of absolute terror Kurosaki Ichigo could be. She had never crossed blades and experienced that precious glimpse into Ichigo's soul from the impact, had never seen Ichigo even pull off his mask and reassure her that he had been in complete control. Even if she had, Rukia wasn't sure that she would have been able to remain calm in the face of Ichigo's Resurrección. _Is this why it's forbidden to give humans Shinigami powers? What have I done? _

"Are you scared?" came a quiet voice. Rukia whirled, surprised by the unexpected presence, to see four of the Vizard she'd witnessed come to help earlier. "You should be," the one with white hair continued grimly. "We are Vizard, and there are times that we scare ourselves."

"Although we've never taken our Hollow powers to that level, Kensei…"

"No… we did not trust our Inner Hollows enough, Love." Kensei cast his gaze at Ichigo's new form, his face stern, his voice almost reminiscing in its quality. "In a matter of months, he has mastered his Hollow powers further than we have in a century. It makes me wonder what we could have done had we truly tried to do more than just ensure our sanity…"

"So Ichigo is still in there?" Rukia could not help but ask.

"Yep! Berry-tan's still in there!" the unexpectedly chipper, green-haired girl confirmed happily.

"Don't bother, Mashiro. The Shinigami have never understood," Kensei stated darkly, turning away.

"What do you mean?" Rukia asked, confused, but it was not Kensei who answered, but Love.

"The Gotei 13 ordered our execution after we gained Hollow powers accidentally, believing that we truly became Hollows rather than gaining a dangerous power that we needed to master to keep from hurting everyone around us," Love explained. "Secure in their belief that they were right, they didn't bother to check it before they started teaching their ideas of what happened, so no one would question their order. What they don't understand is that we are, by our very nature, predominantly Shinigami ourselves. It's our default state, the form we return to when we're completely exhausted. Urahara stabilized us after Aizen infected us with Hollow powers, and gave us the ability to fight for our sanity and win."

That relieved Rukia far more than she cared to admit. "So, as soon as this battle's over, Ichigo will be able to pull off his mask and return to normal?"

"We don't know," the last of the Vizard admitted. "None of us have ever achieved Resurrección."

"Rose!" Love rebuked, seeing Rukia's fears rise again. "If he has trouble, all we have to do is break the mask and he'll return to normal, no problem. Just like a normal Hollow, if you break the mask, you break the power."

"Don't worry, Rukia," Inoue murmured, catching all their attention despite her soft voice. "Kurosaki-kun will be fine. Those Arrancar, they were able to turn off their Resurrección, right? So Ichigo should too, and then he'll be able to take off his mask as usual."

Rukia managed a tiny, reassured smile as she resumed watching her human-turned-Vizard friend beat the crap out of Aizen.

* * *

Soifon was watching as well, but her training was failing her. _I need to be looking for an opening… But even if I did, can I even do anything? _

Her mind flashed to when she'd used her Bankai, Jakuhō Raikōben. The blast had been beautiful in a sense, spectacular and so full of fierce hope that it would finish Aizen off. _But it had failed… it injured him badly, but did not kill him. It provided the perfect opening for Kurosaki, but his forbidden power failed him at the last moment. Any experienced Shinigami could have predicted that result – forbidden powers are full of drawbacks. _

"_I swear I will come at you with all my power!" _

Against her will, Soifon's gaze shifted to the horned Hollow mask of Kurosaki's Resurrección as it fought toe to toe against Aizen. She'd thought that Kurosaki in his mask had been intimidating and far too Hollow for any Shinigami to be… Now Soifon knew that she'd been wrong. _This, this culmination of Shinigami and Hollow, this monstrosity… this is Kurosaki Ichigo. Surely everyone now can see why he has to die! _

"_If you ever come after me or my friends, you will need Yamamoto Genryūsai himself at your side to save you, because I swear I will come at you with all of my power!"_

Soifon could not repress a shiver. After seeing this display of raw power, after hearing Kurosaki defiantly call upon his inner demon by name, she knew that if he ever decided to back up his words, Soul Society would be in flames by the end of the day. She was starting to doubt if even Yamamoto-soutaicho could stop him before Kurosaki could kill her. _But that's why we need to kill him! He's a threat to Soul Society!_

"_If you ever come after me or my friends, you will need Yamamoto Genryūsai himself at your side to save you, because I swear I will come at you with all of my power!"_

Soifon resisted the urge to clutch her head in her hands – largely because Suzumebachi was still released and it was likely she'd accidentally hurt herself. She had to admit it, if only to herself. She was scared. She was terrified because Kurosaki Ichigo had evolved in a way that was beyond her comprehension, because Kurosaki had proved himself ready and able to wage a war against Soul Society the likes of which would destroy almost everything, in maybe all the worlds.

"_If you ever come after me or my friends, you will need Yamamoto Genryūsai himself at your side to save you, because I swear I will come at you with all of my power!"_

Soifon was trained as an assassin from a young age in service to the Shihoin family. She was now the Head of the Onimitsukido, and taicho of Squad 2 in the Gotei 13. She knew how to recognize when one's mind was entering a cycle that would leave her unresponsive until broken out of. She'd even fallen into it before, when Yoruichi-sama had abandoned her a century ago. The fierce, heart-felt threat that Kurosaki had given her…

"_If you ever come after me or my friends, you will need Yamamoto Genryūsai himself at your side to save you, because I swear I will come at you with all of my power!"_

… was overwhelming her with fear. Soifon knew, just as powerfully as she knew her Zanpakuto's name, that she'd be seeing Kurosaki Ichigo's Resurrección in her nightmares. But just as she was starting to get a grip and quiet her instincts, which were screaming and begging to run, Soifon's eyes locked with the soulless eye sockets in Kurosaki's mask. The eye contact only lasted for a moment, less than a second, but time seemed to slow and Soifon felt as though she were gazing into an endless darkness.

"…_**I swear I will come at you with all of my power!"**_

Soifon heard it in her head so clearly that time that she felt her heart stop for what felt like an eternity, but what was probably only a second. Suddenly, she was in a thick fog, thick enough that Soifon couldn't see anything more than a dozen meters away, and while that rang warning bells in her head, she couldn't seem to think clearly enough to figure out why. Turning around, she found herself within arm's length of Kurosaki's Resurrección, which scared her to the point of screaming. Or she would have, but the enormity of Kurosaki's reiatsu weighed too heavily on her to make a sound. She could barely breathe, let alone move, and her fear just kept rising. Then she saw the mask's mouth begin to open.

"**I warned you."**

Miraculously, the rush of adrenaline that accompanied those words let her spin around to move into a Shunpo, running away, but she froze in horror as another Kurosaki Ichigo seemed to appear. She looked over her shoulder, but the first one was still there, and now both were walking towards her with their blades bared. She Shunpo-ed in a different direction, but then a third walked out of the fog. More and more of them made their way out…. She was surrounded!

Each of the Kurosakis moved towards them, slowly, predatorily, Zanpakuto drawn. Harsh, Hollowified whispers reached her keen ears, and Soifon struggled not to succumb to her own fear as she heard them, growing steadily louder every second.

"**I gained this Bankai to trample on Soul Society's pride…"**

"**I swear…"**

"**Bankai. Tensa Zangetsu."**

"…**I will come at you…!"**

"**Angel or demon, those titles mean nothing to me…"**

"…**with all my power!"**

"**Blacken the night, Cazador de la Luna!"**

As her stark terror reached new heights, Soifon's heart thundered in her ears and all else fell silent. One of Kurosakis stepped in front of the others. "**Soifon, taicho of Squad 2 of the Gotei 13. I am coming for you." **

"Stay away from me!" Soifon Shunpo-ed straight upwards, the only direction she hadn't tried yet, but when she broke through the top of the fog, Kurosaki was right there, a Cero in his horns, a Getsuga in his Zanpakuto, his mouth wide open as if preparing to consume her.

"**I swear I will come at you with all of my power!"**

In reality, Soifon's body stiffened, eyes glazed, as her mind locked up in a terrifying illusion as strong as any Aizen could devise within her own psyche.

* * *

Komamura glared up from his prone position on the ground, at the monstrous insect Resurrección form of his former best friend, Tōsen Kaname. His Bankai's chest had been crushed from the impact of Tōsen's newest Hollow technique, Los Nueve Aspectos. Of course, through the link to Komamura's own body, so too was Komamura's ribs broken in several places. Tōsen had grown incredibly strong, but if Komamura was seeing correctly – more than once he'd gotten a little blood in his left eye from the fight – something was about to make a difference in the battle.

"Pathetic," Hisagi's voice judged harshly, plunging his sealed sword into Tōsen's exposed neck from above. "Sight has made you blind, Tōsen. Before, you would have seen that coming and countered it without even trying. You are no longer my taicho. Reap, Kazeshini."

And with a sharp sound of a scythe cutting the air, Hisagi's blade shifted into its Shikai form within Tōsen's throat. Judging from the sharply dropping reiatsu in the air, Komamura knew the fight was over; Tōsen had been disabled in a spectacular fashion.

A moment later, Hisagi Shunpo-ed by his side. "I cut his spinal cord in three places. He should be unable to move."

But Komamura had a moment of doubt – Tōsen had regenerated his arm in the darkness of his Bankai, presumably thanks to his new Hollow powers. _What are the limits of his regeneration? Is he really done? _Leaning heavily on Hisagi for support, Komamura made his way to his old friend, who had by then released his Resurrección, and dispelled his mask. Tōsen was back in his Shinigami form, apparently uninjured if not for the fact that he wasn't moving and was face-down on the ground.

"Komamura…"

The anthropomorphic canine was unsurprised to hear his old friend's voice. While Hisagi turned over his old taicho, he spoke to his traitorous friend in the hopes of regaining his best friend. "Tōsen. Try to not speak too much, your throat was damaged. Since you're breathing, I presume you've regenerated enough to do so, but don't damage yourself further trying to speak just yet."

Tōsen remained silent, but turned his eyes towards his best friend.

"You said it was destined for us to cross blades… I knew that as well," Komamura admitted. "I'm sure Hisagi felt the same. But I do not want any of us to die today." Tōsen looked about to say something, so Komamura quickly continued. "I don't expect you to stop being angry, nor will I tell you to stop hating. You have that right. All that I ask is that you don't let revenge consume you, my friend. I do not want to lose you, like you lost your friend so long ago. To lose you, would break my heart, Tōsen."

Tōsen's face softened, an unexpected tear trailing down his face. "Thank you… Komamura. Hisagi… please, come closer. I don't have my mask on, but the Hollow powers remaining inside me allow me to see for just a bit longer, and I want to remember your face."

Hisagi silently did as was beckoned, standing beside Komamura-taicho and gazing into Tōsen's eyes.

After several moments, Tōsen let out a small smile of gratitude. "Thank you…" With that, his eyes fluttered closed, and his breathing slowed as the hybrid loosed his grip on consciousness.

Komamura turned his head slightly at Hisagi. "I don't believe I need to tell you what to do now, do I?"

Hisagi smirked in response. "No, Komamura-taicho." He knelt and scooped Tōsen onto his shoulder before flickering into Shunpo.

Despite the no-doubt pressing need for assistance against Aizen, Komamura took a moment to smile. He and Hisagi had succeeded in bringing their friend back from within the unrecognizable revenge-driven man that Tōsen had become. _It's strange, but I may need to thank Aizen for killing the Central 46. Their views would have demanded Tōsen be killed, but perhaps I can convince Yamamoto-soutaicho to be lenient… _

With that hope in mind, Komamura Shunpo-ed away to join the mass of taicho, hoping to be able to help in some fashion.

* * *

There were not many things that could leave Ukitake Jūshiro speechless. Watching Kurosaki Ichigo, in a completely Hollow form but still retaining his rather memorable Bankai, work together with Urahara to systematically demolish Aizen was something he was not quite prepared to see, however. He'd seen Ichigo pull on his mask earlier, but that mask was definitely NOT the same as what was on Ichigo's face now. The implication that now Ichigo had TWO sets of Hollow powers, or that his original set had undergone an extreme evolution, potentially mid-battle, was simultaneously frightening and humbling to contemplate. _Ichigo's growth rate is, no other way to put it, outrageous. It shouldn't even be possible, but in a year's time he's grown from a simple human with high spiritual awareness to this? _It was like the man was born for battle.

"So… why aren't we doing anything?" Kyōraku asked his best friend with a nudge.

"Do _you_ want to try to interrupt Ichigo's fight with Aizen right now?" Ukitake replied back instantly, not moving his eyes from the battle.

The oft-drinking taicho took another look at the fighters before shaking his head in a negative fashion. "What happened to the kid anyway?"

"He called on his forbidden Hollow powers," Yamamoto intoned, his eyes opened slightly from the slits he usually kept them at. "He unleashed a Resurrección, and has not spoken since. His reiatsu and movements indicate that he is not in control any longer."

"But he's still only going after Aizen, even when the easier target Urahara is there?" Kyōraku whistled lowly at that. "Damn… He's a pretty interesting kid, don't ya think, Jūshiro?"

"Very."

"Of course he is! He's my son!" Isshin jumped in.

"Just what is he?"

"Ah, Komamura-taicho!" Kyōraku greeted. "I see you –"

"A nightmare."

There was silence for a moment as everyone turned to Soifon, who was still watching Kurosaki's fight with Aizen like her life depended on it. With a flash of guilt and self-reproach, Ukitake realized that she was not far off the mark – she was a relatively new taicho, being in the position for less than a century. Truth be told, Soifon was not an exceptionally strong taicho when it came to fights such as this – she was an assassin at heart. She sought ways to finish the fight quickly, always improving her speed rather than strength, as her Shikai allowed her to end anyone's life with two strikes. If Ichigo, who was far more suited for drawn-out wars at full strength, failed, then Soifon would have to rely on himself, Shunsui and Yamamoto, who had all been exposed to Aizen's Shikai. Nothing could be guaranteed then.

Of course, Soifon, being the perfect assassin, was waiting for an opportunity to stick her blade into Aizen's back. Ukitake smiled grimly – if there was nothing else he could count on, he could count on Soifon to remain as cool-headed and focused on the goal as Shunsui was casual and joking. "A nightmare?"

"Wait, I get it," Kyōraku spoke up. "I see what she means."

"Well?" Hitsugaya asked after a moment of silence.

"A human is never supposed to be given Shinigami powers, right?" Kyōraku pointed out. "Because the living aren't supposed to have the powers of the dead. And it's forbidden for a Shinigami to gain Hollow powers. Not only that, but he's advanced very high on the tier in both Shinigami and Hollow powers, with Bankai and Resurrección. All that power in the hands of a living human with no affiliation to any government. Can you see how hard it would be to defeat him if he ever decided we were his enemies?"

"We would win," Yamamoto declared, his voice low, "but it would likely result in high casualties."

"It won't happen unless you're all very stupid." Several pairs of eyes turned to Isshin, who had made that bold statement without hesitation. "Ichigo has friends in Soul Society all over the Gotei 13. Friends like Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji. And if there is anything that you should know by now about Kurosaki Ichigo, it's that he will defy any and everything to protect his friends. Why else would he come after Kuchiki Rukia? Now stop thinking the worst of my son and watch him win!"

"So he is not a nightmare of heaven, but of hell. Kurosaki Ichigo, Hell's Nightmare," Kyōraku dubbed him jokingly, but no one was laughing. Instead, they were all watching – Aizen had just been enveloped in a column of reiatsu.

Ichigo's Resurrección's grip on Tensa Zangetsu tightened as the pillar of light faded. Spotting this, Urahara smiled sadly, knowing that the fight was not yet over. "Yeah, it'd be too much to hope for Aizen to be finished off from just that. Then he'd just be a regular monster."

The light faded entirely, and Aizen emerged in a new, but somewhat familiar form. He appeared much as he had before the Hōgyoku had transformed him, but now he had long, sleek hair that reached down his back, and his uniform had apparently regenerated with some minor changes as to where the slits in the clothes were. Intriguingly, Aizen's eyes had also changed, now being grey with purple sclera. It reminded Urahara forcefully of Ichigo's own eyes when he donned his mask – amber with black sclera. While Ichigo took on the eyes of his Inner Hollow, a part of Urahara wondered where the grey and purple had come from. If the Hōgyoku was responsible as he suspected, was there an entity within it that Aizen was now calling on?

"That was a very good attempt," Aizen congratulated. "If it were anyone else, this fight would be all over in your favor. Or rather, had I not implanted the Hōgyoku into myself, then I would probably be dead, or powerless as my own reiatsu burned all my power away. But as it is, the Hōgyoku is beyond your understanding."

"Perhaps," Urahara conceded. "But even if it is, that doesn't stop one thing from being true."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"You've got an enraged Vizard at his strongest right behind you."

Aizen merely smiled as Ichigo's berserk body once more threw his head back to scream his challenge to the heavens. "So I do. Come, Kurosaki Ichigo. Let's see how you do now that you've helped me evolve to this state."

* * *

Still watching from afar, Yamamoto's cane burned away, revealing his Zanpakuto. "Evacuate the area."

Isshin Shunpo-ed right in front of him, pleading. "You can't mean…! He hasn't lost yet!"

"Do you mean me to delay long enough for my trap to be ineffective?" Yamamoto replied coldly.

"But my son…!"

"He may still survive. I will not hinder his leaving the vicinity," the soutaicho promised. "But I will not wait any longer." He vanished into Shunpo, and the rest of the taicho watched Isshin's face turn cold and hard with determination until he too flickered away. Hitsugaya felt a chill run down his spine when he recognized the look – he had recently seen that look on Ichigo's own face, and he knew that the situation was about to get far more dangerous in the immediate area.

"Let's get everyone out of here," Kyōraku commanded, his voice and face devoid of their usual joviality. "Hitsugaya, you evacuate Matsumoto, Renji, Rukia, Chad and Inoue. Soifon, get Omaeda, Kira, Ikkaku and Yumichika, then check if anyone is at the Urahara shop and evacuate them too. Komamura, alert the Vizard and then fetch Hisagi – they aided us in this battle, so the least we can do is warn them. Bring everyone to a point five miles north of Karakura. Jūshiro and I will alert the Arrancar that defected from Aizen before doing a sweep of the area. Does everyone understand their orders? Go!"

All of them disappeared a moment later.

* * *

And that's the end of that chapter. Things are about to get very, very serious.

If any of you are wondering why Soifon is now somewhat responsive, it's because Kyoraku was serious. That happens very, very rarely. It's shocking enough to break her out of her catatonia.

Now, I know that people will be wondering just what the hell changed to let Tosen live. There are two prominent theories out there concerning Tosen's canon explosion since we don't have a "Word of God" messages.

Theory number 1: Aizen did it. Somehow. Specialized theories involve clever use of illusions and/or high speed and/or Kido.

Theory number 2: Tosen's body exploded due to his Resurreccion in some fashion. Popular opinion is that his body couldn't handle the Hollow powers, or that his Inner Hollow decided to implode them both in their moment of weakness rather than forever serve.

I determined what theory I was going to follow through the use of clever logic. Vizards exist, and have gone full Hollow form before - they had to in order to master their mask. Some of the Vizards were fukutaicho, and supposedly weaker than Tosen. If Tosen's body couldn't handle it, then some of the Vizards should have died. They didn't, so Tosen's body COULD handle it, and therefore that theory is disproven.

"But wait, the Vizards haven't used Resurreccion!" Ichigo has, and he hasn't exploded. I'm interpreting his newest canon full Hollow form (kicking Ulquiorra's ass) form as his Resurreccion.

Since Theory 2 is disproven - though I won't throw out the possibility of Kubo saying that is what happened just to screw with us - all I have left is Theory 1: Aizen did it. Now, since in my fic Aizen is more than a little busy trying to keep from being Getsuga-ed or Cero-ed or quite simply stabbed to death, he never had the opportunity to kill Tosen. So he'll live.

Anyway, now to canon rants!

S

P

O

I

L

E

R

S

P

A

C

E

... what the hell? Ichigo, you didn't know that your sister was visiting the Urahara shop? And when something's wrong, you actually act like a normal big brother? THAT'S how Yuzu knows there's something terribly wrong? Just how fucked up is that?

Ishida losing his arm is beginning to become a recurring event. I really couldn't say I was surprised when I saw that. What I was surprised about, however, was that he failed to escape and use his medicine like when he did against Ulquiorra. Or that no one - Chad, Inoue, someone - noticed that Ishida's reiatsu was flaring and in combat, or that it's falling very quickly now.

I'm still trying to figure out why Ichigo's showing signs of memory modification in some areas, but not in others. He dreamed of OUTLINES of Renji and Rukia? That screams to me that their memories had been erased. But he remembers Rukia enough to wonder why she hasn't stopped by? I'm somewhat confused.

Also... WHERE IS CHAD?

Not much else is new going on, so I'll leave it here for tonight.

Until next time,

NeoRyu777


	24. Inferno

Wow, my muse is REALLY getting her act together. This chapter pretty much flowed out of me over a matter of days, rather than the weeks I usually take.

First up, replies to reviews.

Fiori75 had an excellent question regarding Tosen and his ability to control his Resurreccion. "Why could he do it when Ichigo can't?" I felt it was a good enough question to answer here rather than directly. Tosen was in full control of his Resurreccion from the beginning for one very good reason: he WANTED to be a Hollow. He HATED the Shinigami for killing his nameless friend. His greatest fear was integrating into the Shinigami and dying a pointless death. How better to embody the rejection of being Shinigami than to be Hollow? And as that was what he wanted, he was very willing to accept being a Hollow. Hence, Resurreccion came as no problem.

I got a few reviews and PMs of approval regarding my depiction of Soifon being scared out of her mind. I didn't realize that she was so disliked! My take on her is that she's out to make sure Soul Society's safe, by any means necessary. That doesn't make her inhuman, however, and Ichigo's Resurreccion, his continually increasing power, his blatant disregard for Soul Society... she's scared that Ichigo's gonna come for her. And let's face it, if any of us were face to face with Ichigo's Resurreccion, a Cero in his horns, our imminent demise so close at hand... we'd all be having nightmares for a long time.

I've been thinking about rewriting a few of my chapters, probably the first few. My writing style has improved dramatically since Chapter 1, wouldn't you all agree?

In any case, moving on. Next up are the new terms!

Negacion - This is a Hollow power used by Gillians to save their comrades. It creates an impenetrable barrier around the target. Aizen, Gin and Tosen had Gillians use Negacion in combination with a Garganta to get them out of Soul Society safely - otherwise Yoruichi and Soifon would have finished them off with no problem.

Sōkyoku - This was the execution tool of choice for Shinigami taicho. With the power of a million Zanpakuto, it used to rest on Sōkyoku Hill in Soul Society and was used to incinerate its victims (traitors and taicho who have committed horrible enough crimes to warrant it according to the now-deceased Central 46) with heat intense enough to vaporize the soul. However, Ichigo was so badass, he was able to stop the Sōkyoku with the power of his Zangetsu... in Shikai! Without his mask! The Sōkyoku was promptly destroyed by Ukitake and Kyoraku using Shihoin (yes, Yoruichi's clan) artifacts.

Extinguir - Wonderweiss's Resurreccion. Never seen in my fic as he died before seeing Yamamoto's Shikai. Wonderweiss is the only modified Arrancar of the series to date, created by Aizen. Aizen sacrificed Wonderweiss's speech, memory, intelligence, and reason in order to create the perfect counter for Ryujin Jakka, Extinguir. Upon seeing Ryujin Jakka, Wonderweiss was programmed to use his Resurreccion. Extinguir was designed to seal Ryujin Jakka's flames, and when Wonderweiss died, to release the flames in a compressed burst.

Hakufuku - this is a Kido spell that not much is known about. It muddles the consciousness of the target, making them pass out. Hinamori Momo used it to escape from her temporary incarceration during the Soul Society arc.

* * *

Chapter 24: Inferno

Kurosaki Isshin was many things. To his family, he was best known as an over-the-top emotional old man who liked to fight his son at practically every given occasion, but who also had his moments as an extremely wise father. To his colleagues in the medical field, Isshin was an outstanding doctor who owned his own practice and worked closely with the owner of the nearby hospital, Ishida Ryūken.

But to most of the Shinigami who remembered him? Isshin was not someone to mess with, ever. The former taicho drew his trusty Zanpakuto, Engetsu. _It's been a long time, old friend. _Engetsu said nothing, but Isshin could feel the blade's satisfaction at being wielded once more. Isshin smiled mirthlessly, his eyes firmly on Aizen as he charged his own reiatsu into the blade. _If only Ichigo was conscious to see this, _Isshin thought with a hint of his usual humor. _C'mon, Ichigo, hurry up! _

Aizen, completely focused on his two opponents in front of him – he'd maneuvered so he could see both Urahara and Ichigo in the last few seconds – was caught off guard when Isshin Shunpo-ed right behind him. In that scantest of moments between the time when Isshin appeared and when the sword struck Aizen, the traitor had begun to spin to counter, only to realize that Ichigo had taken full advantage of his distraction and was similarly swinging his own Tensa Zangetsu from point-blank range.

Father and son brought their swords down in mirrored two-handed strikes, showing a strange sort of symmetry in opposites. Shinigami and Hollow, in identical positions on opposite sides of Aizen… Isshin with his blue-white aura around his blade, Ichigo with his practically seething red-and-black version… In that seemingly frozen moment, Urahara was in awe of the in-life metaphor for that perfect blend of Shinigami and Hollow that he'd dreamed of but was too afraid to try. And then the moment ended, and two voices spoke together – one a clear, strong voice, the other harsh and low. Each demanded Aizen's demise. This was the voice of the Kurosaki.

"_**Getsuga Tenshō!" **_

_**

* * *

**_

Ichigo, meanwhile, was struggling against the combined manifestation of his powers. He thought of it as Tensa Zangetsu since he seemed to be the dominant personality, and the appearance of the fusion form seemed to far more closely resemble the Bankai spirit.

Something was confusing Ichigo, however. They'd been fighting for some time now, but while Tensa Zangetsu was forcing Ichigo to fight at his limits, it was easily apparent to the Vizard that Tensa Zangetsu was not fighting at his own best. Several times now, he'd stopped pursuing Ichigo just long enough for the Substitute Shinigami to catch his breath or recover from an opening that provided plenty of opportunity for the hybrid spirit to strike and finish him.

"_**Why aren't you finishing me?"**_ Ichigo cried out after one such instance, shoving Hollow reiatsu at his latest injuries – a couple of gashes on his right arm, cracked bone on his left.

"Why should I?" Tensa Zangetsu replied calmly, in a ready position should Ichigo come at him again, but not actively pursuing. "This is not your test for Bankai, where only true danger to your life would force you to improve fast enough. I am merely training you so you may be even stronger when you emerge. Enough talk, prepare yourself!"

Ichigo had no time to argue, instead bringing his sword to bear, blocking the spirit from inflicting a major wound to his torso. _I need to win! _If he could just bring out the ivory blade he'd won from Cazador de la Luna, Ichigo might be able to take advantage of Tensa Zangetsu's being focused on the current clash. But the Bankai spirit was simply too strong! Ichigo couldn't afford to block with any less than his full strength, he had to use both hands on his single sword.

_Fine then. __**"Getsuga Tenshō!" **_

Tensa Zangetsu was forced back into another skyscraper by the enormous Getsuga that emerged from the Bankai that Ichigo wielded, but did not falter. His eyes remained unchanged, still calm, still completely in control as Tensa Zangetsu forced the technique upwards into the sky. "The Getsuga is the technique that I give you, Ichigo. What makes you think that it would be sufficient to defeat me, when you have not even mastered it yet?" 

"_**What do you mean?"**_

The next moment later, Ichigo brought up his weapon to defend against Tensa Zangetsu, who showed no signs of struggle behind their swords, which shuddered and fought for dominance. "The Getsuga Tenshō is a compression of your energy. Tell me, Ichigo, how powerful that same blast would be if instead of being so large, it was half as large with the same amount of energy behind it?" Despite being obscured behind the Hollow mask he wore, Ichigo's eyes were clearly surprised to the fusion spirit. "I see you understand. Getsuga Tenshō."

"_**Oh shi-!" **_Ichigo was sent flying, holding the incredibly powerful Getsuga – only the size of his own body – back with all his strength behind his Bankai sword. Ichigo winced as the Getsuga pushed him into and through two buildings, metal beams and glass stabbing into his back, before it weakened enough for Ichigo to shunt it upwards just as Tensa Zangetsu had done to his a moment ago.

_C'mon, Ichigo, think! _he ordered himself. _Tensa Zangetsu told me I can't take control of my body until I accept that I'm Hollow and Shinigami together. Then Tensa Zangetsu told me to attack him in order to prove that acceptance. Now he's telling me that he's just training me until I emerge? Is he tricking me somehow? _

"What are you doing, Ichigo?"

Ichigo spun, seeing Tensa Zangetsu standing on top of one of the many flagpoles on a nearby skyscraper, his outfit billowing impressively in the breeze. _**"I'm trying to work something out. How am I supposed to just accept that I'm a Hollow? Worse, how am I supposed to show it? Eat a soul? I'd rather not." **_

"Of course not." 

_Maybe I'm supposed to demonstrate some Hollow powers? _Ichigo quickly threw his left hand forward, holding his fingers in a familiar position as he channeled his Hollow's reiatsu to them, and felt the reiatsu leave his fingers and start to intertwine into a red orb of destruction, growing larger. _Huh. You'd think I'd stop being surprised by how instinctively easy the Hollow powers are. __**"See? I've got a Cero. Isn't that enough proof of my acceptance?"**_

Tensa Zangetsu's expression turned into an almost-angry frown. "No. You still see it as one of Cazador de la Luna's powers. Stop trying to evade the lesson, Ichigo. You are a Hollow!"

Ichigo shook his head violently. _**"I am a Vizard!" **_

"Then why do you always rely on your Shinigami powers?" Tensa Zangetsu demanded.  "It's always Getsuga Tenshō, never Cero! You never use your Hollow powers unless you need to! Admit it, Ichigo! You are uncomfortable with the Hollow powers because you are afraid of how easy they are, how familiar they are to you, how very _natural _they feel!"

"_**I don't use my Hollow powers because I didn't want the Gotei 13 breathing down my neck about them, especially after what they did to the other Vizard!" **_Ichigo yelled back, firing his Cero.

Tensa Zangetsu easily dodged the incoming beam and gripped his sword. "You are making excuses, Ichigo!" Once again, the two clashed blades, breaking apart and coming at each other time and again, striking and dodging and blocking, yet neither were landing a blow on the other. "You could have ended this war very early on if you'd just used a Garganta to get away from the wielder of Shinsō and attacked Aizen from behind!" 

"_**So the thought didn't occur to me, I can't think of everything!" **_Ichigo fired a newly improved Getsuga, much smaller than before, but still larger than the one Tensa Zangetsu had retaliated with earlier. It rocketed towards Tensa Zangetsu with much improved speed, but the spirit merely dodged before continuing the assault on the Vizard.

"You removed your mask against Gin!" Tensa Zangetsu pressed, using Shunpo continually to create the illusion of dozens of himself around Ichigo, and as a result his voice seemed to come from all directions as well.

"_**The mask was overkill!" **_Ichigo argued, straining his keen eye to figure out where Tensa Zangetsu was going to strike. _Fuck it. _Gripping his sword by the chain on the hilt, he quickly spun around in a circle on the spot three times, sending a spiral-shaped Getsuga in all directions.

The Getsuga caught Tensa Zangetsu, but the spirit was prepared for such an event, easily deflecting the attack and firing a Getsuga back at Ichigo. "There is no such thing as overkill when you have to finish quickly!" 

Ichigo narrowly dodged, though it cut a slice through part of his Bankai coat on its way past. _**"I thought you liked it when I fought every battle as an effort to improve my skills with you!" **_

"I also told you I'm a practical man! It is practical to blow through all your enemies when your family and your life is on the line!" Tensa Zangetsu scolded as he continued to press the attack towards his wielder.

Ichigo met the attack unflinchingly, angrily blocking and deflecting the attacks and attempting to counter where he could. _**"I had to hide my true power so it could surprise Aizen!"**_

"Hide it? Aizen knew you had Hollow powers, just as he knew that your body transformed into a Hollow when Cazador de la Luna was in control! Of course he would know that you would evolve that way! It would have been a far better surprise to use Cero to eradicate his head or his heart from a distance!"

Ichigo screamed in fury as the fusion of his Zanpakuto and his Hollow systematically tore down every one of his arguments with cold hard logic to bring out the ugly truth. Firing another Getsuga, which put some distance between them, Ichigo glared at the manifestation of his powers with all the anger he could muster. _**"Fine! I don't like my Hollow powers!"**_

"And why is that, Ichigo?" Tensa Zangetsu demanded.

"_**Because a Hollow killed my mother, another almost killed the rest of my family, and Hollows always go after loved ones first before attacking anyone who can feed them! I don't want to be a Hollow because I don't want to be a danger to my family, I don't want to always hunger for souls, I don't want to be a monster!" **_

There it was: the truth about Ichigo's feelings, raw and out in the open. "What makes a person a monster?"

The question caught Ichigo flat-footed – he'd just finished spilling his heart out, and Tensa Zangetsu's calm, non-accusing tone came as a complete surprise. He'd expected an angry retort about how Hollows are not monsters but victims, possibly using Cazador de la Luna's voice. Hearing an explanation about why he was not a monster was also not out of the question. But this? "Well, um… a monster is someone who does terrible things because he enjoys it."

"Do you do terrible things because you enjoy it?" 

"Of course not!" Ichigo replied, slightly hurt that Tensa Zangetsu had to ask.

"Then by your own words, you are not a monster. What difference, then, does being Hollow make?"

_That's the question, isn't it? _Now that he'd admitted his feelings aloud, it seemed… easier for Ichigo to think about the possibility with something resembling rational thought. Even if Tensa Zangetsu didn't say it, Ichigo could feel that the spirit was not judging him, but forcing him to accept his feelings and move on, always looking forward.

Ichigo lowered his sword, a pensive frown on his face as he wrestled with his emotions. If he was indeed a Hollow… if Ichigo was actually both Hollow and Shinigami, and not just a Shinigami with Hollow powers… would knowing that make any difference now, if he'd been that way for this long? If he'd already been unknowingly drawing on his Hollow side for most of his life, and more obviously recently? How would the knowledge of the truth affect who he was?

More and more, the answer seemed to be obvious. "I… I am Hollow…" Ichigo murmured hesitantly. "I am Hollow, and I am Shinigami," he said again, more strongly, though with a tinge of sadness. _The truth is a terrible thing…_ Ichigo thought to himself morosely. _To gain the power inborn in truth, I had to sacrifice the happy innocence of ignorance. _

Tensa Zangetsu smiled before splitting back into his separate halves. "You are Vizard." 

And for the first time, Ichigo truly understood what those three words meant. It meant that he was Shinigami and Hollow, with all the benefits and downsides that came with it. Ichigo would have the powers of Bankai and Resurrección, of Getsuga and Cero. His Shinigami side would cover up his Hollow hunger, his Hollow side increased the potency of his reiatsu beyond that of Shinigami capabilities.

In trade, Ichigo would always be watched, held at arm's length by those who were either Shinigami or Hollow, but not both. The Gotei 13 would always fear that he'd snap and attack them as a Hollow, Hueco Mundo would always fear that he'd go on a killing spree and purify them all as a Shinigami.

_And you know what? As long as I can protect those I care for, as long as I can have my close friends support me… I can live with that. _

"**You good, King?" **

Ichigo smirked at his Hollow reflection. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Abandon your fear. Look forward," Tensa Zangetsu ordered firmly.

Cazador de la Luna gave an identical smirk back. **"****Move forward and never stop."**

"You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you hesitate," Ichigo finished, the words having been engraved in his heart since they'd been spoken all that time ago, when he met Zangetsu on the day he'd regained his powers in Urahara's basement.

"**Now, Ichigo! Call me out!" **

Ichigo's reiatsu flared high into the sky as he called forth his Adjuchas mask and materialized his Hollow Zanpakuto. _**"Blacken the night, Cazador de la Luna!"

* * *

**_

The double-Getsuga Tenshō attack that Kurosaki Isshin and Ichigo had performed together created a column of reiatsu that reached high into the heavens and churned rocks and dust from the earth, equally divided down the middle – Isshin's blue-white Getsuga against Ichigo's obsidian and crimson, with Aizen in the middle and hopefully being devastated by the two-sided assault. Both father and son jumped back, again in stereo, as they waited for the attack to die down.

After several seconds more, the Getsugas both fell unstable and exploded, and the resulting blast of wind blew past the unmoving Kurosakis and Urahara. When the dust cleared, to Isshin's satisfaction, Aizen had been injured, especially on the side that Ichigo had attacked from. This came as no surprise to the father, as Aizen's reiatsu was impossible to read for him – Aizen had evolved away from that of a Shinigami. Ichigo, who was well on his way to evolving as well, naturally had a better chance of affecting him.

"Getsuga Tenshō… I understand that attack now," Aizen stated loud enough for everyone to hear him as the Hōgyoku began to heal his wounds. "But now it is time for you all to understand my power."

Unseen by anyone, within the darkness of Ichigo's mask's eye holes, two amber eyes opened. He was awake. **"You understand the Getsuga Tenshō?" **he growled. **"What you need to understand, Aizen, is that you've pissed me off." **Aizen spun in shock, only to find Tensa Zangetsu lunging for the throat, covered in a Getsuga that promised to take his head off.

He ducked down, only to realize that Ichigo had apparently anticipated that and charged a tri-focused Cero at his fingers, aimed right for Aizen's head. "Oh, that's just not…"

"**Cero!" **Aizen managed to bring Kyoka Suigetsu up to help hold it off, but he was pushed back, hard, into the ground over a hundred feet down. But while the smoke had yet to clear, Ichigo lowered his horns and fired another two Ceros, as powerful as he could make them, at Aizen, then followed it up with a Getsuga Tenshō with its power as compressed as he could make it on short notice. _No such thing as overkill, eh, Tensa Zangetsu? _

"Ichigo! Overkill much?"

Apparently it was the Vizard's turn to be surprised, because Ichigo was completely taken aback when he saw his father dressed up in Shinigami robes with a taicho's haori on tied to his shoulder. **"Dad?" **

Urahara was barely able to hold back a snort of laughter – Ichigo had become the scariest combination of Shinigami and Hollow he'd ever seen, and to see that monstrous form's body language give off shock at seeing its completely Shinigami father tickled his sense of humor perfectly.

"Listen, I know you've got questions, Ichigo, but…"

"**Save it! You're here, Aizen's probably still alive, you can explain when he's dead!" **Ichigo told him.

"But…!"

"**Unless something really bad is going to happen in the next few seconds, shut up and fight!"**

"Yamamoto's going to torch this entire fake town within the minute using a trap designed to incinerate everyone in it, including Aizen no matter what illusion he spawns," Isshin explained in a matter-of-fact voice. "Bad enough?"

There was a moment of silence. **"OK, that qualifies as really bad. Let's get out of here." **

"Yoruichi!" Urahara called out. The Goddess of Shunpo appeared the next instant next to him, wearing strange, thick white armor from her knees down and her elbows out to envelop her hands. "Looks like Yamamoto-jii decided to take his turn. Time to leave."

"You got it." The pair of exiled Shinigami crouched down for a moment, then vanished at speeds of Shunpo that even Ichigo had trouble matching using his Gillian-masked Bankai.

"**What about my friends?" **

"The other taicho are getting them, Ichigo, now hurry up and go!"

Reassured of his friends' safety, Ichigo channeled his reiatsu and vanished into Shunpo himself. However, only Isshin heard a tiny sonic boom as well – Ichigo's Shunpo had been at least in small part a Sonido.

The elder Kurosaki paused for a moment, looking down at where Aizen had impacted the ground and been barraged by Ceros and a Getsuga just a few moments earlier. The shadowy figure of Aizen, obscured by the dust still settling, was getting up from the deep crater. _Damn it. _

Yamamoto appeared next to him in a flicker of pure Shunpo, Ryūjin Jakka drawn and an aura of fire around the aged Shinigami. The air suddenly seemed both hot and heavy, almost unbearably so. It was obvious that the soutaicho was taking this battle extremely seriously. "Kurosaki Isshin. I see that your son has regained his senses."

"Yeah." Despite the man having been willing to kill his son just a few moments ago, Isshin didn't really want Yamamoto to die. He was a strong Shinigami, and while Yamamoto was a bit old-fashioned, he truly did have Soul Society's and the living world's best interests at heart. Isshin understood the predicament Yamamoto was in – kill one man of questionable loyalty at best to destroy a threat that would happily kill thousands?

The soutaicho opened his eyes. "Go, Isshin. If Aizen escapes my trap, then you will be needed."

The younger Shinigami looked once at Yamamoto's expression, then nodded and flickered into Shunpo to follow his son.

With that distraction out of the way, Yamamoto flared his reiatsu so that Aizen would have no choice but to feel and see it. "Reduce All Creation to Ash, Ryūjin Jakka." _It's time to spring this trap. _

"Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni… " came Aizen's voice as he rose from the debris where Ichigo had repeatedly struck him, the last traces of high-speed regeneration revealing itself by healing a gash across his chest. "I'm surprised. If Ichigo-kun had kept up his assault, I'm not sure I would have survived. However, you have no chance."

"Oh? And how is that, Aizen Sōsuke?"

"Don't get me wrong, I recognize that you are extremely strong," Aizen went on. "Master of the strongest fire-type Zanpakuto, Ryūjin Jakka. In fact, in a one-on-one battle before my evolution, I would have lost, badly."

"And what makes you think that your 'evolution' is enough to best me?"

"Shall we see?"

Yamamoto swung his blade once and streams of fire leapt around the pair of them, apparently locking them inside a spherical prison of flame. "There is no escape this time, Aizen. No Negación, no Espada, nothing shall allow you to evade my blade."

"Nothing? I propose your death will allow it simply enough." Aizen let out a small, knowing smile.

"Hmph. Do you really think you can cut me down with only that much power?"

"I already have."

Yamamoto snarled angrily as he swung his fiery sword, flames lunging at Aizen, only for the image to shatter. Spinning around to counter, he was too late. Aizen's illusion-type Zanpakuto, Kyōka Suigetsu, entered Yamamoto's right lung with an almost surgical feel to it, as though Aizen were being careful and going slow to ensure he was cutting the right spot.

Yamamoto coughed up blood over Aizen's arm, but gripped it with his free hand. "I have you now."

"Are you sure?" Aizen suggested with another secretive smirk. "How can you know if this is illusion or not?"

"If I were relying on my skin, my ears or my eyes, I would be fooled by your Zanpakuto, Aizen Sōsuke… but there is one sense you have not blocked!" Yamamoto declared in his rumbling voice. "I can sense Kyōka Suigetsu, and I know that I hold onto the real you!"

"So what if you have?" Aizen asked, conceding the point. "Any damage you do to me will be regenerated by the Hōgyoku, whereas you will die."

"Not if I destroy your entire soul right here, right now."

Aizen snorted. "There is no Kido for that, and you are no Quincy!"

"No… but have you noticed any similarities between Ryūjin Jakka and the Sōkyoku?" Yamamoto queried, coughing a little more blood onto his beard.

Aizen's widening eyes showed the old Shinigami that he suddenly understood. "Intense heat…!"

"Oh yes," the venerable soutaicho agreed. "Heat so intense, it will vaporize your soul faster than you can regenerate."

"But this amount of heat you have here isn't enough," Aizen protested, regaining his confidence quickly.

"True…" Yamamoto tightened his grip while he dismissively gestured with Ryūjin Jakka to release the fire prison, and release the trap he'd set up. Over a dozen pillars of fire erupted in various points of the fake Karakura Town, and Yamamoto let loose a victorious grin that bared his teeth as he saw Aizen's rising panic. "But I am master of the strongest fire-type Zanpakuto."

"Wonderweiss!" Aizen summoned. "Come to me!"

Yamamoto waited – he had expected Aizen to have some sort of plan to deal with him, but was confident he could handle anything the traitor could throw at him. But even he was somewhat surprised when nothing happened.

"Wonderweiss!"

"It seems your backup plan has failed before it even had a chance to begin," Yamamoto judged.

Aizen couldn't believe this was happening! He'd designed Wonderweiss's Resurrección, Extinguir, to be the perfect counter to Yamamoto's Ryūjin Jakka! He'd known that Yamamoto would attempt to kill him with some overwhelming fire attack, and had planned to use Wonderweiss to not only stop it, but turn it against Yamamoto upon the modified Arrancar's inevitable demise! _Calm down! Alright, let's assess the situation and make some options. _

Wonderweiss was most likely dead. Kyōka Suigetsu was still lodged in Yamamoto's chest, and his arm was being gripped too hard to move it and kill the old soutaicho. Aizen couldn't see Gin anywhere, but figured that he was probably fighting someone at the moment… or busy escaping Yamamoto's trap. Ichigo was no longer berserk so he couldn't be directed to cut through Yamamoto to attack Aizen. Tōsen was likely dead as well. There was no one in the area besides himself and Yamamoto to use his hypnosis on. Yamamoto was too strong for most Kido. Aizen quickly ran through the list of Kido he knew, searching for a Bakudo strong enough to inhibit Yamamoto's reiatsu or force him to release his grip, or a Hado powerful enough to take Yamamoto's head off.

Several Bakudo that came to mind – One was Bakudo 79: Kuyō Shibari, but Aizen's proximity would mean that he too would be affected. Bakudo 63: Sajo Sabaku would have been more promising, if only it were a little more powerful – Yamamoto's pure brute strength would easily break it. Hakufuku, one of Hinamori Momo's specialties, was too weak to affect Yamamoto. Bakudo 99, Kin and Bankin, which both physically and spiritually bound their victims, would have been ideal, but they required hand seals which were at the moment unavailable due to Yamamoto's unbreakable grip. _Those would have been perfect… Hold on. _

Aizen began to smile. "Bakudo 99: Bankin."

"You bluff," Yamamoto snarled. "You cannot complete that Kido without hand seals!"

"Are you sure? First song: Shiryū!" Spiritual fabric manifested behind Aizen and flew towards Yamamoto, quickly wrapping him up from the bottom up, leaving only his head and the arm that held Aizen alone.

Yamamoto flared his reiatsu as high as he could. "Reduce All Creation to Ash, Ryūjin Jakka!" His loyal blade erupted into flames, burning the fabric, revealing the truth. "If this were true spiritual sealing fabric, Aizen, then I would have far more difficulty releasing my Zanpakuto. Even if I could, my fire would have difficulty burning it. Your illusion is useless, I will not let you go!"

"Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu." The illusion shattered into so many pieces, shimmering in the air like painted glass as it fell away to reveal the truth – Aizen had not initiated the Bakudo. Aizen smiled again at Yamamoto. "I knew that would not work against you, though it would have been nice if it had. But you have failed to notice something."

"And what is that?"

Aizen held up his free hand, which held a flickering, black, electric-looking sort of Kido. "You gave me time to use this. Hado 90: Kurohitsugi!"

Black and purple lines quickly traced a tall box around Yamamoto, promptly filling the spaces between them with the darkness, obscuring all traces of Yamamoto save the arm that still gripped Aizen's arm like his life depended on it. Over a dozen spears, made of the same obsidian reiatsu, also manifested on to the box before promptly spearing inside it. But then, the darkness shattered just as Aizen's illusion had moments ago, revealing Yamamoto.

Aizen was unsurprised to see Yamamoto being barechested – he had focused most of the spears towards the torso to ensure the most damage – but he was shocked to see that the soutaicho was barely injured! There were scratches here and there, granted, but it seemed that the Kido had done almost nothing!

"I am the oldest, most powerful Shinigami alive," Yamamoto growled, the flames of his Zanpakuto growing even stronger. "I created the Shinigami Academy over two thousand years ago. I have had centuries, eons to grow ever stronger. Do you think that you are the first upstart to progress so far as to come to blows with me? It will take stronger Kido than that to defeat me! It is time to end this. Ennetsu Jigoku!"

The pillars of fire from earlier, which Aizen had nearly forgotten in his fervor to escape Yamamoto's grip, grew even brighter and taller before shooting flames at each other, creating a nigh-inescapable barrier of fire that began closing in on them and growing hotter by the second.

"Why are you doing this? You'll die too!" Aizen exclaimed.

"As loathe as I am to admit it, I am growing weaker. Slowly, yes, but it remains the truth. I would rather die ridding all the worlds of a threat, permanently, than die on my deathbed as I watch my subordinates fight for my position. In any case, I can no longer be sure that simply cutting off your head would be sufficient to kill you, with the Hōgyoku, and my technique will destroy that nuisance as well."

"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"

Yamamoto's head snapped to his left, and saw the former taicho of the Third Squad lunging towards him, Shikai in hand as it lengthened at tremendous speed towards Yamamoto's skull!

A split second later, Ryūjin Jakka batted it away, towards Aizen in the hopes that Gin would accidentally kill the Hōgyoku-infused Shinigami. However, Yamamoto was grimly unsurprised to see that Gin had snapped back his Shikai to dagger length before it could strike Aizen.

"Aizen-san, allow me to assist."

"Ah, thank you Gin… once you've freed me, the easiest way out of this technique should be to simply kill him."

Yamamoto's scowl could have rivaled any of Kurosaki Ichigo's at that moment. He had two choices: hold onto Aizen and defend himself as best he could from a difficult position – it would be very easy for Gin to simply Shunpo to the side opposite his Zanpakuto and strike him from there – or he could let go of Aizen and work on surviving long enough for his Ennetsu Jigoku to finish. The decision was obvious.

Yamamoto quickly let go of his deadly opponent and pushed himself off of Kyōka Suigetsu. "Gin… for your traitorous actions, your punishment will be to perish with your precious master!"

"Sorry, Yamamoto-soutaicho," Aizen replied with a smile. "But Gin was never here."

Indeed, as the soutaicho was looking at where Ichimaru Gin had been, he saw the shattered fragments of Aizen's illusion fall away. His expression murderous, Yamamoto lunged for Aizen, Ryūjin Jakka's flames turning brighter as they took on a slightly more bluish tint in his rage. Despite the fires of hate and anger fueling his actions, Yamamoto did not forget to close his eyes and detect Aizen by way of spiritually sensing Kyōka Suigetsu. Behind his closed eyelids, the eyes glowed orange with the fire of his reiatsu as he called his Ennetsu Jigoku to continue.

At his will, the ring of fire that had trapped Aizen and Yamamoto in the area pulsed, and as one shot flames across the ground. Sparks and smoldering ash peppered the air as the flames rose to consume the buildings. No longer was it safe to land anywhere. _Soon, my inferno will be complete. _ "You will not escape from me, Aizen!"

* * *

And there we go, chapter complete.

Now before anyone goes on a rant about how Isshin was able to match Ichigo's Bankai-Resurreccion Getsuga with one of his own from Shikai state, keep this in mind: Isshin has a hell of a lot more experience, and Ichigo's Getsuga was of the unmastered variety - it wasn't compressed enough to overpower Isshin's.

I also recognize that Ennetsu Jigoku did not get much screen time, so we don't know how it was supposed to proceed. This is just how I think it would have went. I also explain my take on why Yamamoto decided to try for his self-sacrifice move rather than take on Aizen when he KNEW he had the real deal.

Aizen is starting to use his illusions more often, and while Yamamoto is crafty, we all as human beings rely on our sight and hearing far too often.

Now, back to Ichigo. Ichigo has regained control of his body because he has finally accepted that he is, by nature, part Hollow. That he is partly a monster. I tried to write him so he seemed more angry than weepy, more in denial than anything else. And now that he's back in control, a little overkill is in order. I am SO looking forward to the next few chapters.


	25. No Plan Survives Contact

And again, another one in less than two weeks. I have now impressed myself.

Alright, first up, got a few questions in reviews.

marc - I actually hadn't seen that episode... I kinda stopped watching the anime for a while because I was so frustrated with canon. Must've missed it.

DBZLOVER - Actually, Ichigo is not the only one with a full face mask. Try Rudobon, the "Exequias" creator Arrancar.

klv - Thank you for your review! I'm not sure if I've said it before, but the main reason why it has an M rating is due to upcoming mature scenes, which may or may not involve a lot of blood and gore, or at least horrible images such as broken bones sticking out of people's arms, blood sprays, things like that. Not happening yet, but they are in the plan. I just didn't want to have to change the rating later.

Another reason is that I've found rating it as an M usually gives me more mature reviewers, which can communicate their thoughts without becoming obnoxious.

Naivity - I feel your pain regarding the latest canon, and while I don't plan on copying the final fight, I may very well draw some inspiration from it.

Anon42 - Wow, that's high praise, considering that Ichigo's last fight with Aizen was a pretty good beatdown.

Next, a note in response some of my reviewers. I have indeed been planning to continue this fic past the Aizen arc. Funnily enough, I've been planning writing a Hell Arc since BEFORE Kubo went said he'd write one. Great, my ideas get stolen by the author. I'm not sure if I should be pleased that I am so into Kubo's head, or pissed that now I'm not original.

Finally, need-to-know terms:

Bakudō 99: Bankin (Great Seal) - The highest ever shown Bakudo, only ever used by true masters. It has three parts to it. First song: Seiryū (Halting Fabric) creates spiritual fabric that binds the opponent head to toe. Second song: Hyakurensan (Hundred Linked Bolts) creates quite literally a hundred bolts that crash into the opponent, binding the fabric together and sealing the victim further. Final song: Bankin Taiho (Great Seal of Ten Thousand Forbiddings) creates a huge sealing stone which crashes onto the opponent, finishing the Great Seal.

Shihakusho - The general garb of a Shinigami, the black robes with a white belt.

* * *

Chapter 25: No Plan Survives Contact

Ichigo wasted no time getting out of Karakura – Yamamoto was about to unleash a trap with his Ryūjin Jakka? Ichigo had SEEN the man's power, and he did not want to stick around and see if he could take it.

Ichigo wasn't quite sure how or why, but he was finding it far easier to detect other spiritual presences than he had before his Resurrección. In any case, he was able to locate his friends with only mild difficulty as he Shunpo-ed as fast as he could out of the false replacement of his home town. With them all was another familiar presence, a Shinigami whose reiatsu felt rather chilly. _Tōshirō. Dad was right; they're being taken care of. He, at least, I can trust. _

Ichigo adjusted course to meet up with them – they weren't far, and he would feel a lot better if they had his protection; while Ichigo was of the opinion that Soul Society wouldn't make any overt moves against him while he was still needed, there was still Gin out there, and he wouldn't put it past Soul Society to make some sort of preparation for after Aizen's death.

What the Vizard did not anticipate, however, was just how frightening his appearance currently was. He appeared a few meters away from the group as they fled from the area – Inoue was being carried by Rukia in the middle, while Chad was utilizing his newest skill, the air-walking technique, to keep up with his high-speed technique that resembled Sonido, but was not quite it… Ishida was cruising along on their right, riding what seemed to be a flying skateboard sans wheels made up reiatsu. Rangiku and Renji were flanking Rukia, while Hitsugaya Tōshirō led the pack.

"**Hey guys." **

Ichigo's casual greeting caused a multitude of reactions from his friends – Tōshirō had very nearly drawn his Zanpakutō, his hands still twitching towards it. Rukia gave out a yelp as Inoue's knees dug into her back as she stiffened. Renji nearly fell out of the air when he forgot to solidify the air beneath him for his next Shunpo, while Rangiku seemed to be holding her breath, looking at him with naked fear.

It was Ishida, however, who was the most calm of the group. "Kurosaki, cancel your Resurrección and take off the mask. You're a bit fearsome to look at like this, which I suppose is the point, but do you realize how hard it is to talk to someone when you can't see their face and their very reiatsu is enough to suffocate your comrades?"

_Oh. _Ichigo hadn't realized that Rangiku was not holding her breath on her own will, but that she was literally unable to breathe under the weight of his strength. _Now, how to cancel this? Is it like my Bankai? _Taking his Hollow powers under his mental grip, he dismissed the power.

It was a very odd sensation, Ichigo decided, to literally feel his Hollow hole close up, and his mask reverse its growth around his head until it was just that – a simple mask that covered only his face, and could be taken off. He quickly snagged off the mask and crushed it in his fingers, revealing his face to light once more.

Rangiku was very noticeably gasping for breath now, making Ichigo feel a little guilty. _But I hadn't known that my reiatsu would have that much of an effect on her. _

_**What did ya expect? Did you really think the power you needed to match Aizen wouldn't be too strong for most to handle?**_

_I just didn't think of it. _"You alright?" he asked, noticing Tōshirō's barely-masked concern towards the fukutaicho.

"I'm alright," she managed, as she stood up a little straighter, having apparently somewhat recovered from the experience.

"Where'd you get the vest?" Rukia asked, surprised.

Ichigo blinked and glanced down at himself. Indeed, he was wearing a strangely comfortable plain white sleeveless vest, one he'd never worn before…

_**But I have, **_Cazador finished with a serious tone.

_The vest is a manifestation of your Hollow powers, a sign of your acceptance of your Hollow nature, _Tensa Zangetsu explained. _It serves a few purposes, not the least of which is another level of armor over your vitals. When your shihakusho is restored, the vest will lay underneath it. _

Ichigo wasn't sure he liked having evidence of his Vizard status being on display so openly when he wasn't wearing the mask, but considering that everyone knew already, what could it hurt? "It's a remnant of the Resurrección," he half-lied to the others. "But don't worry, I'm fully in control."

"You better be," Tōshirō muttered. "C'mon, let's go."

At the unified nod of assent, the group once again made its way to the point north of Karakura that Kyōraku had designated as their meeting spot. "You went totally berserk, Ichigo," Renji accused. "What happened between you and Aizen?"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed in anger. "Aizen arranged for the Grand Fisher to kill my mother in front of me when I was nine years old."

There was a loud gasp from Inoue, and when the Vizard looked her way, she seemed to be holding back tears as she stuffed her fist in her mouth. Chad's left fist, currently untransformed, clenched and very audibly popped several knuckles. Ishida turned to look at him in shock – this was something he hadn't realized that he and Kurosaki had in common: the loss of an important parental figure from a young age, due to a megalomaniacal Shinigami. Ishida had lost his grandfather to Mayuri; Ichigo, his mother to Aizen.

"Why?" Chad asked simply, though his tone was thick in sympathetic anger.

"Because I am the son of a human and a Shinigami and he thought it an interesting experiment. Because despite my heritage, I was growing weak and content with life, and needed motivation to continue fighting, to grow as strong as I could." Ichigo's fist audibly clenched around the hilt of Tensa Zangetsu. "He killed her to _test _me!"

"So you gave yourself to the forbidden Hollow powers," Tōshirō murmured, not expecting Ichigo's sudden spin in his direction, eyes flashing angrily.

"And what would you have done, Tōshirō?" the Substitute Shinigami snarled. "What would you have done, if he killed one of your loved ones and you had access to Hollow powers? My mother was my _life! _She was everything to that little nine-year-old boy! And Aizen killed her! I wanted, and still want, vengeance, and I shall have it!"

"I'm not arguing he didn't deserve you going at him with full power, but you do realize that you have scared the shit out of pretty much the entire Gotei 13?" Renji pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, tell me something new already," Ichigo replied bitterly.

_Bitter? _Rukia thought in surprise. "Ichigo?"

"It's nothing. I'll tell you later. Besides, we're here."

Indeed, they had arrived at the designated reconvening point. The rest of the forces were gathered there, Shinigami, Vizard, and Arrancar alike, though each were subtly gravitating towards their own kind.

"Ichigo!" Shinji's voice called out. Ichigo quickly made his way over to the other Vizard and was taken aback at what he saw – Shinji had obviously been injured very heavily, judging by the bloodstains, but had evidently been healed. The others appeared fine, each having a few scratches and bruises, but they were being tended to by Hachi quickly enough. "Why didn't you tell us you had Resurrección?"

"Didn't know I had it until I used it," Ichigo said simply.

Hiyori got up and approached him, her eyes searching, but strangely not as aggressive as they had been towards him for as long as the Substitute Shinigami had known her. "How'd you do it?" she asked quietly.

Ichigo's mouth twisted into an unsure expression. "My Inner Hollow discovered his name. After that, I guess I just needed the right trigger."

"But how did he find his name?" Hiyori pressed, a flicker of her old anger lighting up in her eyes. "We need to know! Imagine if we all used Resurrección at once and attacked Aizen!"

"It was the moment he defeated me for the first time," Ichigo related. "I think… I think you can only gain Resurrección if you and your Hollow trust each other, if you work together like a Shinigami works with his Zanpakutō. Your Hollow is a part of you, it's born from your soul. Only in cooperation can you push each other to greater power."

As he spoke the last word, an intense heat washed over him. He slowly turned to see the facsimile of his beloved town engulfed in flames, higher than any skyscraper he'd ever seen. "Can Yamamoto finish him?"

"This is his trap, Ennetsu Jigoku. Everything in there is going to be destroyed, even Yamamoto himself," Ukitake replied from a few feet away. "If Aizen can survive that, then I fear we are doomed."

Ichigo's face twisted into an angry but determined expression. "No, I refuse to believe that. You've all used your ultimate moves? Your Bankai? Every last drop of your power? Because if you haven't, you haven't lost yet!"

"My Shikai changes battles into games with rules that everyone within range for me has to follow," Kyōraku told him. "How big do you think my Bankai's range is? My Bankai is meant to take out an army alone, not for a large number of allies against one enemy. That's how it is with most Bankai… it is a Shinigami's last resort, and has a large effect that is difficult to focus on just one enemy. For instance, Soifon's Bankai creates a huge explosion that will kill pretty much everyone in the vicinity. Tōsen's Bankai created a field of complete sensory deprivation, again focusing on an area, rather than an individual. Abarai-kun's Bankai creates a large bone-snake that would be very unwieldy in an area with allies, and is more than capable of attacking multiple enemies with its attacks. Komamura's Bankai creates a literal armored giant, which can easily accidentally or purposely crush nearby enemies." He sighed. "Like I said, most Bankai aren't designed to work with allies in the area, and it would be suicide to take on Aizen alone."

Ichigo gave him an incredulous look. "You're telling me that you can't use Bankai, or most of the more explosive Kidō, because it's _too unwieldy around allies?_"

Renji shrugged. "We can't all have tiny Bankai like you do, Ichigo."

"Don't say it like that. You make it sound perverse," the Vizard muttered at him. "Fine then. If Shinigami ultimates are out of the question, let's look at the Hollow side of things. I've got Resurrección. The rest of the Vizard have their masks. Nel? Harribel? Grimmjow? You three still here?"

"I am here, Kurosaki Ichigo," Harribel answered, stepping forward – she was still in her Resurrección state.

"Grimmjow left as soon as we evacuated. He said he'd fulfilled his end of the deal," Komamura filled in.

"Nelliel's gone too," Ukitake told him. "She actually had a message for you… 'Ichigo, thank you for showing mercy on a little girl Arrancar when she didn't know who she was. Thank you for being her friend after she found out. But most of all, thank you for treating me as human as you are, because that's what you are: human, no matter whether you are Shinigami or Hollow or anything in between. Don't ever forget that, Ichigo, because your greatest power lies in your humanity, your capacity to accept and understand anyone. Should you ever find yourself in Hueco Mundo, please know that you and your friends will be welcome with me and Starrk.'"

Ichigo tilted his head and looked up to the sky, eyes closed as he listened to the words spoken by an Arrancar whose own capacity for kindness had given her a blessing disguised as a curse – escape from Aizen in a form that let her enjoy childhood for a little while. "No… thank you, Nelliel…" he whispered.

"Ichigo." Chad's right arm, still transformed into his Brazo Derecha del Gigante, came to rest on Ichigo's shoulder. "What now?"

Ichigo took a deep, slightly shuddering breath, but when he looked around at his comrades, his eyes were focused. "Alright. I've faced Aizen in direct combat, he focuses a lot on speed and Zanjutsu in close-to-mid range, but uses Kidō in long range. He seems to like using Hado 90: Kurohitsugi when he's in a tough spot. What's actually hit him, aside from me?"

"Bakudō," Urahara revealed, stepping forward. "He was successfully held in place by multiple Bakudō, with some assistance from yourself, long enough for me to cast a full-incantation Hado 91: Senjū Kōten Taihō. The seals I've placed seem ineffective, though I have put one on that will take effect if he weakens significantly…"

Ishida's eyes lit up. "How many of you know high level Bakudō and feel capable of using it effectively after your fights?"

Ukitake, Kyōraku, Urahara and Hachi stepped forward. "I see where you're going with this," Kyōraku murmured. "If we can all bind him together, then…"

"Then that gives me enough time to end it," Ichigo finished. "Nice plan, Ishida."

"What if that fails? He's gone through another evolution since you last hit him with Bakudō," Hitsugaya pointed out practically. "And even then, if Kurosaki hadn't been there, he would have escaped. He might be immune to it now for all we know. We should have a backup plan."

"What would you suggest?" Komamura queried.

Hitsugaya shook his head. "I'm not skilled with making such plans. Soifon-taicho, you're the better tactician amongst us. Do you have any ideas?"

Soifon frowned pensively, doing her best to keep her eyes from flitting towards Kurosaki Ichigo. "If we prove unable to bind him long enough for Kurosaki Ichigo to kill him, or if Aizen somehow survives that, then we must force him to fight by other rules. Kyōraku-taicho's Shikai will be useful."

"If I can stay unnoticed, I can focus the effect of my Sakanade on him, reversing his perceptions," Shinji volunteered. "Everyone else would be unaffected."

"Useful," Soifon deemed, starting to pace. "Alright. Here's the plan for if the Bakudō plan fails. The Vizard Hirako Shinji will use his Shikai to create critical opportunities. Try to maintain as much distance as you can, so you may escape the effects of Kyōraku-taicho's Shikai. Kyōraku-taicho should move in and use whichever game you feel will give the most advantage. There is not enough time for us to become familiar with all of your games, so only you and Ukitake-taicho should meet him. Ukitake-taicho, please use your Shikai to redirect any Kidō that Aizen uses. Kurosaki Ichigo, you will take the opportunity to be healed and replenish your reiatsu using a Shinigami medic or Inoue Orihime, in preparation for the possibility of this plan's failure."

"What about the rest of us?" Ikkaku asked bluntly.

"The rest of us, myself included, will be focusing on the traitor Ichimaru Gin. He is the only threat here aside from Aizen himself."

"Wait!" Ichigo interrupted, having just remembered a very important point with a rising sense of horror. "The pillars, the ones that hold the real Karakura in Soul Society… will they be destroyed by Yamamoto's Ennetsu Jigoku?"

"Relax, Ichigo-kun," Urahara waved off his concerns. "Yamamoto had laid his trap before you returned from Hueco Mundo and verified that the pillars would not be in range. And even if they were, Tessai and I made them especially fire-resistant with multiple element-resistance barriers just in case, and we have backup rods that can reinforce them if we need."

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief – it would have been disastrous for the real Karakura to reappear in the middle of Yamamoto's trap. "Well, we have our plans… what now?"

"We get healed, and then we wait."

* * *

Aizen was very close to panicking at this moment. He was trapped in a dome of fire, and the very earth itself was aflame – it seemed Yamamoto had closed off any easy way out. The heat was intense, and Aizen found himself sweating heavily, cursing the old bastard. _Damn it's hot… and it's only getting hotter. It won't be long now before the air itself catches on fire. _

Aizen's only hope was to dash through the fire as fast as he could, and let the Hōgyoku heal him afterwards. But every time he tried, Yamamoto seemed to know exactly where he was and without fail fought him in the flames until Aizen was forced to retreat and heal from the burns he was gaining. It was galling to watch Yamamoto only be mildly burned while Aizen consistently suffered second and third degree burns! _I suppose that's because the fire was created from his own reiatsu. But how do I get out of this? _

Aizen had tried using his illusions on Yamamoto while trying to escape, to no avail. Yamamoto seemed to fighting with his eyes closed, and was constantly tracking him regardless of the illusion. _He senses Kyōka Suigetsu, he said… Is countering me really that simple? _Aizen had known for some time now that his Zanpakutō's weakness was someone looking past the illusion to sense it, but the normal five senses were far more compelling during a fight. _Which is why Yamamoto's eliminated the most distracting sense. But this can't be the end! _

_Calm down, and think! _Easier said than done, since every time Yamamoto sensed that Aizen was staying within his prison, he fed more reiatsu into the fire to make it burn ever hotter. Aizen knew he had mere minutes, if that. _I need to get out. Yamamoto won't let me out. He ignores my illusions now, single-mindedly coming after me. Can I kill or otherwise incapacitate Yamamoto? _After a moment of consideration, Aizen shook his head. _Not in outright combat. Yamamoto is a skilled, powerful combatant, and is far more at home among the flames here than I am. I'll succumb to the heat long before I could kill him. _

_I need to get to the real Karakura so I can finish creating the Ōken! Wait. _Aizen began to smile. "I've been going about this wrong. I know where the pillars are, and I know that Yamamoto won't let all those innocent humans in Karakura burn. All I have to do is destroy them from in here, and Yamamoto will put out his own trap!"

He spent several precious moments designing his illusion, the battlefield that was the fake Karakura shimmering and being slowly replaced by the real Karakura. He smiled as he swiftly but carefully crafted the screams of agony and the smell of burnt flesh. And then Aizen cast his illusion.

Yamamoto was taken by surprise when the air around him suddenly felt a little cooler, though it was promptly heated again by his flames, but when cries and pleadings for help reached his ears, his eyes opened wide in surprise. _How can this be? Did Gin manage to destroy the pillars from the outside? Did he have help? Or is this yet another illusion?_

"I know what you're thinking," Aizen stated from several yards away. "You're wondering if this is another illusion. I can see your brain working, you're thinking 'If it is an illusion, if I strike him down then the illusion will fall. But if it is not an illusion, then every second my fires are up, I'm killing innocent humans and evaporating their souls.' The problem is, old man, that you had planned on using this trap to kill me. So you have to make a choice. Risk killing tens of thousands of humans, which I will promptly use to create the Ōken, or quench your flames, and try to kill me another way?"

Yamamoto almost screamed in frustration. He was so close! Less than a minute and the whole area would have erupted into an inferno the likes even Hell would have envied! He would have ended the threat once and for all! But he knew he had no choice. With some concentration, and a great deal of his remaining reiatsu, he put the fires out. There was still some screaming down below, but that was to be expected – humans, sadly, could be very flammable.

"You really are so predictable," Aizen commented off-handedly, observing the scorched area. The air felt cooler now without the fires to constantly keep it hot, but he would bet that the ground would be scorching hot to touch for some time.

"Perhaps, but I will not let you make the Ōken here!" Yamamoto snarled, bringing his Shikai to bear. "I may have been forced to release my Ennetsu Jigoku, but we will see if you can survive without your head!"

"You no longer have the strength to defeat me," the Hōgyoku-infused Shinigami said bluntly. "Your reiatsu is extremely low, and I have evolved past that of Shinigami strength. You can sense my Zanpakutō, but not me, is that not true?" Aizen smiled. "You are finished, Yamamoto-soutaicho of the Gotei 13."

"We shall see!"

"We already have." And then Yamamoto felt a hand plunge into his already-wounded chest from behind, puncturing his lung and leaving a gaping hole. Before his eyes, the Aizen that he'd been talking to turned into Kyōka Suigetsu, levitating under Aizen's power. Below him, the real Karakura shattered and revealed the truth: the fake Karakura. Yamamoto had suspected, but to see it made him unbearably angry. He lashed out with his left foot, aiming for Aizen's neck, only for it to be effortlessly blocked by Aizen's arm, which did not even budge. _No… _

Behind him, Aizen smiled as he withdrew his arm and tossed Yamamoto to a nearby roof, scorched but still standing despite the Shinigami's power. _How fitting that my first illusion, giving Kyōka Suigetsu my form, would be the one I use to defeat the greatest of Shinigami. _"You are quite strong, Yamamoto. Thank you for giving me the chance to test my new powers. Stay alive as long as you can, and watch me ascend to the world's throne."

* * *

"Kami, how much reiatsu do you _have, _Ichigo?" Rukia demanded as she continued her healing spell, restoring the Vizard's reserves. She was being assisted by Hachigen, who was by far more familiar with Vizard reiatsu, and between them Ichigo's reiatsu was returning, but had yet to reach full.

"I dunno, a lot?" Ichigo asked. "It takes me a while to really run low…"

The others watched in fascination as Ichigo's Bankai coat regenerated itself as Ichigo regained his strength. "What's up with the coat, Ichigo?" Renji asked.

Ichigo glanced down at where the coat was growing down his left arm. He hadn't had a lot left after clashing with Aizen – scraps of his right sleeve, and his leggings were all that remained. "It's part of my Bankai. It acts as armor. Depending on how much reiatsu I have left, it can take a lot of damage. I guess I was down to about half, maybe a third of my reiatsu…"

All the remaining taicho exchanged glances at hearing that – before being healed, Ichigo had still easily had taicho-levels of reiatsu. "No wonder Kenpachi likes fighting him," was Kyōraku's sole comment.

"We've seen you with the mask, but does your Resurrección take you higher than that?" Shinji heard himself asking, though he felt rather detached and ready to faint. If anyone asked, he was ready to blame it on his previous injury from Aizen.

"Yeah, a lot higher."

"What ARE you?" Hiyori demanded. "That's insane! How long have you been a Shinigami?"

"He's been a Shinigami for about a year," Rukia answered with a smirk, turning her head to look over her shoulder at Hiyori.

"And I'm human," Ichigo stated firmly. "Though I suppose part of my high levels of reiatsu are due to Dad…"

"That's right," Isshin agreed. "That's what you get for having an ex-taicho for a father."

Soifon just stared at the younger Kurosaki. _That, that _nightmare _was with only HALF of his power available to him? _She was beyond fear. All she could do was stare in stunned disbelief.

That expression was quickly echoed by everyone else facing southwards. "What?" Ichigo questioned. "I mean, I know it's impressive, and I certainly didn't expect my Dad to be a Shinigami, but…"

"Ichigo… look behind you," Rukia whispered, her tone one of utter horror.

He did, just in time to see Yamamoto fall. "No way…"

"Yama-jii… defeated?" Kyōraku breathed. "How?"

"I don't know," Ukitake replied, drawing his own Sōgyo no Kotowari. "But he won't live to regret it. Shunsui! Urahara! Hachigen! Bakudō plan!"

The four of them leapt out with the speed of Shunpo, followed at a short distance by Ichigo. Ichigo had not been fully replenished – his Bankai coat still had a few parts of its sleeves and the upper part of its chest missing – but hopefully, it would be enough.

"Oh?" Aizen queried loftily. "What's this?"

Hachigen swiftly passed his hand over his face, palm inwards as he summoned his mask, a more colorful one than most of the other Vizard, Ichigo observed. The mask had curved tusks from either side of its mouth, which oddly enough had muscle-red "gums" around the teeth. The mask also had goggle eyes, with red on the outside and orange inside, and yellow feather-like spikes around the outside of the mask, resembling a Native American headdress. But his preoccupation with the mask vanished as soon as he heard the Vizard's spell: _**"Bakudō 99: Bankin! First song: Seiryū!" **_

An enormous amount of spiritual wrappings erupted from behind Hachigen, rushing towards Aizen at high speed. Aizen attempted to dodge, but… "Bakudo 61: Rikujōkōrō!" Ukitake and Kyōraku called out together, and the enemy was heavily surprised to find himself frozen in place by twelve bars of light that struck him in the midsection.

A moment later, the spirit fabric from Hachigen's Bakudō practically collided with Aizen, promptly wrapping him up several times over, but leaving the twin Rikujōkōrō spells alone.

"_**Second song: Hyakurensan!"**_

One moment, there was nothing in the air around Aizen. The next, Ichigo could hardly see Aizen through the cloud of metal bolts that promptly stabbed into the Hōgyoku-powered Shinigami. _Wow. Brutal. _

_**But oh so fitting, **_Cazador commented with a satisfied grin.

"_**Final song: Bankin Taihō!" **_

It was the shadow that suddenly appeared above Ichigo that alerted him that perhaps he should never piss off the good-natured Kidō master. But to Ichigo's surprise, Aizen let loose a scream of rage, and he could see the metal bolts popping out, the fabric was tearing, the bars of light were cracking!

"Hit him with another Bakudō!" he yelled to Urahara, who didn't appear to hear him. "Hurry!" Ichigo tried, yelling towards Hachigen, but he too gave no reaction.

_Oh. Oh, no. Aizen's used another illusion on them! _Ichigo rushed in, spinning Tensa Zangetsu on his finger as he charged a Getsuga as fast as he could, using his left hand to pull on his Adjuchas mask, his eyes on the target.

The enormous sealing cube meant to pin Aizen to the ground, helpless, began to fall, none of them noticing Ichigo's new peril, nor Aizen's progress towards escape.

And then all the Bakudō that had been placed on the man exploded outwards, vanishing into the air, and Ichigo felt Aizen's reiatsu, strange and alien-feeling from the Hōgyoku's influence and his evolutions, skyrocket. But still, his comrades noticed nothing!

Aizen and Ichigo spent a precious moment looking at each other, one smug, the other horrified, before both Shunpo-ed out of range of Hachigen's Bakudō. Aizen's eyes had lost their iris and eyebrows, but he otherwise looked no different from before.

Once they were hundreds of meters away from the others, Aizen turned around with a smirk. "So troublesome, to have to resort to a partial evolution to escape from there… the Hōgyoku wasn't ready for my next form yet. But, now I know that I can escape the highest levels of Bakudō, even layered and empowered by a pseudo-Arrancar."

"_**Even if Bakudō no longer works against you, I won't let you win and sacrifice everyone!"**_ Ichigo growled.

"Is that so? Gin!"

A moment later, the other traitorous taicho appeared in a flicker of Shunpo next to Aizen. "Yes?"

"Open a Senkaimon. We're going to Soul Society. We'll create the new Ōken there while our foes rejoice having 'killed' us. My illusion should last until we have arrived in Soul Society."

_He's going to sacrifice them all! _Faces flashed in front of Ichigo's eyes, faces that belonged to people he knew, people he had sworn to protect! _Yuzu, Karin… Tatsuki… Mizuiro… Keigo… Everyone… _Ichigo's reiatsu manifested around him, flaring as a seething black-and-crimson Getsuga-like aura around him. Tendrils of his reiatsu writhed in the air under Ichigo's rage, his Hollow mask and Shinigami blade thrumming with power. _**"Didn't you hear me, Aizen?" **_he hissed. _**"I won't let you."**_

Aizen smiled at the human Vizard before him. "And how do you plan to stop me? You cannot be more skilled in Bakudō than a Hollowified fukutaicho of the Kidō Corps so you cannot seal me. You cannot physically subdue me, as the Hōgyoku will regenerate all my wounds. You have never killed, am I correct? You have never taken a life. To take it is no small matter, Kurosaki Ichigo. You, as all humans do, will hesitate before the final stroke. It is only natural, for as a thinking human being, taking the life of someone else is akin to taking your own. It harms your very soul, your mind, your body. And it is at that hesitation that I will kill you. So if you cannot seal me, cannot subdue me, and cannot kill me, how will you stop me?"

"_**Maybe you're right," **_Ichigo admitted. _**"Maybe every human would hesitate." **_He began to smirk behind the mask. _**"Lucky for me, I'm not just human. Tell me, have you ever seen a Hollow hesitate?" **_

Aizen blinked, and then instinctively dodged the Cero that erupted from Ichigo's fingertips. The Cero traveled for another hundred meters before striking a building, which promptly exploded in all directions. "Impressive, Ichigo…"

"_**Cero!" **_

Once again, Aizen evaded, and another building was reduced to flying remnants of metal, stone and glass. He ignored them – nothing without reiatsu could hurt him now. "What do you hope to achieve by doing this?"

"_**Tell me, Aizen… do your illusions account for being struck by rubble after you're dead?" **_

_This must be what getting drunk feels like, _Ichigo thought to himself with a wild smirk upon seeing Aizen's eyes, widened in shock.

_**Drunk at a stripper bar with the best one dancing for ya, **_Cazador amended, sharing Ichigo's fierce joy at having spoiled Aizen's illusion.

It took only a moment for Aizen's face to morph into a decidedly angrier look, one that made the Vizard begin to realize that perhaps taunting him might not have been the best idea. "Are you happy, Ichigo?" Aizen asked with a dangerous tone. "Do not forget, even if they realize that they are in an illusion, they cannot break it. Did you think that you could regain your allies so easily? You are alone, Kurosaki Ichigo. If you believe you can stop me, then come and try!"

Just then, a Senkaimon opened, and a Hell Butterfly, black as pitch, flew out, leading a figure that made everyone in the area freeze in surprise. The figure was decidedly female, her black hair tied back in a bun held by a white and very light blue cloth. She wore the standard Shinigami robes, along with an armband on her left arm that pronounced her a fukutaicho, though Ichigo could not make out the division symbol from his position.

But perhaps most prominent was her taken-aback, half-fearful expression as the Senkaimon closed behind her. "Aizen-taicho?"

* * *

Alright, got a lot to say here.

First, Ichigo's (Cazador's) vest. Ichigo has now accepted that HE, not Cazador, is the source of his Hollow powers. That HE is a Hollow. That acceptance has brought about a change to Ichigo's apparel due to the fact that they are HIS clothes, when he is a Hollow.

Second, I recently noticed that practically no one was been affected by the mass of reiatsu of all the taicho and fukutaicho fighting together against Aizen. Why? By all means, in their released states, at least some of the fukutaicho and lower Shinigami should have been unable to breathe. For reference, see the Kyoraku and Ukitake vs Yamamoto fight's effect on Nanao before they even released their Zanpakuto. Given that Ichigo's reiatsu should now be enormous and terrifying, it was only right that Matsumoto had trouble.

Next, why Ichigo can sense Aizen, but no one else can. Aizen has evolved beyond Shinigami, into a new dimension of reiatsu. In canon, this now explains why normal Shinigami cannot feel him. But Ichigo can, because he's on the cusp of evolution himself - no Vizard before him has ever (in canon so far) undergone Hollow evolution. No one has dared. But Ichigo has not truly evolved yet, so the others can still sense him.

In regards to Yamamoto being able to sense Kyoka Suigetsu but not Aizen... This part is tricky. Kyoka Suigetsu was born of Aizen's soul, yes. They are interminably linked. Aizen's evolution IS affecting Kyoka Suigetsu. But Kyoka Suigetsu has not merged with Aizen yet.

Why has Hinamori suddenly arrived? Well, this is my interpretation. In canon, she arrives to help Matsumoto as she struggles with Harribel's three Fraccion, after she's fought a while. I figure she must've requested to come along to help but been denied by Yamamoto, and then after she arrived there was simply no opportunity to push her away. In my fic, similar things happened, but if you recall, Hitsugaya's conversation with her was changed. Aizen's dark past was brought up, and now Hinamori was more confused. She took longer to decide to defy Yamamoto's orders, which is why she's only arrived now.

Regarding Aizen's illusionary powers - Kyoka Suigetsu affects the five senses completely, yes. But it does NOT affect spiritual sense. Which is why Yamamoto could sense Kyoka Suigetsu. We don't know the whole theory from canon, but I believe that Aizen's illusions require a portion of his concentration and he has to design them. Unexpected circumstances that he doesn't realize he needs to adapt to can make the target aware of the illusion, even if he can't break it. After all, he didn't take away their sense of touch, because he needed things to seem normal.

Next, I always wondered why there wasn't even a BASIC plan for the taicho to work together to take out Aizen. I mean, "Bind him, then stab him" seems like such a basic idea. If you've got people skilled in Bakudo, which the Gotei 13 and the Vizard do, then USE them!

Why didn't Aizen do the full evolution into a butterfly? Well, it's because he hasn't had a hole in his chest made yet. He needs the fear of "Oh shit, after all this I'm gonna die? From Gin? A plain Shinigami?" to do it. He didn't need the full evolution to break out of the Bakudo.


	26. Illusion of Reason

Alright then, this chapter takes a lot from canon, especially the latter half, but oh there are differences in how this will play out.

But first, I got several questions regarding Kyoka Suigetsu's affecting the reiatsu sense or not. I based my interpretation off of the bleach wikia site, where it has this to say:

"It controls the five senses to the point that it can make the target misinterpret another person's form, shape, mass, feel and smell to be that of the _enemy_. The initiation condition for the hypnosis is to show the enemy the release of Kyōka Suigetsu. After seeing it just once, that person will completely succumb to the hypnosis. After that, every time it is released, that person will fall under the thrall of the hypnosis."

Note how it says the FIVE senses. Not including spiritual sense. However, this apparently doesn't quite explain everything. The main problems brought up were regarding Aizen's supposed corpse, especially when Unohana knew something was wrong with it but couldn't tell what.

So, let's go over what we know about Shinigami. What is the key way of determining if a Shinigami is still alive? Whether he still has reiryoku (spirit power)! Every Shinigami, every Hollow, every spiritual being has some amount of it! All of them! So, if having reiryoku means life, then having no reiryoku means death.

Please note the difference between reiatsu, reiryoku, and reishi. Reiryoku is how much energy or power a Shinigami has within them to be used for their Zanpakuto, Kido, or for reiatsu. Reiatsu is spirit pressure, the force of the reiryoku when released into the air. It is highly dependent on reiryoku to even be used.

To illustrate the difference as I understand it, if a Shinigami is completely exhausted, completely and utterly, they have barely enough reiryoku to stay alive, let alone move. They therefore have no more ability to generate reiatsu. That's why in my fic when I indicate power levels via reiatsu, there's usually a direct correlation.

Now, reishi (spirit particles) are a different story. Pretty much everything spiritual is made up of reishi. You can consider it the atomic blocks of spiritual things.

The reason I bring up these differences is to highlight what Unohana couldn't figure out. Aizen stabbed his sword, Kyoka Suigetsu, into that building and had it generate an illusion of his own corpse. The "corpse" and presumably Kyoka Suigetsu, were brought to Unohana, who investigated. Unohana, realizing that the corpse didn't give out any reiatsu, it must not have any reiryoku. Since the corpse had no reiryoku, she called Aizen well and truly dead, but continued investigating in order to find clues to the killer.

Shinigami, like all things spiritual, are made up of reishi. Their bodies fade away after death, in due time. But here is where I believe the inconsistency was. Unohana figured out with her spiritual sense that the illusionary corpse didn't have enough or perhaps the right "type" of reishi to truly be a Shinigami corpse, but everything other sense told her it had to be Aizen. At the time, she didn't know about Aizen's illusionary Zanpakuto, so she couldn't figure out the truth.

Another possible story is that Unohana sensed Kyoka Suigetsu's subtle reiatsu. Most Zanpakuto die with their owners, so if Aizen were dead, it would be somewhat unusual for Kyoka Suigetsu to still be alive.

In any case, I maintain that Kyoka Suigetsu does not affect the spiritual sense.

Anyway, now for some definitions:

Dangai - Precipice World. This is the dimension between Soul Society and the living world. It used to be a colony for exiled souls, actually, though that grew out of practice. Here, time goes 2000 times faster than in the other worlds. 2000 years can pass in the Dangai while only one passes outside it. The Kototsu and Koryu were put there to keep souls from taking advantage of the different flow of time to get stronger then come back.

Kōtotsu (Wresting Surge) - This is the cleaner that chased Ichigo and the gang while they were attempting to invade Soul Society through the Dangai. It's an enormous, purple, oozing, bullet-train entity with a yellow light where its head should be. Upon catching an intruder, it propels them to a far different time than the one they entered from, usually centuries at a time. This usually instantaneously kills them because the body can't put up with the stress.

Kōryū (Wresting Flow) - This is the ever-flowing purple oozing walls of the Dangai. It will quite literally catch and kill anyone unwary enough to be caught in it. It almost managed for Ishida, but luckily only his cape was caught.

Kaikyō Kotei (Realm Boundary Fixation) - This is the Shinigami counter to the Koryu. By channeling reiatsu into the walls using specializing implements, the Koryu can be halted for a while, giving a small window of safety to the Dangai.

Saigo no Getsuga Tensho (Final Moon Fang Heaven-Piercer) - This is Ichigo's ultimate attack, the culmination of completing Jinzen. More details to come in later chapters. This is also frequently called "Final Getsuga Tensho", but I like going with the original names of the attacks without mixing English and Japanese.

* * *

Chapter 26: Illusion of Reason

"Aizen-taicho?"

Ichigo was dumbfounded at the sudden appearance of the stranger. _Who is this? And why is she calling him taicho? _

_**Is she a sympathizer? **_Cazador suggested.

"Hinamori…" Aizen recognized with a smile. "It has been quite a while."

_Wait, I know that name. Hinamori? Wasn't she the fukutaicho that Aizen nearly killed? _Ichigo recalled, straining his memory to what seemed a lifetime ago, back to while he was recovering from his first failed attempt on Aizen's life in Soul Society.

**Flashback**

_Ichigo was lying down in the Squad 4 barracks, being evaluated by their taicho, Unohana. She seemed to be pleasant enough, always smiling, and obviously very good at what she did, considering that he was largely recovered after Aizen had nearly cut him in half. "Alright, you're healed enough to move around," she confirmed. "But I want you back here at the end of the day. In the meantime, no training, absolutely no Bankai, and do try to avoid Kenpachi-taicho… he seems quite eager for a rematch." _

"_Trust me, that's something I want to avoid too," Ichigo agreed with a slim bead of sweat on his brow. The mere thought of fighting that bloodthirsty maniac gave him chills. _It's hard to believe I beat him the first time… _he thought as he got up and stretched his legs. It felt good to be moving around again. As he made his way to the exit, he passed the child-looking taicho, Tōshirō, who was apparently on his way to see someone. _

"_Poor boy…" Unohana commented quietly. _

_Ichigo's curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn't help but ask, "Hmm? What happened?" _

"_His childhood friend, Hinamori Momo, was Aizen's old fukutaicho. Aizen tried to kill her shortly before taking the Hōgyoku out of your friend, Kuchiki Rukia." _

_Ichigo knew first-hand just how dangerous Aizen was, and from the sounds of it, Hinamori had ended up even worse than he had. "Well, you fixed me pretty quickly. She'll recover, right?" _

"_Physically, she's stable, and healing. She had only one stab injury, though grave, and hadn't exhausted her reiatsu like you had. Mentally, however, may be another story," Unohana related. "Like I said, she was Aizen's fukutaicho. She looked up to him greatly. His betrayal must have been devastating… she is in a coma right now, and no one knows when she'll wake." _

_Ichigo glanced back at where Tōshirō had disappeared into what must be Hinamori's medical station, his heart feeling heavy and pained in sympathy. He knew too well the guilt of failing to protect those he cared about. _

**End Flashback**

_**Hold on, **_Cazador interrupted Ichigo's musings, having watched Ichigo's memory as he went over it. _**If she was betrayed by Aizen, then why isn't she either running or trying to kick his ass? **_

"Aizen-taicho… why?" Hinamori asked, her voice cracking with emotion. "Why are you doing this? Why did you attack me and fake your own death? Please, Aizen-taicho, tell me there's a good reason for all this!"

"Hinamori…" Aizen whispered softly, taking a step closer.

Hinamori jumped back, away from the man she used to look up to, drawing her Zanpakuto even as Ichigo noticed small tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Please don't come closer, Aizen-taicho!" she screamed. "I just… I just want to understand! Let me hear the truth from your mouth, Aizen-taicho! I've heard so many horrible things from everyone… Yamamoto-soutaicho, Hitsugaya-taicho, Unohana-taicho… Please, just tell me the truth!"

Aizen let out a sigh with the same gentle smile he used to give before he revealed his betrayal. "Alright, Hinamori. You do deserve the truth. The truth is, Soul Society needs to change. Why is it that the justice of Soul Society lies in 46 ignorant, oft-corrupt nobles who have long since forgotten what it is like to live like the commoners? Why are the Shinigami so 'superior'? Why is it that if you have even the tiniest inkling of reiatsu, enough to become the very weakest of Shinigami, that you are held above those outside the Seireitei? Why is gaining Hollow powers forbidden, when with some tests and experiments, we can drastically reduce Shinigami death rates by giving them minor abilities! Why is it that we are forced to obey a man thousands of years old, someone so old that he can no longer see the trees for the forest? Yamamoto does not know the meaning of compromise! We obey because we are afraid of being killed!

"It needs to be fixed, Hinamori," Aizen went on. "But the source of the problem, the very beginning, lies with the Spirit King. The Spirit King has essentially washed its hands of us, when it gave full control of the government to the Central 46. And the only way to stamp out a problem is to go to the source. So my goal is to ascend and take the place of the Spirit King. And in order for me to do that, I need the Ōken. It's the only way into the Spirit King's dimension.

"The Ōken's location is known to only one person in Soul Society, and that man is Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekun. The information is supposed to be passed down to the next soutaicho, according to the lore I found. So at first, when I was in the Shinigami Academy, I thought that if I simply improved myself to taicho, and then moved to be even stronger than that like Yamamoto-soutaicho was, then I would certainly reach that goal eventually."

Aizen laughed derisively. "I was a fool, and I was lucky to realize it early. Yamamoto had two students who grew up to be taicho, and they were far older, far more powerful, far more trusted than I. It was inevitable that one of them would become the next soutaicho. Probably Kyōraku, since Ukitake has that regrettable illness. But can you imagine Kyōraku becoming the next soutaicho? He is an easy-going philanderer, with admittedly great power, but no skill in the politics needed to even begin solving some of the problems that went on.

"For a small time after that realization, I entertained the idea that I could become his trusted advisor, much like Yamamoto has his fukutaicho, Sasakibe. But I realized that there was no way that Kyōraku would ever allow anyone to know where the Ōken was, not even his most trusted friends. There would be simply too much potential for the information to slip out! No, I would not be able to gain the Ōken that way, so I had to look for alternatives.

"And then I found how to create a new Ōken," Aizen continued. "I needed to sacrifice 100,000 souls, along with a plot of spirit-enriched land with a radius of half of one spirit-mile. I didn't care for the idea, but weighed against the future of Soul Society, it was an acceptable sacrifice. With that plan in mind, I now needed to work on becoming as strong as possible, so I could defeat the Spirit King and take his throne.

"I gained my Shikai quickly. But I realized that if my Shikai's true abilities were known, then I would lose the element of surprise! So I lied, and called it a 'flowing water type' Zanpakuto, while in truth Kyōka Suigetsu is an illusory type. This also opened up several possibilities, including a way to study how to grow ever stronger! All for my plan to replace the Spirit King and restore equality and strengthen Soul Society.

"It was at this point that I recruited Tōsen and Gin. Tōsen was absolutely needed, as his blindness made him immune to my illusions, and everything would be foiled before I could start without his support! But luckily for me, he believed in my ideas of justice after what the Central 46 had done to his friend, and agreed to help. Gin was a lucky gain, I admit, but he has been extremely helpful over the years…

"I modeled my idea for growth after Yamamoto," Aizen admitted freely. "I needed to master everything I could, from Kidō to Hohō to Zanjutsu to Bankai to tactics… everything! But then the thought occurred to me: 'But how do I grow even stronger than that?' In my research to strengthen my soul, I found a way: the Hōgyoku! I tried for so long to finalize it… I sacrificed hundreds of low-ranking Shinigami and Rukongai peasants with Shinigami talents, none of whom contributed anything to the system, and made their deaths look like accidents. But it was not satisfied… It failed.

"With that avenue apparently a failure, I moved on to the next possibility: Hollowification. But I could not risk losing myself, becoming a Hollow and losing my identity, my plans. So I tested it on others, eventually moving up to taicho and fukutaicho Shinigami, using Kyōka Suigetsu to give myself an alibi. But before I could finish, I found out something that quite surprised me. Urahara Kisuke had successfully done what I had not, and finalized his own Hōgyoku! And with its power, he stabilized the Shinigami I had infected with Hollowification, creating the Vizard, Shinigami with Hollow powers!"

Aizen shook his head sadly. "Thinking that Urahara had been the one responsible for the Hollowification tests, the Central 46 attempted to put them all to death, Urahara and the Vizard. Yet another display of their refusing to even consider that they were wrong. However, with Urahara's death, I could easily take his Hōgyoku for my own. Unfortunately, Yoruichi rescued them, and Urahara was able to take his Hōgyoku, leaving me to wait for my opportunity. In the meantime, I worked on my skills and became a taicho before starting to recruit an army of natural Arrancar. They would be needed, you see, to distract Soul Society while I made the Ōken.

"My opportunity came when Kuchiki Rukia was sent to the living world for her patrol and gave Kurosaki Ichigo her powers, and Urahara sealed the Hōgyoku into her soul discretely using a reiatsu-draining gigai, hoping to drain the Hōgyoku's reiatsu until it was completely dissipated. At once, a plan formed. I would have to get Kuchiki to be executed on the Sōkyoku, whose heat would dissipate her soul so I could take the Hōgyoku. I considered it a necessary sacrifice. Recall that my ultimate goal was the Ōken, Hinamori," he reminded her. "But I needed the advantage, the power that only the Hōgyoku could provide.

"But how to arrange for Rukia's execution by Sōkyoku? The Central 46 would need to be convinced, and as I am not a noble, that made it quite difficult. Their stubbornness forced my hand, and I was forced to kill them all. In order to maintain the peace and further my plan, I framed my own death so I could be their voice." Aizen paused for a moment. "I am sorry, Hinamori… we were too close, I could not let you in on the plot. Your reactions needed to be natural, otherwise it would have given everything away. I wish you hadn't come across me in the Central 46 chambers… I loathed having to stab you like that, but there was no other option. I needed to make sure you stayed safe and weren't accused of throwing your lot in with me."

Hinamori was very visibly speechless, so Aizen resumed his explanation. "It was unfortunate for my plot that Kurosaki Ichigo had gained enough strength to stop the Sōkyoku, but ultimately it saved Kuchiki's life – I had not wanted to use an untested Kidō to acquire the Hōgyoku from her soul, but it worked flawlessly. My exposure was regrettable, but I had already gained everything I could from Soul Society."

"At that point, I retreated to Hueco Mundo to finish creating my army of Arrancar. I invaded today so I could finish my plan and create the Ōken, and here I am now," Aizen finished his speech grandly, gesturing with his free arm. "As you can see, I truly did require the Hōgyoku to grow beyond my limits as a Shinigami."

Ichigo couldn't believe his ears. Aizen had used the absolute truth about history, confirmed everything that had been said about him, but had STILL managed to make himself out as a good guy! Perhaps a little misguided, with a few psychological problems, but with Soul Society's best intentions at heart!

"Aizen-taicho…" Hinamori whispered, her voice hesitant but Ichigo could clearly hear the rising trust in it. She lowered her blade, tears running down her face, barely-repressed sobs of relief straining her words. "I knew there was a good reason, I knew there had to be… I knew you were a good person…"

"_**Are you kidding me?" **_Ichigo screeched. _**"He just admitted he's a murderer of thousands, and he still plans to murder over 100,000 more! Do you really want a guy like him to be in charge of literally everything?" **_

"She cannot hear you, Kurosaki Ichigo…" Aizen murmured. "She is under my hypnosis now."

Ichigo felt an odd mixture of exasperation and anger at that statement – why were some people so very trusting of someone even after being betrayed so easily? _**"Send her away, then. Our fight is not over yet." **_

"Oh? Why would I do that, when I have such a perfect deterrent for your attacks?" Aizen asked with a knowing smirk. "You would never cut down poor, innocent, defenseless Hinamori Momo in order to get to me. And after that speech, she'll do quite literally anything to help me."

That stopped Ichigo short – he had no idea of Hinamori's capabilities. Could it be possible for her to have an ability to counter his sheer speed? Was she a Kidō expert, perhaps? Ichigo couldn't attack long-range, as Hinamori would get in the way of his Getsugas. He couldn't get up close and personal either, as Hinamori would continually try to block or attack him, giving Aizen opportunities that Ichigo couldn't afford.

Ichigo's signature scowl deepened in frustration. _Any ideas?_

_**Surprise Aizen. Run her through in a non-fatal area and hit him, **_was Cazador's suggestion.

_Attempt to knock the girl unconscious with minimal force before fighting Aizen, _Tensa Zangetsu contributed.

_I don't like either of those ideas. Aizen's too fast to turn my back to even for a moment, and Aizen would see my attack and shift Hinamori into a spot where my attack would be fatal, _Ichigo thought, frustrated. _What I need is someone else to keep her occupied… _

"Looks to me like you could use some help, Kurosaki."

Startled, Ichigo's eyes darted to his right, where he could spy Ishida and Chad having appeared in their respective high-speed techniques.

"Ichigo… Allow us to assist," Chad requested, both of his arms already transformed.

_**Ask and ye shall receive, **_Cazador joked.

Behind the mask, Ichigo's mouth twisted into a strange expression, mixing frustration with gratefulness. As much as Ichigo wanted to fight alone and protect them, he knew that to ask would be futile and hurtful – Chad and he had promised each other to always watch each other's backs. To deny him that opportunity would crush him. At the same time, Ishida had his own pride to think of, and saw Ichigo as rival. Nothing Ichigo could say would make them back off. And Ichigo had just admitted to himself he needed some help…

"_**Take care of Hinamori here, then. Leave Aizen to me!" **_

"No!" Hinamori screamed, Shunpo-ing between Aizen and Ichigo. "You can't kill him! Snap, Tobiume!"

Hinamori's Zanpakuto glowed a rosy pink before quickly straightening, and then produced two thin prongs that jutted out about an inch from the main blade before running parallel to it. The first one was down close to the hilt, while the other was about halfway up. _Odd choice for a blade… those prongs look kinda fragile… Might be suited more for Kidō. _

Ichigo was proven right when Hinamori quickly slashed at him, producing a large fireball that the Vizard almost carelessly slashed apart with Tensa Zangetsu. _Huh. That was a rather weak attack… __**"Is that really the best you can do?"**_

"Don't hurt Aizen-taicho!" Hinamori cried, tears running down her face. "Didn't you hear him? He's a good person, he's doing this all to help us!"

"_**Hinamori, he's killed a thousands of people, and plans to kill thousands more!" **_Ichigo argued. _**"He admitted it himself! Is that really who you want in charge of everything?" **_

Hinamori paled somewhat, before biting back, "You cannot defeat Aizen-taicho, you monster! Abomination!"

_Wait, what? _Ichigo ran over what he'd said a second ago, and really couldn't think of a way his words could be twisted in a way to seem that Ichigo was at fault. _Was it the mask?_

"Ichigo?" Chad queried.

"_**Don't look at me. Unless she hates my hair color or the mask or something…" **_

"I believe Aizen has once again used his Zanpakuto to make her hear something you did not say," Ishida explained.

"_**Oh, come on!" **_Ichigo complained to Aizen. _**"Really? What did you change that to?"**_

Aizen seemed more amused than anything else. "You make it far too easy, Ichigo-kun. I simply made her think that you had said you were going to kill me and keep my severed head as a trophy. Then I added you would rape her daily in front of it."

"Aizen-taicho…" Hinamori whispered, more tears falling down her cheeks. "I won't let you down!"

"And now she believes I've told her some encouraging words of how I'll never let anything happen to her, and that I have confidence in her ability to take out your two friends," Aizen went on with a smirk.

"Well, that makes things simpler…" Ishida muttered, before using Hirenkyaku to retreat in a random direction, Chad quickly following.

"You won't get away!" Hinamori yelled, taking chase using her own Shunpo.

"_**Now it's just you and me."**_

"Ah, but it is not."

"_**Huh?" **_Behind Aizen, Ichigo could suddenly see the traditional sliding doors of a Senkaimon appear and open, Gin stepping inside. _**"Wait, no!" **_

Aizen stepped backwards, entering the gateway between worlds himself. "You are too late, Kurosaki Ichigo. Come and find me, if you can."

"_**Come back here, you bastard!" **_Ichigo used his fastest Shunpo yet, but the gates closed abruptly right before he could reach it, vanishing a moment later. _**"Damn it! How did you know I don't know how to open a Senkaimon?" **_

_**Don't forget, Ichigo! We have Garganta! **_Cazador reminded him.

_I haven't forgotten, but I only know how to get to and from Hueco Mundo, _Ichigo pointed out. _And I really don't want to get lost in that void between worlds! _

_**Fair point. So, what now? **_

_Well, hopefully with him out of this dimension, the others can actually hear me now. We tell the others, get one of THEM to open a Senkaimon, then take the fight to him! _Without waiting for a response, Ichigo's expression tightened in determination as he Shunpo-ed to the others with as much speed as he could. Except, there was something wrong, Ichigo could sense it… if only he could tell what it was…

* * *

A few minutes before, Aizen and Gin stepped into the Dangai. "How nostalgic," Aizen commented.

"It really is," Gin agreed, before sensing something that could be potentially troublesome. He turned around and recognized the purplish train-like cleaner of the Dangai. "Aizen-taicho…"

"Ah, the Kōtotsu…"

"This isn't good… We should go, Aizen-taicho," Gin suggested. "That thing is a being of reason rather than reiatsu. We shouldn't be able to deal with it with our reiatsu."

Aizen merely raised a hand as the Kōtotsu approached, and before the cleaner could touch him, it spontaneously exploded in all directions, sending its strange mass towards the walls and past Gin, revealing a bone-like spine of sorts that promptly collapsed. "What are you afraid of, Gin? Reason exists only for those who rely on it to survive." He began to walk past Gin, a small smile on his face. "Now, let's go… to the edge of reason."

* * *

Ichigo got the answer to his strange feeling of wrongness as he talked to his father. "What do you mean they're all gone?"

"Well, you killed Aizen, right?" Isshin said with a smile, as though that should explain everything. "You told me you wanted a bit of time alone to deal with your first kill before vanishing off somewhere, leaving me to tell the others that you'd never killed a man before. Everyone was really understanding about it, too! Several people in the Gotei 13 wanted me to pass along a message asking you to meet up with them next Saturday, while the Vizard want me to remind you to come by their hideout, wherever it is, whenever you feel up to it. Harribel wanted me to pass along a thank you, mentioning she was going to go find Nelliel. Urahara and Tessai went to go find the Hōgyoku, thinking maybe it's among the rubble down there."

"That! Wasn't! Me! Aizen did it with his illusions AGAIN!"

Ichigo's father paled. "Aizen's still alive?"

"Yes!" Ichigo cried out. "Now PLEASE, open a Senkaimon!"

Isshin promptly drew his Zanpakuto and held it at waist level before sticking it into the air. Ichigo had seen a Senkaimon opened in this fashion before, but it still seemed odd to watch half of Isshin's Zanpakuto seem to enter an invisible space. Isshin quickly twisted, unlocking the gateway between Soul Society and the living world, and then the Senkaimon opened. Father and son jumped into the opening, entering the Dangai.

"So, what's your plan?"

Ichigo glanced at him as the pair ran through the strange dimension. "Use Resurrección again, try to kill Aizen from behind."

"But how are you going to find him?" Isshin pressed.

"I'm going to sense him."

"You can sense him?" Isshin asked, somewhat surprised. "I can't."

Ichigo looked at him strangely. "Why not?"

"His reiatsu is incomprehensible to me, I can't read it, I can't locate it," Isshin explained. "The Hōgyoku has changed him to something more than Shinigami. You could describe it like a blind man trying to understand color when he has never seen, or like a two-dimensional being trying to comprehend a third dimensional one."

"Well, I'm not exactly purely Shinigami, now am I?" Ichigo pointed out.

"Do you really think you can take out Aizen as you are now?"

"I have to!" Ichigo growled. "I won't let him kill everyone!"

"There's a sure-fire way for you to defeat him, you know," Isshin told his son gravely. "If only we had the time for you to learn it…"

Ichigo whirled on him. "How?"

"The Final…" Isshin breathed, before cutting himself off. "Wait. Something's wrong." He stopped cold, closing his eyes.

"What is it?"

"I can't sense the Kōtotsu."

The Substitute Shinigami blinked. The Kōtotsu was the proper name for the homicidal 'cleaner' bullet-train-like monster in the Dangai that had almost killed him on his way to invade Soul Society to rescue Rukia. "That's a good thing, right? It's not chasing us."

"No, it's a bad sign. I can't sense it anywhere. I think Aizen's destroyed it."

Ichigo gaped. "I thought that was impossible! Nothing can touch it or it gets consumed, right?"

"Right," the ex-taicho agreed. "It is impossible for a Shinigami to even harm it. But Aizen isn't all Shinigami anymore."

Ichigo was beginning to get a little worried. "So, what does that mean? He can't be killed?"

"No, I think he can still be killed… if only by someone on his level…" Isshin muttered. "No choice… Ichigo, I know you've gotten incredibly strong, but if Aizen keeps evolving like he has been, even your Resurrección won't be enough. You need more training."

"We don't have time for it!"

"Wrong. The Dangai, like the name suggests, is temporally and spatially separate from both the living world and Soul Society. Since the Kōtotsu is gone, we can take advantage of that." Reaching into his Shinigami robes, Isshin pulled out four small fork-like implements that were attached to wires.

Ichigo's face took on a look of confusion. "How?"

"The Dangai is surrounded by several layers of temporal currents, meaning that in effect, time flows differently here. In fact, it flows about 2000 times faster in here than outside. Meaning that if we spent 2000 years here, only one year would pass in the living world and in Soul Society," Isshin explained. "The Kōtotsu was meant to keep people from spending too much time here. But the Kōtotsu is not here now."

The Vizard's eyes widened in realization. "We could spend hours here and only have a few seconds go by, making me stronger to fight Aizen!"

"Precisely, but I'm afraid we'll need more than hours. We will need days, weeks, maybe even months," Isshin informed his son sternly. "However, the Kōryū shifts and changes – another reason not to stay very long. But Shinigami do have a way to halt it for a time." With that, he threw the implements he'd taken out to either side of himself, the wires attaching themselves to his wrists.

Ichigo watched in astonishment as the perpetually flowing, shifting walls of apparent goo suddenly stopped and appeared as normal walls. He glanced at his father with astonishment. _Just how good are you?_

Apparently unaware of Ichigo's thoughts, Isshin continued his impromptu lecture. "This technique is called Kaikyō Kotei. With it, I can halt the Kōryū for 2000 hours with my remaining reiatsu. That is almost three months, and we must make the most of it."

"What are you going to teach me in that time?" Ichigo asked, dumbfounded at this, but his thoughts were . _Aizen must have known that he was creating an opportunity for me when he destroyed it. Why? _

"Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō."

"Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō?" Ichigo echoed, surprise written across his features. _Tensa Zangetsu?_

…

_Is there really a Saigo no Getsuga __Tenshō__? _

… _There is. _

Something in his tone gave Ichigo the chills – it was something between a warning and a pleading not to ask more. Instead, Ichigo turned to his father. "How do you even know that exists?"

"That doesn't matter right now," Isshin dismissed. "I can explain everything later, but we have more important things to worry about. I'll hold back the Kōryū, but you need to talk to Zangetsu and learn the Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō. It's your ultimate weapon, and with any luck, you'll finish with some spare time."

"Dad, Tensa Zangetsu doesn't like that idea," Ichigo told him. "And I respect him. Learning this Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō sounds nice, but what makes you think it'd be enough to defeat Aizen? Besides, how many times has Aizen evolved in the last hour? If I don't attack him now and kill him, I really won't be able to keep up!"

"You'll have three months to change his mind then," Isshin argued. "Besides, even if you don't learn the Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō, you'll get so much stronger training in your Inner World. You've grown this strong in such a short time! So even if you only take one month, Aizen will only have had twenty minutes. That's not nearly enough time for him to begin creating the Ōken, especially since the rest of the Shinigami will at least sense Gin approaching and delay him more."

_**There is that, **_Cazador agreed.

"Alright…" Ichigo conceded. He sat down in a meditative position, laying his Bankai on his legs. "What about food? Won't we need to eat?"

"Food and drink, for a Shinigami, is only really needed to replenish the reiatsu when we use too much at one time," his father replied easily. "That's why the Shinigami in Soul Society eat often – they use reiatsu for so many things, but largely for training. Since this technique of mine, Kaikyō Kotei, drains my reiatsu slowly, I won't need to eat until after you're done."

"Alright. See you in a couple of months, then." His concerns assuaged, Ichigo settled in, and pulled himself into his Inner World.

Isshin gaped at his son as he sensed Ichigo's reiatsu settle. _That was… absurdly fast. How long has he been able to do that?

* * *

_

Meanwhile, Aizen exited the Dangai alongside Gin. "You're somewhat off, Gin," he chided.

"Ah, I would appreciate you not blaming me for our new location. We both know the effects of the Kōtotsu."

Aizen took a moment to consider that. "You're right. Sorry about that." Apology made, he began making his way towards his destination

"Aizen-taicho? I thought we were going to Karakura to make the Ōken?" Gin asked in confusion. He could clearly sense the real Karakura Town by the extremely powerful technique the Gotei 13 had used to transport it to Soul Society, and it was in a different direction.

"We are, but first, we need some insurance…"

"What sort of insurance?"

Aizen stopped and turned to face his subordinate. "I anticipated that Kurosaki Ichigo could become the only one capable of fighting me on an even plane long before today," he revealed. "After all, I was the one who engineered the circumstances that forced his rapid growth. However, I must admit I underestimated his willingness to embrace his Hollow powers. I have been struck several times by him, been dealt critical blows that would have killed a lesser being. It is only the power of the Hōgyoku, and the foolishness of the Gotei 13, that allowed me to survive. But Ichigo-kun has one overarching weakness, and it is that weakness that we shall use to force him to submit."

Aizen smiled the smile of having a secret trump card, but Gin was unsure just what he referred to – "Are you talking about Ichigo's weakness to Bakudō?"

"No, no… Bakudō can be broken out of with sufficient strength, and even then it is reliant on successfully striking him, which can be damnably difficult with his agility," Aizen denied, turning and resuming the walk. "Ichigo-kun's weakness is his reluctance to harm or kill innocents, especially comrades, to reach the goal."

Gin's eyes widened for a moment before he once more began to follow his leader. "But his comrades are all in the living world now, aren't they?"

"Not all of them," Aizen corrected with a smirk. "Come along, Gin. I have a particularly special one in mind…"

* * *

And another chapter out of the way! I don't plan on having Aizen go directly to Karakura just yet... he's got something else in mind, something that he's planned for just in case... And no, he's not going after Rukia. Good guess though!

Now, before anyone asks, I am NOT answering whether Ichigo will succeed in getting the Saigo no Getsuga Tensho.

Yes, I invented that little flashback for Ichigo. I mean, he was being treated. Hinamori was being treated. Hitsugaya often visited. I figured that there was a pretty good chance of them meeting like that.

I kinda creeped myself out with how easy it is to twist Aizen's actions into being good-intentioned, just carried out by someone who lacked a conscience and didn't know when to stop. I think it's right up his alley to take the absolute truth, and give it just enough twist to make himself look good.


	27. Disillusionment

And once again, another chapter in a week! And this one's longer to boot!

marc - Nice call about the Yoruichi thing. She's there too, I just forgot to mention it.

DBZLover - I've tried, oh so many times. Fanfiction . Net won't take it.

No new terms this week, but a quick refresher on some of the characters - some haven't really been parts of the plot in my story thus far.

Arisawa Tatsuki - one of Ichigo's best friends from childhood, high-level martial artist, best friend of Inoue. She learned most of the truth about Ichigo several chapters back. She refers to Keigo and Mizuiro by their last names only, since they're classmates but she doesn't know them well. Besides, Keigo can be a pain.

Asano Keigo - one of Ichigo's friends from school after Ichigo and Chad (both with a known fighter reputation) saves him from being beat up by a gang. Has a tendency to be overdramatic, but has his serious moments as well. He has gained the ability to see and hear spirits with no difficulty due to his frequent proximity to Ichigo, and is quite familiar with "Afro-san" Zennosuke, though he doesn't quite know the whole truth about Shinigami and Hollows.

Kojima Mizuiro - Keigo's best friend, one of Ichigo's friends from school. Very popular with girls, especially slightly older women. Loves to tease Keigo when he's being overdramatic, but otherwise somewhat withdrawn when not around Keigo or Ichigo. He can see and hear spirits as well, though he doesn't know it yet.

Honshō Chizuru - largely known for being a shameless lesbian, always trying to molest Inoue in class. She is frequently stopped by Tatsuki, but until now has never been known to see and hear spirits. She has no clue about the spiritual goings-on in Karakura.

Don Kanonji - TV star on his own show, where he combats and sends spirits to heaven. Or at least, he thought he did, but it turned out he was accidentally hastening the Hollowification process. This was very early on in the plot, before Rukia got taken. Ichigo, in his Shinigami form, explained a few things to him, and ever since, Don Kanonji has been gaining more knowledge of the truth.

Kurumadani Zennosuke - Also known as "Afro-san". He's Rukia's replacement, the Shinigami sent by the Gotei 13 to take care of minor Hollows in Karakura. He's not very competent, and uses his Zanpakuto largely for running away when he's outmatched.

* * *

Chapter 27: Disillusionment

_Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō… _Ichigo wasn't sure what to think. Why was it called "Saigo" (Final)? Why did his Zanpakuto seem so reluctant to discuss it? Ichigo looked at the pair of spirits that inhabited his Inner World. Even as he opened his mouth to speak, Tensa Zangetsu cut him off.

"Please, Ichigo… Do not ask of the Saigo no Getsuga Tenshō. It is not something I can teach you, nor would I want to if I could. It comes with a terrible price."

Ichigo shut his mouth and merely nodded. "So then, let's get started on the training."

"But what are you planning to train in?" Tensa Zangetsu pointed out.

"**We'll need to overwhelm him from the start," **Cazador pointed out. **"Otherwise he'll just evolve again thanks to that freaking god-mode stone. We need to be able to take him out before that can happen." **

The Vizard nodded his agreement. "Speed and strength, then. Reflexes."

"The Getsuga Tenshō."

"**Your Hollow powers, especially regeneration, Cero, and Hierro." **

"With any luck, we can take him out in one hit," Ichigo suggested optimistically. "Then there's no chance of being affected by Kyōka Suigetsu. I wonder why he never tried to capture me in its effect… He should have resealed his Zanpakuto and tricked me into watching its release… Is he unable to control his reiatsu enough thanks to his evolutions?"

"**Maybe," **Cazador murmured thoughtfully. **"You think that his rapid changes in reiatsu have changed Kyōka Suigetsu into being a permanent release, like Zangetsu is for you, or that blade of Kenpachi's?"**

"Maybe… I mean, all of us have such incredibly large reiatsu, but his just keeps getting bigger and weirder. If he can't suppress it enough to reseal Kyōka Suigetsu…"

Tensa Zangetsu looked at his wielder piercingly. "There's something else troubling you." It was not a question.

Ichigo's lips twisted into an unsure expression. "I'm… there's just something off. All I felt from Aizen's sword was solitude. And why would he destroy the Kōtotsu? He must've known that I didn't know how to open a Senkaimon. When would I have learned? I would've had to continue on with someone else, and the only one nearby who could and would do it at that time would be Urahara or Dad, both of whom knew about the implications of there being no Kōtotsu. When I think about that, and how he hasn't tried to hit me with an illusion, I can't help but think that he wants me to reach his level, to see things from the same viewpoint as him."

"**What're you getting at?"**

"I don't know." Ichigo ran a hand through his hair and rested it on the back of his neck. "I mean, why would he want me to be as strong as him? I feel like, like…"

"You feel as though he is looking for someone to kill him at his strongest in combat," Tensa Zangetsu finished.

Ichigo paused and looked up at his Zanpakuto spirit before nodding. "Yeah. Assisted suicide."

"**Hold on," **Cazador asked. **"Are you saying you think that Aizen **_**wants **_**you to kill him?" **

"Think on it, Cazador de la Luna. Why else would he do so much, give so much opportunity, means and motive to Ichigo? By his own admission, he's arranged for most of the experiences that forced Ichigo to grow stronger," the Bankai spirit pointed out. "The only one who has a reasonable chance of defeating Aizen at his strongest is Ichigo, thanks his Vizard abilities and his human nature. Why, then, would Aizen allow Ichigo to grow at all?" 

"**I dunno, he did say that he considered Ichigo an experiment on how far he could grow," **Cazador replied back sarcastically. **"Why does this even matter? We need to get strong enough to kill him anyway. If he's stupid enough to want us to kill him, even better." **

"You're right," Ichigo concurred after a moment. "So how are we going to train all that?"

"By giving you an opponent that outclasses you in every way." Tensa Zangetsu placed his hand on Cazador de la Luna's shoulder. "Prepare yourself, Ichigo. We have precious little time to shatter any concept of limits you might have, and forge you into a true Kami of war." Before Ichigo's eyes, they began to merge once more to create the fusion spirit that he'd fought not even a day ago.

Cazador laughed as he rejoined the other half of Ichigo's power. **"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this." **

"I don't doubt that for a minute." _Well, this is going to hurt. _Ichigo readied his blade and pulled on his Adjuchas mask, preparing for the fight of his life.

The fusion spirit opened his eyes, locking his mismatched Hollow amber and Zanpakuto blue eyes with Ichigo's Vizard ones. "Come, Ichigo!"

* * *

"Urgh…" Arisawa Tatsuki unsteadily got up, holding her head. Her senses felt as though there were a fog over them, but she knew that something wasn't quite right. She looked around slowly, not wanting to risk getting dizzy. She was inside her classroom with the rest of her classmates. _Right… there was class today… and then that unexpected radio announcement… _Tatsuki shook her head as the memories came back to her. The teachers had kept them inside after the emergency announcement had come through, in an effort to protect the students from what was most likely a crazy town trying to reach a spot to safely endure that strange airborne contagion. "That airborne whatever sure packs a punch."

"You're telling me," another voice groaned. Turning around, Tatsuki found Asano Keigo stumbling to his feet, also holding his head like he had a headache. "You alright?"

"I'm fine, idiot."

Keigo looked around the room briefly, his eyes lingering on Kojima Mizuiro momentarily before continuing. "Ah… everyone's ok…"

"We've got bigger problems, Asano," Tatsuki interrupted, looking out the window. "Look outside."

"Eh?" Keigo made his way over to Tatsuki, carefully stepping over the collapsed Honshō Chizuru, and looked outside. It took him a moment or two to realize the problem, but when he did… "EH? Why are there mountains outside? Karakura doesn't have mountains!"

"I don't know," Tatsuki answered quickly, trying to cut him off before he gave her a worse headache. "I think the whole town's been somehow transported."

"And where's Ichigo? And Chad, and Inoue, and Ishida?" Keigo went on.

"They weren't here before the whole contagion thing, Asano…" Tatsuki rubbed her eyes and the bridge of her nose in rising frustration. _Though that is a very, very good question. Where are they? The four of them, being out at once means something very big, spiritually, is going on._

"D'ya think this whole problem has to do with Ichigo? And what most people can't see?"

Tatsuki whirled around in shock, turning to Keigo with wide eyes. "H-H-How did you know that?"

Keigo tapped his head with one hand. "I can see too, you know. I know that sometimes I can see Ichigo in strange black robes, and I pass this one afro guy dressed the same way that no one else can see almost every day on my way to school. I've even played host for a couple of Ichigo's friends…" He shivered.

"Which ones?" Tatsuki couldn't help but ask.

"A bald-headed guy named Ikkaku, and a beauty-obsessed one named Yumichika," Keigo answered quickly. "And to make it worse, my sister likes that Ikkaku! And I had to put up with so much, and they extorted me, and…" His voice was getting whinier by the second.

"Shut up, Asano." _I don't know them… but it sounds like Asano's got a basic idea of what's going on. _"Yeah, I think Ichigo's at the heart of this."

"What should we do?" Keigo was back to being serious.

Tatsuki looked out the window again to hide her uncertainty. "I… Let's get a radio," she decided. "Hopefully we can find out what's going on from the radio stations, if they're awake enough to broadcast."

Keigo frowned thoughtfully. "We should be able to get one from the principal's office."

"You go get it," Tatsuki ordered. "I'm going to try to call Orihime."

She pulled out her phone and made her call, but was disappointed to be immediately connected to her best friend's answering machine. _Her phone is turned off, or out of reach… _Tatsuki tried again with Ichigo's cell, but that too failed. In frustration, she called Ichigo's home, and to her relief, that rang and was connected.

A very much awake voice answered the call a few rings later. "Kurosaki residence, this is Karin."

"Karin!" Tatsuki seized. "Man am I glad to hear someone else out there. But I'm in a bit of a hurry, is Ichigo there?"

"No," came the answer. "He's been gone a while, though. But Dad's missing too."

"Huh?" That threw Tatsuki for a loop. _Why would…?_ "Any idea why?"

"Not a clue." Karin's voice gave the impression that she was just as confused as Tatsuki was. "I'm sure he'll turn up, but I'm here with Yuzu, and here's where we'll stay. Maybe he just went out to get something, or maybe there was an injury he needed to go tend."

That seemed like a plausible explanation to Tatsuki – Kurosaki Isshin _was _a doctor, and given today's fiasco, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that the hospital had called him in for some extra hands to help out. "Alright. Thanks for the update, I'll let you know if I see Ichigo or your dad."

"Thanks."

Tatsuki hung up the phone, slowly putting it back in her pocket as she tried to figure out what was going on. But she was quickly distracted when she heard another almost inaudible groan. She helped Kojima Mizuiro up, and then Chizuru awoke as well.

A few minutes later… "So, to summarize, you're pretty sure the whole town's been transported because there are now mountains surrounding the whole town. Next, you think whoever let out the airborne contagion that infected the whole town has something to do with it, and you're positive that somehow, Ichigo's involved," Mizuiro repeated. "Along with Inoue-san, Ishida-san, and Chad."

"Yeah. I know it sounds crazy, but…"

"Mizuiro!" Keigo cried out happily that his friend was among the alert. "I'm so glad you're awake!"

"Ah, hello again, Asano-san," Mizuiro responded politely. "It's good to see you as well."

"Ah! Why do you call me 'Asano-san'?" Keigo exclaimed dramatically. "I'm your friend, aren't I?"

"Of course, Asano-san."

Keigo glomped onto Mizuiro's leg, tears streaming down his face. "Why?"

But he was promptly kicked in the face by Tatsuki, making him roll backwards a meter or so. "Keep it down, Asano."

Wiping his theatrical tears aside and standing up without a mark on him, Keigo nodded and once more adopted a serious expression. "I've got the radio. Let's see if we can find anything."

* * *

Aizen made his way through the Rukongai without a care, with Gin following closely behind. Despite Aizen's hints, Gin still couldn't figure out who his former taicho was looking for. The Vizard, who knew the same difficulties as Ichigo of having undergone Hollowification, had remained in the living world. The same applied to Ichigo's father, his teachers Urahara and Yoruichi, and the humans with strange abilities that formed Ichigo's team.

The Shinigami forces that had come to defend the fake Karakura had returned to the Seireitei, which was in the general direction that Aizen was leading him, Gin supposed. _But who among the Shinigami would Ichigo be especially interested in protecting?_ _Kuchiki Rukia-chan, maybe? He did invade Seireitei just to save her… _Gin shook his head lightly, dismissing the idea. _If Aizen wanted her, then we would have taken her before they left. But who? _

Looking around for some hint, Gin couldn't help but marvel at the stupidity of the Shinigami in general. There they were, two extremely dangerous intruders with taicho-level skills or higher, and not one of the people around them knew they were traitors. Hell, he'd been approached by a couple of people who recognized him, and been greeted warmly, and even been asked if his outfit was the new taicho uniform. _Aizen, I could have expected to go unrecognized. He looks a lot different without his glasses, and with his new evolutions. But me? Why'd they not tell the citizens of Rukongai? Ah well, their loss. _

Then Aizen stopped, and smiled. "There you are."

Gin's curiosity could not be contained, and he peered around his boss. What he saw, however, left him dumbfounded. It took him a moment, but he finally managed to get his thoughts together, and suddenly it all connected. "Aizen-taicho, you… You really did plan for every possibility, didn't you?"

"Of course."

* * *

Isshin watched his son worriedly – he was sleeping as much as he could to make his reiatsu last as long as possible, but every time he awoke he could not help but hope that Ichigo was finished in his Inner World. Every time, he was mildly disappointed.

Isshin winced as Ichigo's body coughed up more blood, and his left arm split open seemingly of its own accord. This was hardly unusual, but it was still emotionally agonizing for Isshin to watch his son motionlessly, silently take his injuries. Although Isshin knew better, Ichigo's actions – or rather, non-reactions – heavily resembled those of spiritually broken men, men who could not find it in themselves to care about their own well-being any longer.

_At least he seems to be getting some good training in – it's not like he was weak before, and fighting someone who can do this to him will make him unstoppable. _Isshin nodded to himself grimly. "Hurry, Ichigo. Everyone's counting on you!"

Meanwhile, in his Inner World, Ichigo breathed heavily as he collapsed to one knee on the skyscraper he'd been knocked into and halfway through, his mask and Resurrección crumbling around him. His Bankai coat had once again been reduced to scraps, reflecting Ichigo's exhaustion and state of heavy reiatsu depletion. The white vest that Ichigo donned when not in his Resurrección had a large pitch black circle right where Ichigo's Hollow hole had been mere moments ago, not that Ichigo knew this – he was somewhat preoccupied with the necessity of getting enough air. Even if he had seen it, he would not have known what it meant, so it mattered little.

His left arm had a large gash right down the bicep, from when Tensa Zangetsu had struck with his blade just before using Cero to utterly obliterate the mask. No other wounds were on his body, but that did not mean that they had not been delivered – Ichigo was getting faster in his regeneration, and the broken arms and ribs, the hundreds of cuts and bruises, none of them had so much as a mark remaining.

Blood flowed steadily from the wound onto the skyscraper, but it was ignored. Only one thing was going through Ichigo's head right now: Ichigo hadn't managed a single blow yet. Like Tensa Zangetsu had said weeks ago, the combined form outclassed him in every way.

"Get up, Ichigo."

His breathing slightly steadied from his precious moments of recovery, Ichigo got to his feet slowly, but determination shone in his eyes and face. "I'll beat you," he swore.

"Come and prove it, then!" the manifestation of Ichigo's powers demanded, before rushing at his wielder.

"Hado 4: Byakurai!" Ichigo screamed, his Bankai already moving to deflect Tensa Zangetsu's incoming counterstrike, the spirit having dodged with absurd ease almost before the spell had fired.

Tensa Zangetsu's expression didn't change even as he shifted the angle of his strike to lock blades with his wielder. "Getsuga Tenshō." 

Knowing he didn't have the reiatsu or strength left to weather such an attack, especially at such point-blank range, Ichigo Shunpo-ed to the side, reflexively firing a silent Getsuga of his own at the fusion spirit. He was so very tired, but Ichigo couldn't give up! His town was counting on him, and he'd be damned if he let them die just because his arms and his legs burned like molten rock!

A thought occurred to him then, one that Ichigo felt should probably be addressed. "Oi! Got a question for ya!"

Tensa Zangetsu paused, lowering his blade for a moment. "What is it, Ichigo?" 

"Well, I'm about out of reiatsu, right?" Ichigo indicated his scraps of a Bankai remaining.

"Yes." 

"And you've done this several times before in this training?"

"That is also true."

"So, why haven't I needed to eat anything to regain my reiatsu?"

"This is your Inner World, Ichigo. Reiatsu used here remains in your soul, rather than outside it. With some time and rest, it will return to you." 

"What about outside? How is my developing here going to affect me out there?"

"Your spiritual body reflects your appearance here, and vice versa. As you grow stronger here in your Inner World, your body does as well," Tensa Zangetsu explained. "You are a spirit, Ichigo. Is it so odd that as your spirit changes and develops, its form does as well?" 

"I suppose not."

"Now then, enough talk. Raise your blade, Ichigo! You have far yet to go before you can tear the very skies asunder with me!"

In the short time that conversation had taken place, Ichigo had begun to feel a little stronger as his reiatsu returned, but he knew that he still had nowhere near half of his normal reserves. Even so, Ichigo knew he had no choice but to fight. Ichigo raised his Bankai blade and with a thought, lengthened the chain on its hilt and wrapped it around his arm and shoulder. Now, even if his arm and hand felt weak enough to give out, he would not, could not drop it. Preparations made, Ichigo looked at the fusion spirit with utter determination. "Bring it, Tensa Zangetsu, Cazador de la Luna!"

* * *

"Let me try!" Tatsuki shoved Keigo out of the way and fiddled with the dial for the radio they'd commandeered from the principal's office. No one else had awoken yet, to their knowledge, but they had Chizuru standing watch from the doorway just in case anyone stepped into the school corridors. Much to everyone's frustration, despite having searched for several minutes, not a single radio station was broadcasting at the moment.

"This doesn't make sense," Mizuiro commented with a shake of his head. "How is it that we're the only ones awake? Along with Ichigo's family, I mean," he added.

"I think you've hit the point on the head. Ichigo," Tatsuki answered grimly. She really didn't want to be the one to explain to Mizuiro the likelihood that he had somehow gained enough spiritual awareness to resist what had actually put them to sleep. It would be far too long, with no way to prove it, and there was too much of a chance the others would wake up.

Keigo nodded in agreement. "So far, everyone awake has some sort of connection to him. It's like he's some sort of super-human who provides immunity to his friends! We should kidnap him and see if he's the cure for cancer or something!" Tatsuki didn't even look at him as she whacked him upside the head, returning Keigo to a more serious mood.

Mizuiro frowned, ignoring Keigo's antics. "You're one of Ichigo's best friends, Arisawa. Keigo and I spend time with him almost every day at school. What about Honshō?"

"Good question. Chizuru?" Tatsuki called out. "Have you spent much time with Ichigo lately?"

"Nope! Besides, you know I have eyes only for Orihime," the lesbian responded, poking her head back inside with a grin. She either completely ignored or completely missed Tatsuki's grinding her teeth together at her.

"Maybe she's an exception?" Keigo suggested.

Mizuiro shrugged. "Maybe." Turning to Tatsuke, he looked pointedly at the radio. "I don't think we are going to find out anything from the radio stations, Arisawa."

She scowled, but knew that he was right. "So, what now?"

"Well, it's safe to say we won't learn anything here… how about we go explore a bit?" Mizuiro suggested. "Maybe check if the town's really been transported somewhere, see if we can find someone else who knows what's going on…"

"Shouldn't we stay here, though?" Chizuru asked hesitantly. "Our teachers and fellow students are here. What if they wake up while we're gone, or if something happens?"

"Let's split up, then," Keigo suggested. "I know someone who might know what's going on, if I can find him and if he's awake."

"So do I," Tatsuki admitted, thinking of Urahara. "How about this? Chizuru, you stay here and call us if something happens or if more people wake up. Asano and I will go check our sources, and Kojima, you go see what you can find out. We call Chizuru as soon as we find something, and she'll call us?"

The others nodded. Several minutes later, Tatsuki was staring open-mouthed at where the Urahara shop used to be. _That's… that's not possible. _"The shop is gone? What does this mean? Was it taken down or something?"

At the same time… "Afro-san! Afro-san!" Keigo yelled at the afro-haired Shinigami who was fast asleep on the roof of the building he usually perched upon while waiting for Hollows. "Wake up already!"

But the incompetent man would not wake up! Grumbling to himself, Keigo climbed up to the roof. "Stupid people who won't wake up even when they're supposed to be watching out for those monsters… making me risk my poor self to get up there… I ought to kick him."

But even as he prepared a good kick, Keigo's eye was caught by the sword on the Shinigami's waist. "Maybe it'll help if something happens? But what if one of those monsters comes by? But he's asleep, he wouldn't be able to help anyway!" His face was the very image of unsurety, but then he decided to compromise. "I'll carry him with me! That way if he wakes up he can explain, and if not the sword's there so we can use it!"

Mizuiro, meanwhile, had actually found someone awake, but wasn't sure that was a good thing. "Bohahaha! Spirits are always with you!" Don Kanonji exclaimed in his signature pose, his arms crossed over his chest and clutching the opposite shoulders.

It seemed like a silly question when he was sure what the response would be, but Mizuiro had to ask. "Don Kanonji, do you know what's going on here? Why is everyone still asleep, and why are there mountains around the city?"

"Hmmm…" To Mizuiro's surprise, it seemed the man was actually giving it some honest thought rather than just spitting out another catchphrase. "I was looking around the city myself, and the city seems to have been plucked right out of where it was and set down somewhere else. The roads end abruptly on the outskirts, and there are forests just beyond them. I'm positive spirits are involved."

_The sad thing is, I'm beginning to think he's got a point, _Mizuiro had to admit to himself. _I don't know of any power that can just move an entire city in such a small span of time. _

But what was perhaps a harder pill to swallow as that he didn't know anyone else better qualified to handle spiritual matters than the spirit enthusiast before him. "Don Kanonji…"

But Mizuiro was interrupted by an overwhelming feeling of terror! Something was coming, something whose very presence was triggering every survival instinct he had to run away, as fast as he possibly could! He looked up to warn the older man, only to see a grim look on his face as well.

"Yeah, kid. That's definitely a spirit, and it feels like a really bad one."

"Can you take care of it?" Mizuiro asked hopefully – Don Kanonji took care of spirits on TV, could he handle this one?

"I won't lie to you, kid. I don't know. Most of the spirits I deal with are small timers; I leave the big ones to the real professionals."

"Professionals?" Mizuiro seized on the word like it was a lifeline. "Like who?"

"Like other spirits. The Shinigami." Don Kanonji shook his head. "I really hope he knows what's going on and coming to help."

"He? Who?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

Mizuiro's eyes were so wide that he half-worried they were going to fall right out of his head. "Ichigo?" he gasped.

"Yeah. If he doesn't turn up in time, I'll fight the spirit and try to buy some time. Kid, you need to round up anyone else that's awake and get as far away as you can, but don't leave Karakura unless you absolutely have to – I think we're in the spirit world. Who knows what could happen if you leave this island of the living world!"

Mizuiro's head was pounding, his mind trying to process everything he'd heard. It would be so easy to denounce Don Kanonji as a lunatic, but he had never sounded so sane, so serious and grim. And then, it all clicked in his head. _That's why Ichigo's gone so often, why he has to leave class so often. Why even when he's here, he's staring off into space, why he sometimes jumps at nothing I could see or hear… Arisawa and Keigo suspect, if not know, that's why they think Ichigo's at the heart of this. He's a Shinigami, and he makes sure spirits don't kill and eat us. I bet Ishida-san and Chad are involved too, maybe even Inoue-san. Those four have been rather close lately. _

It was as though he'd finally been given a key to open the door, to see the next level deeper in the world around him. "Come with me," Mizuiro urged. "You can protect everyone at the school! Just in case there are more spirits than just the one."

Don Kanonji paused – the kid had a point. He smiled. "You're getting it. Spirits are always with you! Alright, kid, I'm with you!"

As the two ran off, watching from a ways down the street, Aizen smiled. "Let's follow them, Gin. Let's see what kind of allies Kurosaki Ichigo has here. Perhaps killing one or two of them will hasten Ichigo's rise to power."

Meanwhile, Keigo and Tatsuki were both running as quickly as they could back to the school. Tatsuki had just gotten off the phone with Karin, who had also felt that pulse of reiatsu and was hiding with Yuzu. With that taken care of, the only thing left for Tatsuki to do was go back to the school and hopefully get whoever she could out before whatever was coming got to them. Chizuru had already been called and was working on waking up as many people as she could by any means necessary.

The pressure from Aizen's reiatsu had woken up the afro-haired guy on Keigo's back, so now both of them were running to the school. "What's going on, Afro-san?" Keigo demanded.

"I don't know! And my name is Kurumadani Zennosuke, not 'Afro-san!'" Zennosuke replied heatedly. He had given up on ignoring Keigo – which was how he'd dealt with the unusually spiritually aware human before – in favor of running from whatever monster was making the air around him feel so heavy and thick with reiatsu.

"How can you not know?"

"Well, apparently no one told me! I'm not exactly a taicho! I'm just a guy stationed here to purify Hollows and send newly dead souls to Soul Society!"

"WHAT? You're just a grunt?"

"Oi!" Zennosuke protested. "I'm not just a grunt!"

"What else do you call someone who doesn't know anything important and is given a low-level task?" Keigo screeched.

"Purifying Hollows is not a low-level task! It's a very important duty!" Zennosuke replied heatedly.

"If you're so strong, why don't you go 'purify' whatever's chasing us then?"

A bead of sweat ran down Zennosuke's face as Keigo looked at him expectantly. He knew perfectly well that he couldn't defeat the monster chasing them. "I… can't…" he bit out reluctantly. "It's too strong, stronger than anything I've ever known. The best I could do is delay it, and not for long."

Seeing the man's ashamed face, Keigo took pity and stopped yelling. "Well, can you call for backup or something?"

Zennosuke's face lit up. "That's a great idea!" Reaching into his shihakusho, he pulled out what looked like a cell phone, pressing a few numbers. "This is Kurumadani Zennosuke, stationed in the living world at Karakura Town. I'm with a spiritually aware human, and there is an enormous, strange-feeling reiatsu nearby." There was a short pause. "Wait, what do you mean, you're registering my call as being in Soul Society?" There was a much longer pause there, but though Keigo was paying close attention, he couldn't make out what the other end of the line was saying. "How come no one told me?" A few long seconds later, Zennosuke slumped. "Alright, fine. But there's still that reiatsu, and it's definitely coming closer… Yes, I'm sure that it's not a Shinigami taicho! Describe it? It's at least taicho-level, very heavy, alien-feeling, and not Shinigami and not Hollow! That means it's outside my range of skills and I need some backup!" Another several seconds later, Zennosuke screamed into the phone, "Yes, I'm very sure it's at least taicho-level! I'd stake my Zanpakuto on it! Just get someone out here!" Another few seconds later, he clipped out, "Thank you. Bye."

"So?" Keigo couldn't help but ask as the Shinigami tucked his phone back into his shihakusho.

"Well, someone's on their way," Zennosuke began. "But you're never going to believe the rest. Let's meet with your other spiritually aware friends and I'll explain what I can. I'd rather not tell the story twice."

* * *

Now that he'd delivered his old sensei, Yamamoto, to the tender care of Squad 4, Kyōraku walked slowly to the barracks of his own division pensively. They hadn't returned Karakura to the living world yet, leaving that to Urahara – after all, no one really knew if there would be any side effects that he needed to take care of, and the man was understandably busy looking for the Hōgyoku that Aizen had stolen. The last thing anyone needed was for a Hollow to get that aggravatingly powerful jewel.

Ukitake was right next to him, also deep in thought. "Penny for your thoughts?" he offered.

"I'm just worried… Ichigo's killed Aizen, a feat that even we couldn't accomplish. But he's an incredibly powerful combatant, with Hollow powers to boot, and he's not associated with us. What is the Central 46 going to do when they're reinstated? It'd be a poor thank you to force decisions on him after what he's done for us," Kyōraku explained.

"True," Ukitake agreed.

"And I'm wondering how the fight in Hueco Mundo's gone, why they haven't returned yet."

"Another good question."

"Not to mention, Gin's still out there somewhere."

"Sir!" a Squad 12 member sprinted up to him, dressed in the researcher's outfit that Kurotsuchi Mayuri-taicho had insisted on. "Kyōraku-taicho! Aizen is in Soul Society with Gin!"

"What?" Kyōraku exclaimed, shocked. "How do you know? And where is he now? Tell me everything!"

"Per Kurotsuchi-taicho's instructions before leaving, Squad 12 has been monitoring the Karakura replica, keeping track of reiatsu and such," the messenger explained quickly. "We gathered all the information we could on former taicho Aizen's reiatsu as the battle went on, until we could no longer detect it. However, we just received a call from Kurumadani Zennosuke, the replacement for Kuchiki Rukia stationed in the real Karakura, who has reported an extremely large, 'at least taicho-level' reiatsu of unknown origin. Per standard policy, we checked using sensors we left in the real Karakura Town, and detected former taicho Gin. It was then that another of our researchers found strange readings from the last few minutes the taicho were in the Karakura replica, and they matched the strange readings near Gin in the real Karakura. Sir, Aizen is there, right now!"

"Oh Kami…" Ukitake breathed. "He must have used another illusion on us to make us believe Ichigo had finished him off…"

Kyōraku tilted his head to the sky. "Nanao!"

As though her name was all that was required to summon her, Kyōraku's fukutaicho appeared in a flicker of Shunpo. "On it." Nanao's blue eyes were narrowed in seriousness behind her glasses as she pulled a small jar of black powder out of her shihakusho. Blazingly fast, Nanao drew several symbols on her arms, hands and the ground using the powder before throwing her arms up, generating a rectangular box of light. "Black and white net. Twenty-two bridges, sixty-six crowns and belts. Footprints, distant thunder, sharp peak, engulfing land, hidden in the night, sea of clouds, blue line." Root-like tendrils of light spread from the box as Nanao made a few movements with her hands, focusing on all the fukutaicho and taicho in Soul Society. "Form a circle and fly through the heavens! Bakudō 77: Tenteikūra!" The tendrils shot out, forming a huge network that would transmit what Kyōraku had to say to everyone the spell had focused on.

"This is Kyōraku Shunsui, taicho of Squad 8, and acting soutaicho due to Yamamoto-soutaicho's incapacitation at the hands of Aizen. Aizen is alive, and he is in the real Karakura right now, with Gin! All fukutaicho, all taicho, travel as fast as you can to the real Karakura!"

Message delivered, he nodded at Nanao, who dropped the Bakudō. Then, in a unified display of Shunpo, both taicho and Nanao all disappeared at once.

* * *

Ichigo opened his eyes for the first time in almost three months. Blinking back his longer hair as it dangled somewhat in front of his eyes, he looked at his father, who was looking extremely exhausted, barely able to sit up. "I'm back."

"About… time…" Isshin breathed, disengaging his technique, letting the walls of the Kōryū flow once more. "Did you… get it?"

Ichigo ignored the question in favor of getting up and stretching his legs. He took barely a moment to rip off the right sleeve of his Bankai coat before channeling reiatsu into Tensa Zangetsu's chain, allowing the chain on the end of it to extend and wrap its way up his arm, leaving a length of chain dangling from his shoulder. That done, Ichigo channeled more reiatsu into Tensa Zangetsu's hilt, and before Isshin's astounded eyes, the blade oozed a black substance over Ichigo's hand, creating an obsidian glove.

Apparently finished, Ichigo glanced at his father. "C'mon, Dad. It's time." Without waiting for an answer, he easily reached down and picked up his father, carrying him under his left arm, before vanishing and reappearing at the end of the Senkaimon, at the entrance to Soul Society. Without a second thought, he stepped through.

Ichigo took a deep breath of the reiryoku-filled air of Soul Society, relishing the taste of fresh air entering lungs that had been breathing the stale air of the Dangai for three months. It was astounding, Ichigo mused, to realize that after that training, he had even more monstrous reserves of reiatsu at his disposal. _It's quite convenient that Hollows can take energy from their surroundings,_ Ichigo thought in satisfaction as he felt the vestiges of Hollow power within him consume some of the reiryoku in the air. _Otherwise, I'd be fighting Aizen with a handicap. _

"Now then, where's Karakura…?" Ichigo reached out with his senses and nodded grimly. "Yeah, over there. And Aizen's there too, with Gin." He vanished again, using Shunpo to carry him at speeds that three months condensed into one hour ago he'd never dreamed were possible.

He arrived in front of his high school, Karakura High, and to his surprise, Aizen was approaching a few people he recognized – Keigo, Mizuiro, Tatsuki, and Don Kanonji, along with that afro-haired Shinigami who hadn't believed him to be a Substitute Shinigami shortly after returning from his mission to rescue Rukia. They seemed to be paralyzed by Aizen's power, and if Ichigo's newly-improved sensing abilities were any judge, if they got much closer they would die.

Ichigo's lips twisted angrily, and dropping his father, he Shunpo-ed ahead to be between his enemy and his friends. "You're not getting them, Aizen," he said calmly, but firmly, holding Tensa Zangetsu at the ready.

"Ah, you're here," Aizen greeted with a smile. "Excellent."

"I-I-Ichigo?" Keigo stammered in a low voice. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. You guys need to get out of here," Ichigo urged. "This is about to become ground zero."

"We can't!" Tatsuki protested. "The whole school is full of people! I bet most of them can't even move right now!"

_She's right. We need to move the battle elsewhere. _"Let's take this somewhere else, then," Ichigo suggested to his nemesis. "Then you can test your new power on me knowing I'm fighting my hardest."

"An interesting proposal. Allow me to present a counter-offer. You allow me to create the Ōken, and I will spare any ten humans of your choice."

"And what happens if I don't?"

"Well, then you'll have to say goodbye to someone you care very much for," Aizen replied, still smiling as he stepped aside to reveal Gin holding his blade at the neck of…

Ichigo gasped, his heart seeming to have stopped beating in shock. "Mom?"

The unquestionable form of Kurosaki Masaki, looking no different from the day she'd died several years ago, looked at her son, all grown up but there was no mistaking the hair, the face, the eyes of her baby boy. "Ichigo?"

* * *

And congratulations to the people who guessed it was Ichigo's mother. I was rather surprised there were so many of you, I hadn't realized I'd made it that obvious.

Alright, so people who don't quite get what happened, or forgot certain parts of the manga, here's the explanation.

In the manga, while Ichigo was out training with the Vizard, the Grand Fisher became an incomplete Arrancar and attacked Ichigo's body while Kon was out for a walk. Isshin steps in to save the day, killing him easily and avenging his wife's murder.

Remember that when a Hollow is purified, all the spirits that make up that Hollow are sent to Soul Society. Among them was Kurosaki Masaki.

In my fic, behind the scenes, Aizen sent a few spies to find out where Masaki ended up in the Rukongai, just in case. After all, who better to use against Ichigo?

Now, I know I haven't answered whether Ichigo got the Saigo no Getsuga Tensho. I won't answer if you ask, you'll just have to find out.

I found it highly ironic that Zennosuke, one of the most incompetent of the Shinigami that Tite Kubo bothered to name, was the one who alerted Soul Society to Aizen's deception.

I found it really difficult to write Don Kanonji, actually... in such a situation, I can't imagine him being all TV star-ish. And most of what I remembered about him is that he called Ichigo "kid" for the longest time, so I figured that he'd do the same with Mizuiro.

And now, for canon rant!

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OK, it was pretty much a given that Chad would be in the group of "humans with special abilities". What I found really, really interesting however, was that this was foreshadowed a long while ago.

"My right arm carries the soul of my Abuelo." Anyone remember that quote? And now the humans with special abilities, their power is to bring out the soul of things to enhance the objects or do special tricks?

But then, I thought to myself, "Hold on, how are they supposed to get Ichigo's powers back?" Are they going to bring out the soul of Zangetsu? Or maybe teach Ichigo how to do it?

After that, though, I smacked my head on the desk in front of me - Tite Kubo just brought in zounds more characters again, didn't he? and I'm having enough trouble trying to keep names and their associated looks/powers straight.

I wonder if they're going to bring Inoue in...?

Anyway, that's all for now. Until next time!

NeoRyu777


	28. Transcendence

Hey everyone! Ichigo's response to Aizen using his mother as a hostage is down below. But I warn you: I've done my best to give this upcoming fight a lot more badass than canon.

Next, replies to reviews:

DBZLover (and anyone else who had the same question) - Fanfiction . Net won't let me combine the ? and ! symbols at the end of a sentence. This can be quite a pain, actually. I've tried it countless times, but it won't work.

Freehawk - If new information comes out that in canon contradicts what I've written here... well, it depends on how badly it's contradicting. If it's mild, and doesn't affect the story much, I might go back and fix it. Otherwise, I'll explain the discrepancy and/or find a way to explain the contradiction in a way that makes my use work. I'm not about to go rewrite whole chapters, until I go and rewrite the whole story.

Mac Ceallach - The only reason I even thought of the problem was because a similar problem was brought to my attention by a reviewer several chapters ago. Addressing one led to addressing the other. Thanks for reading my story, and thanks for writing your own!

Next, only one new term this week!

Bakudo 81: Danku - A primarily defensive spell, Danku creates a rectangular barrier of reiatsu that is normally capable of blocking spells up to 89.

Chapter 28: Transcendence

Ichigo could not help but stare at the form of his mother for a few more moments, before he was suddenly enraged, his blade drawn, and he was less than a second away from putting himself between his mother and Aizen by any means necessary. "Let. Her. Go."

"And why would I do that, Ichigo-kun, when I have such a perfect bargaining tool?"

Ichigo's voice lowered and took on subtle hints of a Hollow double-tone as he replied, his head slightly lowered so his hair was covering his eyes. "I'm warning you, Aizen. Do not bring her into this."

"What will you do, now that I have? What could you possibly do when you know that all I have to do is merely touch her and her soul will disintegrate like ashes on the wind?"

Ichigo head shot up, his eyes Hollowified and narrowed at his enemy. "You are going to regret ever having looked at her, Aizen Sōsuke!"

Before Aizen could blink, Ichigo had appeared in front of him, his left hand holding onto Aizen's head before slamming him to the ground hard enough to leave a crater! Tensa Zangetsu flashed, and Ichigo swung down at his foe.

Aizen barely managed to roll to the side, but found Ichigo in his face again as he got to his feet. Holding back Tensa Zangetsu with his hastily-drawn Kyōka Suigetsu, Aizen quickly called out "Gin!"

But before Gin could react, Ichigo suddenly materialized in front of him, blade already swung. It took a moment, but then Gin's entire torso erupted in a geyser of blood. Falling backwards, incredulous that he'd never gotten his chance against Aizen, Gin found himself wondering, _Was it worth it? _

Ichigo took another step forward, reaching to take hold of his mother and take her somewhere safe, but was interrupted by his Zanpakutō. _Ichigo, you cannot touch her if you wish her to live, _Tensa Zangetsu warned. _Your reiatsu is too strong, too potent now. Your touch will have the same effect as Aizen's, until you can successfully keep all your reiatsu within yourself. _

Ichigo could feel his heart breaking as he comprehended the words. To be able to see his mother once again after so many years of feeling responsible for her death, yet not be able to partake in her maternal embrace was a punishment too cruel for words. "Mom…" he whispered, taking a few more steps back, and turning around, trying to bottle his need to grieve for later. A single traitorous tear escaped his self-control and ran down his left cheek, but his voice was steady as he spoke. "Run. Get the others and run to our home. Yuzu and Karin are there. I'll see you there when I'm done."

"Ichigo…" Masaki whispered, her body still trembling somewhat from Aizen's reiatsu being so nearby, but not so much that she was frozen. But she didn't move. Ichigo was about to tell her to go again, when…

"Ban… kai," came an unexpected whisper from a short ways behind Masaki. Gin was wobbly on his feet, but certainly standing!

"No!" Ichigo Shunpo-ed between Masaki and Gin, but to his surprise, his mother wasn't the target!

Glancing backwards, Ichigo was startled to see Kamishini no Yari embedded in Aizen's chest, before Gin retracted his Bankai. Bent over and holding a hand to his chest as blood flowed out over it, Aizen looked at his old subordinate. "I knew you would betray me, Gin. I brought you along because I was interested in how you would try to take my life, but I find myself disappointed. Do you really think a simple stab like that will kill me now?" Aizen asked mockingly.

"No…" Stumbling closer, past Ichigo and Masaki, Gin continued to talk, though it was clearly an effort to get every word out. "But how about… a hole in your chest… Aizen-taicho? To match… your heartlessness…" Gin breathed, coughing up blood.

"What?" Aizen demanded.

"My Bankai… I lied to you about it," Gin explained, before coughing up even more blood. "It turns to dust… for a moment when I change its length… There's a poison… secreted on the inside of the blades, in the dust… It breaks down cells… I left some in your heart just now."

"Gin!"

Now within reaching distance, Gin raised a trembling hand towards his old taicho. "Kill, Kamishini… no Yari…"

"Gin! You bastard!" Aizen bit out as pain blossomed in his still-beating heart.

Gin chuckled, though it was obviously painful judging by how he immediately vomited more blood to the street below. "I'm a snake, Aizen-taicho… I am cold… unfeeling… and I prey on those who look tasty. You were… just the tastiest… of them all." He collapsed to one knee, just in time for Ichigo to look over his head and witness the results of Gin's traitorous act.

Ichigo's eyes went wide as he watched Aizen's chest just seem to dissolve, creating a round hole that seemed to continually expand, eating away almost his entire torso. Aizen's left arm, having lost the majority of its shoulder and separating from the neck, began to fall downwards, pulling at what little remained of his abdomen. But in the center of that hole that Gin created, was the Hōgyoku. Before Aizen could begin to fall, Gin's hand snatched the jewel and he Shunpo-ed to Ichigo, collapsing as soon as he had from the multitude of wounds he'd taken from Ichigo's battle with him, Ikkaku's battle with him, and Ichigo's latest crippling slash to his torso. Behind him, Aizen fell the ground with a thump, his eyes wide and unmoving. "Take it!" Gin whispered harshly. "Take it and destroy it!"

Ichigo nodded firmly, taking the Hōgyoku from Gin's grasp. "Rest," he ordered. "I'll make sure the others know what you've done, and you'll be taken care of." Gin merely nodded, and succumbed to unconsciousness. He needed medical attention, and fast. _Can I touch him long enough to get him to the Gotei 13? _

_I do not suggest it – his reiatsu would normally protect him from the majority of the effects, but it is extremely weak right now and your own reiatsu would crush his existence rapidly. _

Ichigo was beginning to see just how much of a pain being on higher plane of evolution than everyone else was going to be. But before he could ask the afro-haired guy to call Soul Society, Aizen's corpse erupted into a pillar of reiatsu that reached to the heavens, and a loud, piercing scream tore through the air!

Ichigo was able to weather it just fine, but he could sense that if something didn't happen in the next few seconds, his friends were going to disintegrate under the pressure! _Shit, now what? _Gin was out, he couldn't touch them without killing them, and the Shinigami with the afro was… able to move? _Oh thank Kami. _"Afro-san!"

"It's Zennosuke, damn it!"

"Get them out of here! My touch will kill them!"

The man nodded and, with obvious effort, managed to pick up Ichigo's friends and throw them to the roof of the school, before he picked up Ichigo's mother and Gin and Shunpo-ed up to the roof, staying there. The Vizard could tell through his reiatsu sense that they were still alive, though very weak and recovering.

"Holy fuck!" Tatsuki uttered, breathing hard but quite glad to be still breathing after being paralyzed so badly.

"This is what Shinigami are capable of?" Mizuiro asked almost disbelievingly. Keigo was quite simply agape, speechless, which said enough about his state of shock.

"Not usually," Zennosuke replied quietly, in awe of the sheer power of the two combatants. "This is beyond anything I've ever heard of."

"But he just got stabbed in the heart and had his chest blown open!" Keigo screeched. "Why isn't he isn't dead after that?"

"Because he's transcended the limits of a Shinigami," came an unexpected voice. Keigo twisted around on the spot and his eyes practically popped out of his head when he saw more people in the same black robes as Zennosuke. "I am Hitsugaya-taicho of the Gotei 13, and… friend of Kurosaki Ichigo," Hitsugaya greeted. "There will be time to explain everything later, but right now we have to ensure the safety of you and your town."

* * *

Aizen finally finished screaming, and the light began to fade, allowing Ichigo to see how Aizen had evolved this time. His clothes had lengthened flared out at the ends, making an apparent robe that reached past his actual feet. His eyes had lost their irises entirely, and Aizen had lost the lock of hair that curled over his face earlier, revealing a dark, diamond-shaped object on or in his forehead. The most distracting of Aizen's new aspects, however, were that he'd gained wings. Three sets of butterfly wings, actually, which Ichigo would normally have found amusing, but given the situation, he found himself more grim-faced than before.

The hole in Aizen's chest that Gin had made had centered itself and shrunk significantly, forming what seemed to be a normal-sized Hollow hole in his sternum. However, the hole was not complete: there was a thin cross inside it. Ichigo was unsure what it was for, but he was more concerned about how Aizen was surviving and evolving without the Hōgyoku within him to power the changes.

Apparently levitating even after the light faded, Aizen smirked as though he'd seen an interesting trick and figured out how to do it himself. "A very nice try, Gin," he complimented, looking past Ichigo to the school's roof. "But it is my victory. You see, even when the Hōgyoku is out of my body, it is in my command."

"What?" Ichigo gasped, looking down at his hand where he'd held onto the Hōgyoku, but it suddenly vanished, apparently rejoining Aizen and taking its place in the center of the hole in his chest. _Well, that makes things trickier. _

Aizen glanced around, still with that satisfied smirk. "It seems we have an audience, Ichigo-kun," he commented. "But if they're smart, they'll know to let us fight alone. After all, we both know that we are beyond their power now."

"They don't matter, Aizen! This is between you and me!" Ichigo yelled. "Now, like I said before… let's take this ELSEWHERE!"

Aizen blinked, and suddenly Ichigo had once again appeared directly in front of him, grabbing him by the face and suddenly everything was a blur. A second or two later, Aizen found himself being slammed to the ground _again_. _I am getting rather sick and tired of that, _he mused to himself before getting up and looking around. They'd traveled outside of Karakura in that short time, and were actually fairly close to the mountains. "How did you do that?" Aizen asked curiously. "I cannot sense your reiatsu, and your speed and strength have increased considerably."

Ichigo glared at Aizen. "Wasn't that the point?" he asked derisively. "You're the one who destroyed the Kōtotsu. You must've known I would take advantage of the Dangai's time distortion."

"Of course I did. I simply don't understand the direction you took with your training," Aizen stated. "If I'm not mistaken, you took slightly more than an hour longer to get here, so you were training for two thousand hours. Almost three months of training, and what did you do? I find myself disheartened, Ichigo-kun. I cannot sense a modicum of reiatsu from you."

_He can't sense me? _Oh, Ichigo had to fight a malicious grin upon hearing that. _I am going to enjoy the look on his face when he figures it out. _

_**You and me both. **_

"Even if you are suppressing it, sensing absolutely nothing is impossible," Aizen went on. "It seems you have failed at evolution, and I cannot understand why. You were near it, when last I saw you. But you seemed to have failed to grasp that last chance I bestowed on you. Yet, with merely brute strength, you managed to not only touch me, but take me far away from Karakura.

"It seems to me that you have not lost your reiatsu, as it were, but more as though you transformed it all into raw physical power, maximizing your speed and strength in the hopes you could defeat me that way." Aizen shook his head. "I find myself disappointed, Ichigo. You were on the cusp of evolving past the limitations of Shinigami and Hollow, but instead you've devolved into something less than either. You have given up on fighting me in terms of reiatsu."

"It doesn't matter if I have reiatsu or not," Ichigo bit out angrily. "You dared to threaten those I call family! You're dead, you just don't know it yet."

"Is that so?" Aizen asked, amused, but he lost the smile when Ichigo disappeared, and he spun around to block Ichigo's vertical slash from the side. "Trying to cut off my wings, Ichigo?"

"You're a worm, Aizen. You don't deserve to be in my sky."

Of all things, Aizen looked almost delighted at Ichigo's words. "Oh, so you _did _come to the same interpretation of my new form as I did! I had reached my limit as a Shinigami, so I cocooned myself in the Hōgyoku and emerged as a transcendent being, just as a caterpillar naturally evolves to a butterfly."

Ichigo's face twisted into his customary scowl, but before he could retort, Aizen's wings glowed and then grew far more pointed towards the ends. Eyes narrowed, he brought Tensa Zangetsu to bear, but then there was a bright flash of light. Spinning around, Ichigo parried Aizen's strike to the side, and in that direction a large part of a mountain was completely obliterated, leveling it.

"Nice dodge," Aizen complimented. "But can you see now? My power is so great, a single swing of my blade can reshape the earth. To be honest, not even I expected my powers to grow so strong. I am happy, Kurosaki Ichigo. Thanks to you, I will be able to test this power that transcends Hollow and Shinigami as much as I please." With that, Aizen rushed at the Vizard with a fierce grin.

Ichigo stood still until Aizen was almost upon him, but then vanished. Aizen blinked as his attack hit nothing but air, but then he heard two fateful words spoken behind him that chilled him to the bone and reawakened fear within that Hōgyoku-given form. "Getsuga Tenshō."

Aizen let loose a bellow of pain as his wings were obliterated in an instant, and his back was flayed open as the Getsuga – still impossibly seeming to have no reiatsu at all – tore its way through him! "How…?" he gasped.

Ichigo reappeared directly in front of him, and suddenly Aizen realized that he'd been impaled through the stomach on the Vizard's blade. "You didn't realize?" Ichigo spat. "It wasn't your sword that crushed that mountain. It was mine. You're weaker than I am right now, Aizen. And I have no mercy for you."

* * *

"Holy shit," Renji uttered, watching Ichigo demolish Aizen. He and the rest of the fukutaicho and taicho in Soul Society had arrived just in time to watch Ichigo take down Gin with a single strike, and had been observing outside earshot ever since, not wanting to risk Aizen's using their susceptibility to Kyōka Suigetsu's illusions. They'd come close to interfering after Ichigo had told Zennosuke that he was unable to touch anyone without killing them, but Zennosuke had proven himself admirably by managing to not only stand under Aizen's reiatsu, but save the spiritually aware humans and the spirit of Ichigo's mother.

After Ichigo forcefully relocated both himself and Aizen with such incredible speed, everyone save Matsumoto and Hitsugaya had followed. They had stayed behind to tend to Gin, along with Ichigo's friends and family, with orders to check on the rest of the school afterwards.

"How is this possible?" Komamura asked Ukitake and Kyōraku, the senior taicho available. "Kurosaki Ichigo was not this strong before, and he looks different now."

Ukitake rubbed his chin in thought. "Longer hair, slightly taller, far more powerful, though no one among us can sense him… Everything points to him simply aging somewhat during an extremely long training session."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Jūshiro?" Shunsui asked.

Ukitake nodded. "I don't see how he could have done it, but Ichigo must have undergone Jinzen in the Dangai."

"That would explain the aging, and the newfound strength," Soifon agreed. "But why did the Kōtotsu not interfere?"

"That's what I can't figure out," Ukitake admitted. "Shinigami can't affect it with reiatsu, so how could Ichigo…?"

"While I agree that it would be Kurosaki's style, given how he destroyed the Sōkyoku," Kira said slowly, "it might have been Aizen."

"Aizen _is _a lot more knowledgeable, and the Hōgyoku might have given him the ability," Soifon concurred. "But then the question becomes, why would he do such a thing?"

"Maybe it caught him by surprise?" was Iba-fukutaicho's contribution.

"Certainly possible," Ukitake affirmed. "But I suspect that he did it on purpose."

"Ichigo is our last real chance against Aizen," Kyōraku began, obviously thinking along the same lines as his old friend. "I think he did it to allow Ichigo to improve himself beyond recognition. He knew that sooner or later we would realize what had happened, and wanted us to see the crushing of our hope."

"That seems to have backfired spectacularly, ne?" Renji commented with a smirk.

"Have none of you thought about the implications for after this is all over?" Soifon demanded heatedly. "None of us can sense either Kurosaki or Aizen! If Aizen wins, he could just as easily disguise himself as Kurosaki, though he likely won't bother since his goal is to replace the Spirit King. But if Ichigo wins, there's a rogue, unstable Vizard that we cannot sense, cannot defeat, and cannot control!"

"Unstable?" Renji hissed back, ignoring his common sense that kept screaming not to aggravate a taicho. "What has Ichigo ever done to us? He broke into Soul Society for the purpose of saving someone who saved him and his family. Name one other time he has done anything against Soul Society!"

"It's not a chance we can take," Soifon countered coolly.

"So you would imprison or kill him for saving you, saving all of Soul Society and the living world?" Renji inquired incredulously. "Some justice system we have. Should I go ask him to back off then, and let Aizen do what he wants?"

"Abarai!" Komamura rebuked sharply. "You are out of line!"

"Even so, he has a point," Kyōraku pointed out with a stern look at Soifon. "It is not our place to make a decision as heavy as that one, Soifon. In the meantime, Kurosaki Ichigo is a valued ally, as is any he calls friend."

* * *

Aizen flashed away in another burst of light, reappearing on higher ground a few dozen meters away, ignoring how blood was now pouring out of his stomach and back wounds – the Hōgyoku would take care of it momentarily. His face, however, was the very image of surprise. _I don't understand. He has no reiatsu. How can he use his Getsuga? How did he inflict such pain upon me? _

Ichigo looked sideways and up at him with narrowed, Hollowified eyes. "Do you really think you can escape me up there?" he asked scathingly. "That distance is nothing to me. You have merely an illusion of safety. Allow me to disillusion you!" Aizen's eyes widened, but it was too late, as the Vizard appeared right in front of him, his sword swinging too fast to block!

Blood sprayed from the incredibly deep wound – Aizen fell to the ground, a hand over his stomach as he tried desperately to keep his top and bottom halves together. "That was me returning the favor from Soul Society, Aizen," Ichigo told him vindictively. "Now, how did you put it again? Oh yes. 'Right now, your spine is the only thing holding your body together. No matter how hard you try, there's no way for you to stand up without destroying your body. It's not a matter of spirit, it is physically impossible.'"

"Fool!" Aizen gasped. "Are you happy, knowing you've given me such an injury?" _Help, Hōgyoku! _Aizen could feel his wounds mending rapidly, he would be able to retaliate in just a few more seconds.

"You have no idea." Suddenly, Aizen felt another stabbing pain as Ichigo plunged Tensa Zangetsu through his neck and into the ground, pinning him. Then, a searing, familiar heat began to burn behind his head. "Did you forget? I know the Hōgyoku allows you to regenerate. The thing is, I probably wouldn't have gone this far to kill you if you hadn't threatened my family and friends. That said…" Ichigo summoned his Adjuchas mask and leaned in, almost relishing every word he was about to say. _**"Let's see you regenerate this! Cero!"**_

The brilliant red beam of energy erupted from Ichigo's fingers for a few seconds, and then all was silent. When the dust cleared, Ichigo stood over Aizen's headless corpse, completely unharmed form his battle. Not willing to take any chances, the Vizard reached down and plucked the Hōgyoku from the corpse's chest. That done, Ichigo took off his mask and crushed it. _It's finally over. _He closed his eyes began to walk away, but froze upon feeling a rising reiatsu from Aizen's body. "Oh you've got to be kidding me," he groaned. "What does it take to kill you?"

Aizen's head regrew itself rapidly, and all of his wounds hissed with steam-like reiatsu as they regenerated. "You cannot kill me, Ichigo-kun," Aizen said with a triumphant smile. "I have gained immortality. And with my ever-growing power thanks to the Hōgyoku, you will eventually fall."

"Not if it's destroyed!" Ichigo quickly gave it a small toss in the air and attempted to slice it in twain… only to have Tensa Zangetsu cut nothing but air as it twinkled momentarily and vanished back to Aizen's chest.

_Shit. Think we can destroy the Hōgyoku if we can hold onto it long enough? _He'd been hoping to capture it long enough for Inoue to reject it with her powers, but it seemed that was no longer an option.

_Perhaps, but have you forgotten, Ichigo? The wielder of Benihime mentioned a seal… _

**Flashback**

_"Bakudō," Urahara revealed, stepping forward. "He was successfully held in place by multiple Bakudō, with some assistance from yourself, long enough for me to cast a full-incantation Hado 91: Senjū Kōten Taihō. The seals I've placed seem ineffective, though I have put one on that will take effect if he weakens significantly…"_

**End Flashback**

Ichigo's eyes widened momentarily, before they narrowed as he thought about it. _Weakens significantly, huh? How significantly? Guess we'll find out!_

Aizen, unknowing to Ichigo's new plan, raised his arms to the sky, feeling the Hōgyoku ready to give him another transformation. "Now, bear witness to my next evolution!"

The diamond-shaped object in his forehead abruptly opened, shifting into a more vertical oval shape, revealing a third eye. The next instant, a very large bead of dark blood trailed its way down Aizen's nose and onto his right cheek, but Ichigo was more preoccupied with how Aizen was suddenly screaming again, and his reiatsu was rising and changing once again! Then the Hōgyoku emitted a great flash of light!

When the light dimmed a few seconds later, Ichigo quickly took a moment to study how Aizen had morphed once more. His head was now a blackened skull, with the third eye in his forehead, and though Aizen's hair still had all the ridiculous length of earlier, it now seemed to be coming from where the skull reached where the neck should be.

Aizen's feet and hands had changed dramatically – no longer did they even remotely resemble that of a human's. His feet had become single-toed claws, and his left hand had both lengthened and thinned, looking quite sharp. Aizen's right hand had fused entirely with his Zanpakuto, and all four extremities had taken on a pitch black color. He had apparently regrown all three sets of wings, though with a new style – instead of butterfly wings, they now resembled sheets a large eye centered on each one, and they were adorned with Hollow-like skulls on the top-outside tips. On the bottom-outside tips, tentacle-like extensions gently swayed in the wind.

But perhaps the most telling thing about the new transformation, was that Aizen now no longer had any semblance of clothing, and had three Hollow holes, all in a vertical line down his torso, with the Hōgyoku resting in the center of the top one. **"I see…" **Aizen murmured. **"To defeat a Vizard using Hollow powers, to transcend him, the Hōgyoku wills I take on a Hollow form more powerful than any and overwhelm him."**

Ichigo glared at Aizen with all his might, his mask beginning to materialize. _I just have to get him to weaken long enough for Urahara's seal to take hold… _"Fine then. You want to make this _**a battle between Hollows? You've got it. Blacken the night, Cazador de la Luna!" **_

The Vizard could feel the white vest underneath his Bankai coat stretching, enveloping his body, though it was only truly visible on his right arm, where the ivory skin of his Resurrección lay underneath the obsidian chain of his Bankai. Once more, at his wrists and neck, the red tufts of fur emerged as Ichigo's Hollow mask grew around his head and his Hollow hole emerged unseen.

"**Are you ready to die, Aizen?" **Ichigo roared.

"**You presume to think you can kill me, even after I have proven my immortality?" **Aizen screamed back. **"Abandon your arrogance, human!" **

All six of the Hollow skulls atop Aizen's wings suddenly snapped to attention and charged a Cero. To counter, Ichigo twisted to the side and pointed three claw-like fingers at Aizen, looking down his arm at Aizen as well, charging a Cero both in his horns and at his fingertips. **"Arrogance?" **Ichigo repeated darkly. **"So far, you're the only one who's been hurt so far since we got here! You dared to give me the time I needed to grow strong enough to defeat you, you dared to hold my mother hostage and give me the motivation to kill you, and you still thought you could defeat me? If anyone's arrogant, it's you!" **

In response, Aizen unleashed his round of Ceros, and Ichigo did the same, all of blasts of destructive energy meeting at a point between the two of them… before Ichigo's overwhelmed Aizen's, racing ahead to destroy his opponent!

But there was a flicker of light, and Ichigo spun once more, clashing Tensa Zangetsu against Kyōka Suigetsu! **"Such power!" **Aizen praised, his blade in a deadlock with Ichigo's. **"Why do you not work with me, Kurosaki Ichigo? You could be a king, a Kami to all the worlds!"**

"**I already am a Kami of a world," **Ichigo replied softly, before raising his voice and looking Aizen straight in the eyes. **"Myself, and that is all I wish to rule!"**

Breaking the deadlock and vanishing in a flash of light to be a few dozen meters away, Aizen looked at Ichigo, his expression unreadable due to his current skull-like face, but his feelings on the matter clearly evident by his voice. **"Pathetic! Your strength is wasted on you! You are held back by your compassion! Sacrifices must be made for progress, and it is your refusal to make those sacrifices that makes you weak!" **

A Getsuga raced down Tensa Zangetsu, further empowering it as Ichigo made his rebuttal. **"It is not weak to value life! It is my compassion that drove me to become strong, Aizen Sōsuke! Getsuga Tenshō!" **

Aizen was taken by surprise when the Getsuga that Ichigo let loose was only as tall as he was, but its size was more than made up for by its speed! But Aizen had a plan. He raised his left arm and quickly chanted, **"Bakudō 81: Danku!" **

A transparent rectangular barrier three stories tall materialized in front of Aizen just in time for the Getsuga to clash on it. But the former taicho was astounded when the Getsuga broke through it easily, and barely had the time to bring Kyōka Suigetsu up to block! Aizen found himself forced backwards from the sheer power of the Getsuga as it raged against Kyōka Suigetsu, but after a moment he was able to shunt it to the side, destroying yet another mountain as the Getsuga annihilated it.

That accomplished, Aizen quickly looked around, trying to find his opponent. _In front, right, left, above, below… behind! _He spun around just in time to clash swords once more against Ichigo, an explosion of reiatsu that could be felt for miles emitting from the impact.

* * *

Renji was simply awed, watching as Ichigo and Aizen fought at levels far surpassing anything he'd ever thought possible. _And Ichigo will continue to get stronger over time, _he realized, remembering Ichigo's incredibly young age – Shinigami lived for centuries, if not millennia. Ichigo was not even a fifth of his way through his first century, and he'd gained all this power so recently, so quickly! _Where will he be when he's my age? _Renji shuddered just trying to imagine it.

"This is insane!" Omaeda whimpered from next to his taicho, shivering as he weathered the latest rush of reiatsu that washed over him. "They're going to tear Soul Society down around them before they finish! How are they so strong?"

"They are men who found a reason powerful enough to drive them to transcend everything that they knew, everything that they were before, and break every boundary they come across," Ukitake replied with an almost reverent tone. "Aizen sought to replace the Spirit King, while Ichigo sought to protect! Both are willing to do anything to achieve their goals, to sweat and bleed and put their lives on the line, because their very souls cannot allow anything less!"

But something in Ukitake's words struck a chord in Soifon. "_Ichigo sought to protect." _Soifon would have smiled triumphantly, but she smothered it with her assassin training. _We have the key to ensuring Kurosaki will never threaten the Gotei 13. _

"_If you ever come after me or my friends, you will need Yamamoto Genryūsai himself at your side to save you, because I swear I will come at you with all of my power!_"

Soifon could not help the shiver that came from those vividly-remembered words, but refocused her mind to plotting how to harness the raw power of Kurosaki Ichigo for the good of Soul Society.

* * *

So, got a lot to say here. For one thing, oh man did Aizen make a mistake bringing Masaki into this. Like Ichigo needed another reason to kill him.

Next, Gin never got a chance to gloat about Aizen's sword's weakness. For those who don't recall, Kyoka Suigetsu's effect can be escaped if someone is touching the sword before the hypnosis is evoked. Why, then, was Yamamoto affected in a previous chapter, then, when he was impaled on it? Well, my thought is that Yamamoto was already under hypnosis. It just wasn't being actively utilized at the time.

Thirdly, why the hell didn't Aizen die after Ichigo blew his head off? Well, I was writing the scene when I remembered that Aizen isn't dead, just imprisoned in the deepest level of the underground prison. The newly recreated Central 46 mentioned that he was immortal thanks to the Hogyoku. This struck me as incredibly odd - Soul Society's punishment for treason has always been execution. Why didn't they kill Aizen? My only answer was that they somehow couldn't, even after all of Aizen's Hogyoku-given powers (apparently aside from immortality) were taken away by the will of the Hogyoku and Urahara's seal.

But how is that possible? Surely they could have had Mayuri and Urahara design SOMETHING to kill him. And even if that failed, why not have Yamamoto do some sort of ceremonial version of his immense fire-trap and evaporate Aizen's soul? And if THAT failed, why not have Ishida (one of them, doesn't really matter which) just shoot the damn bastard in the head and destroy his soul so that Aizen could never return? Yet that didn't happen either. Apparently he simply is impossible to kill after some point. So, yeah, Aizen can regenerate his head. That's a pain.

Alright, moving on. To the many people who guessed that after Aizen is gone, the next arc in my plot is Ichigo vs Soul Society, you're half-right. He's not going up against Soul Society... but Soifon is definitely out to get him. You have to admit, though, that she's really just quite loyal to Soul Society and reasonably afraid of Ichigo. He's a hormonal teenage human with powers that could crush everything she knows into powder. All it would take is one bad day, one day of Soul Society doing what they always do and it rubbing him wrong... because there is NO ONE that could pose a reasonable challenge to Ichigo to make him back off. Keep in mind that she doesn't really know Ichigo that well, and has no idea that Ichigo would never go crush whatever pissed him off... unless they go too far and bring his family and friends involved.

Soifon isn't evil, she's just misguided and terrified.

Now, for my typical spoiler rant.

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Alright, I have to give Tite Kubo credit for this one. This was very well played. Humans with Hollow powers wanting to be rid of them, and being able to do so only by giving them to their opposites, Humans with Shinigami powers? Plus, a reasonable explanation for Ichigo not seeing Chad in some time. Nicely done.

I even like how they describe their Hollow powers as unpleasant. Now that I think about it, I can definitely see that. Humans whose heart still reside within them, but also reside without? Very nice.

Now, how the hell do they plan to get Ichigo his powers back? Maybe have one of them give him their Hollow power, and force him to become a Shinigami to stay sane or something?


	29. Loneliness

Hello again everyone! I'm glad I've finally managed to hit a good groove for getting these out on time.

First up, some review replies.

SuperiorShortness - After reading your review, I find myself absolutely agreeing with you. Military forces operate under the idea of reducing or eliminating threats, potential or realized, to the people they protect. Soifon is just doing her job efficiently.

animekingmike - Yes, I am doing the Hell Arc, but I had already planned on one before the movie was announced. So, I'm not quite sure if I'm going to be taking ideas from the movie...

Bad Habits - the Spirit King? I don't plan to include him yet, at least until he actually shows up in the manga. If the manga ends, and the Spirit King isn't revealed... eh, who knows?

Next, there are no new terms this week!

Finally, let the chapter begin!

* * *

Chapter 29: Loneliness

Ichigo once again matched blades against Aizen, Tensa Zangetsu and Kyōka Suigetsu each struggling to overcome the other. **"You claim to be immortal, Aizen?" **he breathed, his horned mask looking into the visage of Aizen's blackened skull. **"Then why is it that when our blades meet like this, all I can feel is fear in your blade?" **

"**Fear?" **Aizen scoffed. **"You misinterpret. If there is anything I fear, it is that you will die too soon for me to reach my ultimate evolution." **

"**Is that so? You should fear me, Aizen." **Ichigo's Hollowified voice deepened even further as his amber orbs bored holes into Aizen's eyes. **"I have cut off your head, I have ripped out the Hōgyoku! You have yet to even strike me!"**

"**Then perhaps it's time to correct that." **The Hollow skulls at the tips of Aizen's wings charged Ceros once again, and Ichigo prepared a Cero in his horns, ready to counter… but when they fired, they missed entirely, confusing him.

_Ichigo! He's fired at Karakura! _

Ichigo's eyes widened in horrified realization, before he vanished again with a burst of raw speed, rushing to intercept the several beams. Aizen had been smart and not combined them all into one combined blast, given that Ichigo was able to overwhelm such a blast with a Cero of his own. Instead, there were six Ceros aimed at different parts of the town.

There was no time to think. Appearing between the Ceros and Karakura, with not a second to spare, Ichigo swung Tensa Zangetsu horizontally with all his might. **"Getsuga Tenshō!" **

The Getsuga this time was of epic proportions, its breadth as wide as Karakura itself, its height almost half as tall as Karakura's tallest buildings. The Ceros impacted not a moment later, and exploded, taking the Getsuga with it – Ichigo had mastered the Getsuga Tenshō to the point where the Getsuga was only strong enough to take the Ceros, and no more. It would drain him too much to create a Getsuga that large capable of doing significant damage to Aizen. As it was, creating that counterblast had made Ichigo lose sight of Aizen.

Until, that is, Aizen appeared in front of Ichigo. **"… know your own powerlessness! Hadō 90: Kurohitsugi!" **

When nothing seemed to happen, Ichigo blinked in confusion. **"Wasn't that supposed to do something?" **he asked mockingly.

"**Look behind you." **

Ichigo did with a sense of horrified realization, and was filled with anger as he saw that part of Karakura was engulfed in the black box of Aizen's favorite Kidō. To make it worse, he recognized what area it was too. It had his home and its entire neighborhood! _Yuzu! Karin! _And then his eyes widened. _Oh Kami! I told Mom go there with everyone! _The Vizard rushed at top speed to get to the Kidō.

Arriving a few seconds later, Ichigo sensed an incoming blast of Aizen's Ceros rocketing straight towards him! Roaring angrily, he threw a Getsuga-enhanced Tensa Zangetsu at the Kurohitsugi, the chain extending automatically. Almost before it left his hand, Ichigo twisted around and lowered his horns, charging another Cero.

Three things happened at once. The Kurohitsugi shattered like glass, pieces of the Kidō falling around the neighborhood before breaking further and further until there was no trace of the immensely powerful Hadō. Ichigo fired the Cero, obliterating the incoming combined blast from Aizen. But the third thing was, Aizen arrived, the Hollow skulls adorning his wings all having a Cero aimed in a different direction.

Aizen promptly swung Kyōka Suigetsu and cut the chain connecting Ichigo to Tensa Zangetsu, leaving the blade stuck in the ground. **"Foolish, Ichigo-kun," **he chided. **"You might have killed me had you sacrificed your town. And you should never part from your weapon unless you're sure you can get it back."**

"**What makes you think I can't?" **Ichigo snarled.

"**The fact that if you try, these handy skulls of mine will destroy this lovely neighborhood."**

"**You're bluffing," **Ichigo accused. **"You need their souls for your Ōken." **

"**There are plenty more," **Aizen countered with a shrug-like motion that looked quite strange on his Hollow form. **"Not to mention, we are in Soul Society. There is plenty of spiritually enriched land and souls here." **

Ichigo froze, having been about to Sonido down and get his trusty Zanpakutō. Aizen was right. **"That's low, Aizen," **he growled.

While it was almost impossible to determine expression on Aizen's skull-like face at the moment, his body language screamed smugness to Ichigo. **"They are your weakness," **he explained airily. **"Why would I not take advantage?" **

Ichigo's body shook with repressed rage. He wanted nothing more than to make Aizen die the most painful, agonizing death he could imagine. And right now, he was imagining pushing Aizen onto a bed of rusty nails, setting his whole body on fire, and then putting a watertight seal over his head and neck that Ichigo would slowly fill with Aizen's own blood so the Vizard could joyfully watch him struggle to breathe until he drowned. **"You will pay for this!" **he swore.

"**I think not, Ichigo-kun. You see, I have come to realize that it is too much trouble to use Karakura for the Ōken."**

Ichigo blinked in shock. **"What?"**

"**I said that it's too much trouble to use Karakura. You should be happy, Ichigo-kun. You have convinced me not to use your precious town." **Aizen paused for a moment. **"Instead, I will use the Rukongai. It really is easier on all parties involved. Your town is safe, the Seireitei is safe, and I have my Ōken. Everyone wins." **

"**You can't be serious."**

"**Oh, I am perfectly serious, Ichigo-kun. And all you have to do to keep your town from being destroyed and sacrificed is to not attempt to stop me." **

"**That's it?" **All Ichigo had to do was wait for Aizen to leave, and then he could go kill Aizen far away from Karakura…

"**Yes, but before I go, I want your solemn word of honor as protector of Karakura Town that you will not inhibit me from making the Ōken as long as I don't use your town for it." **Ichigo got the impression that Aizen was smiling knowingly behind that skull mask of his. **"I have the impression that you won't break your word." **

Ichigo was silent for several moments, unmoving. It was a horrible decision to make. To sacrifice his home to stop Aizen… or allow Aizen his goal and sacrifice thousands of people he had never and would never meet. There was no way for him to stop that many Cero blasts in different directions. In the time it would take for the Vizard to reach the Hōgyoku-evolved Shinigami, even forgetting Tensa Zangetsu, Aizen would be able to unleash his attacks. Also, Aizen had to leave and soon, or else his reiatsu would smother the life out of those nearby. It was doubtful that Ichigo could even kill him in one shot, with Aizen's immortality.

_Can either of you think of a third option? _Ichigo begged Tensa Zangetsu and Cazador de la Luna desperately. But neither spirit said a word. Ichigo had to make a choice. He looked away, at war with himself. How could he sacrifice everyone he'd ever known? How could he sacrifice people he'd never know? How could he live with himself, no matter what decision he made? **"I…"**

"_Kurosaki Ichigo!"_

Ichigo froze in mid-sentence, hearing a familiar voice calling his name, but not out loud. It was more… in his head.

"_This is Ukitake-taicho. We are communicating using a Kidō spell cast by one of our fukutaicho. Aizen cannot hear us, but I'm afraid the spell is one-way only. We have been watching and listening to your fight from a distance to keep from being affected by Aizen's illusions, and we know of your situation. We cannot stop Aizen – the fact is, you are our last hope. I know how hard the decision must be, but you must not let Aizen create the Ōken!" _

_But how can I just allow anyone to be killed or destroyed under Aizen's reiatsu? _Ichigo thought in horror. He shook his head. There was no good option. All he could do was protect that which he held dear. **"I want your word in return that you will forever leave Karakura and its residents alone."**

"**You have my word." **

"_No! Ichigo, don't do it!" _

_Sorry, Ukitake-san. _**"And you have mine."

* * *

**

"Oh no…" Ukitake breathed.

"This is bad," Kyōraku agreed grimly. "Very bad. Jūshiro, Nanao, contact the Kidō Corps! I am authorizing emergency use of the forbidden time and space Kidō! We have no choice but to try to freeze time around Karakura to trap Aizen within it! Everyone else except Soifon, your orders are to stay one step ahead of Aizen and clear all the districts of the Rukongai. Make sure there aren't enough people for him to sacrifice within any half-spirit mile! Go now, we don't have much time!"

As ordered, everyone but Soifon vanished in a flicker of Shunpo. "What are my orders, Kyōraku-taicho?"

"Soifon…" Kyōraku murmured sadly. "I don't like to give orders like these… but in the event that we cannot freeze Aizen in time… do whatever it takes to convince Ichigo that Aizen cannot be trusted to keep his word."

"Hai." Soifon promptly vanished.

* * *

Neither combatant moved for several moments after Ichigo made his solemn promise. Aizen studied Ichigo carefully, searching for any hint of betrayal. Seeing none, seeing Ichigo's defeated posture Aizen was finally convinced that he was telling the truth. **"I thought you'd see things my way, Ichigo-kun." **Aizen powered down his Ceros and with a flash of light, reappeared high in the air. **"I hold you to your word, Kurosaki Ichigo. Farewell." **With that, Aizen began to walk away, knowing and relishing how Ichigo was watching his back, cursing his own powerlessness.

Ichigo's fists clenched as his eyes almost involuntarily bored holes in Aizen's back. How he loathed himself right now…

_Ichigo… _Tensa Zangetsu warned bracingly. _Please calm yourself. Your Inner World is beginning to flood._

_I… I'm not strong enough… _

_As you said before, it is not weak to value life. You were placed in a position where there were no good outcomes. Regardless of your choice, life would have been lost. _

_**You chose to protect those you had claimed as your own. I can't really blame you for following your nature. **_

_You must accept your actions, and work out your next step. _

Ichigo's eyes still refused to leave that spot on Aizen's neck. _I don't think I can accept them, Tensa Zangetsu. So many people are going to die…_

_You gave your word of honor. Will you break it?_

_I… _

_When you have nothing else, you have your honor, your pride. Your word, your trustworthiness, is important to you, is it not?_

For the first time, Ichigo understood how Kuchiki Byakuya must have felt when Rukia was sentenced to be executed. Torn between his promise to his late wife, Hisana, to protect her little sister Rukia… and his vow to always uphold the law… Ichigo was now in exactly Byakuya's position, torn between his promise to allow Aizen to pursue his ambitions, and his vow to always protect those he could.

In the end, Ichigo had fought Byakuya and in victory, convinced the taicho to protect his adopted sister. It was in that recollection that Ichigo found his answer. His body, which had been trembling in helpless rage, began to still as he came to a decision. **"Some things… are more important than honor. More important than pride. More important than my word." **Ichigo's Hollow eyes flashed with resolve. **"Guarding life… that is the most important thing of all!" **

Ichigo extended his right claw towards his Zanpakutō. _Come to me, Tensa Zangetsu! _

The Bankai blade flew through the air, flipping in the air end over end until the hilt impacted with his hand, the chain rejoining where it had been broken earlier. Ichigo could feel the pride resonating within his Zanpakutō as his spirit spoke to him. _You have found your answer, Ichigo. _

_**Now let's go kill that bastard!**_

Ichigo tilted his head to the sky, flaring his reiatsu into a column that pierced the sky. **"AIZEN!" **he roared.

Not far away, Aizen twisted around instantly, only to see nothing but Ichigo's mask right in front of his face, murder in his eyes, before pain erupted within him. Tensa Zangetsu had pierced his neck right down the middle.

"**You should never have threatened those under my protection." **Ichigo's voice was low, dangerous.

Kyōka Suigetsu slashed out, but Ichigo was suddenly gone, and so was half of Aizen's neck. The Hōgyoku repaired the damage a moment later as Aizen twisted around, raising his blade to stop his enemy's next attack…

Except the Vizard apparently finished his attack with no resistance! It was as if Aizen's own sword was an illusion. To Aizen's stunned eyes, Ichigo had, for the first time in this fight, used both hands to wield his Zanpakutō, around which a Getsuga Tenshō seethed. Tensa Zangetsu was pointed down, though, so…

The next instant, all Aizen knew was pain. Kyōka Suigetsu screamed in his head as the top portion of its blade fell to the ground. Aizen screamed aloud as Tensa Zangetsu removed his arm, and all of a sudden he was defenseless against the flurry of attacks. His wings were shredded and then brutally ripped out when Ichigo vanished, his left arm joined his right falling to the ground, and quite suddenly, Ichigo had a Cero pointed directly at Aizen's head, and he had no way to counter it!

"**All I felt in Kyōka Suigetsu just then… was fear. Do you fear me? You should."**

"**So what if I am afraid?" **Aizen demanded, trying to buy time for his regeneration to give him a new set of arms and help with Kyōka Suigetsu's restoration. He would have retreated, but Ichigo had already proven that distance meant nothing to someone of his speed. **"Fear is the key to the Hōgyoku evolutions!"**

"**But it is also the weakness of your Shinigami strength," **Ichigo reminded Aizen strongly. **"Fear saps the strength of your resolve, the strength of your reiatsu, the strength of your sword. I won the moment you began to fear me, Aizen, when you gave up on your Zanpakutō's ability to support you. Oh, and don't think I've forgotten about your regeneration." **

Aizen let loose a bellow of pain as his arms were once again removed before they could even be completely formed again. _Fine then. _**"I still… cannot sense your reiatsu," **he grit out. **"How is it possible that you have evolved to a still higher form than I? You trained for a paltry three months, yet you have progressed further than I have in centuries…"**

"'**Abandon your fear. Look forward. Move forward and never stop. You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you hesitate.'" **Ichigo quoted. **"Those are the words that my Zanpakutō told me when we first became partners, the creed I now live by. I have not stopped, nor will I ever stop moving forward in my pursuit to protect those I care for. That, Aizen, is why I am so strong!"**

"**I don't understand… I don't understand! How can anyone gain such power by surrounding themselves with weaklings?" **Aizen cried out. **"I wanted you to see that you could never defeat me by holding ties to those humans!"**

Ichigo glared down at his foe, charging another Cero in his horns to match the ones at his fingers. **"You will never understand, Aizen! To protect those weaker than myself is my reason for strength! Now just die, Aizen Sōsuke!"**

_Kyōka Suigetsu! Come to me! _

But for the first time in Aizen's memory, his Zanpakutō did not answer his call. In that barest of an instant, Aizen realized that he had abandoned the only being that he had trusted completely, the only being who had supported him every step of the way… Kyōka Suigetsu could no longer hear him.

"**Cero!" **

Once more, Aizen's head was vaporized under the focused beams of Ichigo's Hollow power, his skull-like visage a mask of confusion. His body began to fall, but Ichigo's left hand once more plucked the Hōgyoku from Aizen's corpse. Ichigo glared at it disdainfully, not daring to cancel his Resurrección. Aizen should be popping up any second now, his immortality reviving him, hopefully weakened enough for Urahara's seal to take place.

Ichigo waited a beat. Then two. Still sensing no reiatsu, he blinked behind his mask, and glanced at the Hōgyoku, half-expecting it to have vanished and somehow made Aizen evolve past what Ichigo could sense, disaster though that would be. _Nope, still there. _

_**Do you think he's…?**_

_If he is, then I have only one thing to say: Immortal my ass. _He Sonido-ed down to where he'd seen Aizen's headless body fall, and stood over the corpse, watching it for another few seconds, on guard just in case Aizen tried a sneak attack. After almost a minute, it was clear. Aizen was dead. Ichigo immediately felt a vague ache in his heart – he'd wanted to kill Aizen, he'd wanted it so much. Aizen deserved it, that was for sure, but suddenly, knowing that he had exerted his power enough to actually do it, to end Aizen's life was… painful. Ichigo was suddenly horribly, horribly aware that he had the power to end almost everyone's lives. He was a Kami compared to pretty much everyone he knew. He could do quite literally anything he wanted, and no one would be able to stop him. Who would dare try after what he'd done tonight, after the power he'd displayed so casually?

Ichigo's eyes shifted to his hands. He'd never before understood how absolute power could corrupt absolutely. It was a weight heavier than any Ichigo had ever known, feeling as though he was the one who decided who lived and who died. _No, _he thought to himself, shaking his head. _I will remain true to myself. My reason for strength is to be a guardian, a force of protection. I will not interfere. _

_**Now what?**_

Ichigo wasn't sure he liked the fact that his Hollow sounded just as unsure as he himself felt. The fact of the matter was, his focus for months had been growing strong enough to protect everyone from Aizen. Now, he was stronger than anyone he knew, save perhaps Yamamoto and the older taicho. _Well… I suppose we pick a direction, and move forward. First things first, we need to figure out what to do with Aizen's body. _

But before he could begin that conversation with his Hollow and Zanpakutō, he sensed someone with a familiar reiatsu Shunpo several meters behind him. Ichigo didn't turn around. **"What is it, Urahara?"**

"Is he dead?"

Canceling his Resurrección and removing his mask, Ichigo still didn't face the ex-taicho. "He damn well better be. That's the second time I've obliterated his head today. I'm kinda surprised, though."

"Why's that?"

"The Hōgyoku didn't vanish again and heal him," Ichigo stated, looking at the orb that had caused so much trouble. "Gin used his Bankai to open up Aizen's chest and took it, but Aizen called it back and regenerated. I Cero-ed his head off, but Aizen called it back and regenerated. Now I did it again, and this time he didn't. I just don't know why, especially after Aizen claimed the Hōgyoku made him immortal."

"Hmm, I imagine that is rather confusing to someone who doesn't know the truth of the Hōgyoku's powers…"

That statement _did _cause Ichigo to turn around and stare incredulously at the man who'd invented the damn thing. "And what is that truth?"

"The Hōgyoku materializes the heartfelt desires of those around it," Urahara said simply. "Upon being mastered, it allowed Aizen to evolve as he wished, using fear as the trigger. However… I believe that it now acknowledges you as its master, after defeating Aizen so many times, after proving the strength of your soul was superior to his. So when you took the Hōgyoku out of Aizen's body this time, it did not return because Aizen was no longer its master. And without it, Aizen was no longer immortal, which allowed you to kill him."

"I don't know," Ichigo whispered, thinking of the feelings he had received from matching blades with Aizen, receiving those glimpses into his true feelings. He hadn't quite told the whole truth when he said he felt nothing but fear reflected in Kyōka Suigetsu. Aizen's feeling of solitude had grown as well, almost to the point of… loneliness? "Aizen has been on a level of his own from the start, hasn't he? I think he saw me as an opportunity to create someone on his level. A rival, maybe, or a friend. Someone he couldn't manipulate with his illusions. Someone who could understand him, maybe even sympathized." He chuckled, looking down at Aizen's decimated corpse. "Every battle I've faced him in, I've felt nothing but solitude in his blade. And by his own words, he's created most of the situations that forced me to grow stronger, to evolve.

"I believe that what he wanted above all else, was a companion who would stand with him at the top. Maybe he felt that after a century or two, our battles to the death would evolve into rivalry, and then perhaps into a friendship of equals, because who else could we turn to?" The more he talked, the more it made sense to Ichigo, the more he was sure that he understood Aizen's spirit. "Touch is such a huge part of human affection. Can you imagine not being able to receive even a simple pat on the shoulder? To play around with your friends? Can you imagine complete physical isolation? To Aizen and I, our evolutions kept us from doing that to any save each other. To us, it would be such an enormous gift to be able to actually touch one another, be it in combat or in friendship. It would be a sign that we are not alone. That was why Aizen made the deal to leave Karakura alone. He didn't want to alienate me completely, I don't think.

"The last few minutes of our fight, I felt fear in Aizen's sword. Fear of what, I couldn't tell at the time. But I think he was trying to catch up to me, because I had somehow managed to evolve further than he had. So he let himself fear, knowing it was the Hōgyoku's key to evolution. I think his fear was not of his own death, but of losing forever the possibility of him and me ever meeting on the same level of evolution, of ever eventually reconciling our differences and moving forward to a new future.

"That was why his form took on a Hollow appearance at the end," Ichigo theorized. "Fear, regret, worry… Aizen fell into despair, I think, when he felt my resolve to protect everyone even at the cost of my life, and hatred for him involving my family and friends. The Hōgyoku felt his despair, and gave him a form that suited his soul while granting his wish of evolution. Such terrible despair, and such lonely solitude, that just one Hollow hole could not suffice.

"Even now, Aizen has had the last laugh," the Vizard realized aloud. "Aizen desired an end to his loneliness, and he has gained it through the mercy of death and rebirth, leaving me to suffer the loneliness he has escaped, as my evolution and power sets me apart from everyone else. I am not even sure I can return to my body, for fear it would collapse under my reiatsu. I cannot devolve and return to what I once was. I am, for all intents and purposes, stuck.

"So perhaps, just before he died, when he felt my resolve to kill him, Aizen gave the Hōgyoku to me, preferring death and reincarnation to eternal solitude. Perhaps he felt that I deserved the chance… to use the Hōgyoku for myself, to materialize _my_ heartfelt desire."

"Ichigo…" Urahara whispered, at once understanding what the young man meant.

Ichigo glanced at the jewel in his hand, before he held it out to Urahara. "I don't know what I am going to do now, Urahara. Please hold onto it for now."

Urahara took it gingerly, careful not to touch Ichigo at all. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"No. I wanted him to die with all my being, but I didn't expect him to lose his immortality." Ichigo looked down on Aizen's corpse, his face unreadable. "Aizen was right… taking the life of another sentient being hurts in a way that I can't describe. But I did what I had to, in order to ensure my people are protected."

Urahara bowed his head. "Duty is poor solace to taking a life, Ichigo. As a former taicho, and a former assassin, I know that very well. Is there…?"

The evolved Vizard merely shook his head. "Take care of Aizen's body. I… need some time to myself." With that, he flickered away with Shunpo.

Urahara glanced down at Aizen's headless corpse before shaking his head. "You've cost us so much, Aizen… Is it strange for me to feel like our greatest cost was that boy's innocence?"

A hand clasped his shoulder. "No, Kisuke…" Yoruichi whispered. "I don't think that's strange at all."

* * *

Soifon followed Kurosaki to the best of her ability – the Vizard, though too highly evolved for her to feel his reiatsu at all, was relatively easy to keep in sight since he wasn't utilizing his full speed. She kept her reiatsu suppressed to keep from being detected, just in case the boy had somehow improved that skill as well. She'd witnessed him defeating Aizen, but Kurosaki was too powerful to go unwatched. Until she could assign some Onimitsukidō to arrange a full-time watch, she would have to gather what information she could.

Strangely, Kurosaki wasn't heading to his human home. Instead, he had gone to the tallest building in Karakura, settling into a crouching position on the rounded end of a flagpole, balanced on the balls of his feet, overlooking a large part of the city. To her surprise, he seemed strangely comfortable there.

Kurosaki looked up at the sky, his mouth moving, but Soifon couldn't hear the words as the Substitute Shinigami was too far away and speaking too quietly. However, Soifon was still an assassin, and any assassin worth their blade knew how to read lips.

"Now what?"

'_Now what' indeed, Kurosaki. _It was a good question. For the Gotei 13, it would probably go back to business as usual. A new Central 46 would be elected, Ichimaru Gin and Tōsen Kaname would be tried after their eventual recovery, and the taicho would figure out who would take over the empty taicho slots. But for the Substitute Shinigami…

"Aizen's gone. How can I just go back to my human life after what feels like a lifetime of war? What do I want to do now?" Kurosaki sighed. "All this time, I've known what I needed to do. I needed to protect my family. I needed to save Rukia. I needed to defeat my Inner Hollow. I needed to protect everyone from Aizen. All this time, my goals have been reactions to threats. But now… there is no one relying on me to protect them from some imminent enemy. What do you think, Tensa Zangetsu, Cazador de la Luna? Think it's time for that vacation?"

Before Soifon's startled eyes, two figures materialized on either side of Kurosaki. One seemed quite young, with shoulder-length ragged black hair and a flowing black cloak with its hood back. He crouched on the beam of the flagpole, much the same way as Kurosaki though facing a different direction. The other was almost a carbon copy of Kurosaki himself, save for the open white vest, red leggings, Hollow hole in his chest and mask fragment on his face. He instead leaned against the building itself, using the air-walk technique to keep from falling. All three looked up at the sky together. Soifon took the opportunity to get a little closer, close enough to actually hear them, since she couldn't watch all three sets of lips at once.

"Yes,"  the young man, who had to be the manifestation of Tensa Zangetsu, agreed. "You are extremely overstressed, Ichigo."

"**You haven't had time for a break practically since the beginning," **the being who could only be Cazador de la Luna concurred. **"When was the last time you really relaxed?" **

Kurosaki sighed. "It's been so long, I don't even remember anymore."

There was a pause, before Kurosaki's Hollow spoke up again. **"I'm thinking we should go hit a beach for our vacation. Nice, warm, relaxing, and if you want to you can check out the babes."**

Kurosaki snorted. "Yeah, women we can't touch without accidentally disintegrating them from our reiatsu."

"You can work on that on the side, Ichigo. So long as you don't unleash your Shikai in your human body, you should be capable of touching others without harming them. If need be, I'm sure Urahara would help you seal away your powers for a time." 

"Well, when you put it that way… maybe some time on a beach would be good for me. It'd be nice to actually feel like a teenager again, rather than a war veteran."

The three stood in silence for a couple of minutes, before Tensa Zangetsu changed the topic. "Why are you not heading home, Ichigo?"

_That's a very good question, _Soifon agreed, listening closely.

Kurosaki swallowed audibly. "I'm not sure I can face them right now without falling apart," he finally replied, his voice aching with sorrow. "And I'm worried that touching them now, even if I dismiss the Bankai, will hurt them."

"**Ichigo, can you take not seeing your mother when she's so close after so many years? I thought I was heartless, and I'm your Inner Hollow!"**

There was silence for another few moments as the Vizard bowed his head, his longer hair covering his eyes and part of his face.

"Are you trying to punish yourself, Ichigo? For not being strong enough to save her on that day six years ago, where the rain flooded both that river and your soul?"

_Six years ago? _Soifon quickly did the math. _Kurosaki was, what, nine years old? His mother died in front of him? Well then… it seems I have my method to control him. _

"No!" Kurosaki firmly denied. "Grand Fisher is responsible for that."

"**Then what're you waitin' for, Ichigo?**

"Nothing. I'm going now." He stood up from his crouched position, and the two spirits dissipated. That done, he flickered away with Shunpo.

Soifon didn't dare move to follow just yet – there was a good chance Kurosaki would sense her if she raised her reiatsu enough to Shunpo. Even so, the conversation she'd witnessed was an incredibly rare look at the dynamics between Kurosaki, his Zanpakutō, and his Hollow. Most Shinigami never materialized their Zanpakutō spirit outside of attempting to gain Bankai; it was rather draining, and conversations could be had mentally in any case.

While she'd need to go over it again later, Soifon could tell that Tensa Zangetsu seemed to be a very perceptive, if slightly blunt, character. Cazador de la Luna, on the other hand, seemed a bit cruder, if his comment about women on the beach was any indication. But Kurosaki seemed to value their input, and revealed his emotions to them… that suggested that despite his near-constant use of Bankai, there was no real sense of domination over his Zanpakutō. Instead, there was… trust? Camaraderie?

Strangely, the Hollow seemed as concerned over Kurosaki's mental state as Tensa Zangetsu. Perhaps there was some form of symbiosis between them? _If Kurosaki relies on Cazador for his Hollow powers… does Cazador rely on Kurosaki for his Shinigami ones? _It was a strange thought, but it would certainly explain Cazador's Arrancar appearance.

Almost five minutes had passed – Soifon judged it safe enough to move, and began making her way back to the Seireitei. She had plans to finish. It was a good thing that Kurosaki was planning on going on vacation… it would give her a chance to plant some Onimitsukidō in his mother's district.

* * *

Standing in front of his home, Ichigo found himself hesitating. It was his last chance to back out.

_Abandon your fear. _

Ichigo nodded, mentally thanking Tensa Zangetsu. Taking a deep breath, he dismissed his Bankai, reverting to Shikai state. Slinging Zangetsu across his back as usual, he approached the door, hearing the murmurs of conversation but unable to actually hear what was being said. With that, he opened the door.

All conversation stopped as Ichigo entered his home and looked around. On the couch were Tatsuki, Mizuiro, Keigo and Don Kanonji. Standing up and apparently having been giving a lecture, was Zennosuke.

"Hey guys," Ichigo whispered. "Where are…?"

"In the kitchen," Tatsuki said quickly.

The Vizard nodded and walked slowly to the kitchen which until then had been Yuzu's domain. He could hear soft crying coming from inside, but he gathered his courage and entered as quietly as he could. In the middle of the kitchen with her back to him was Ichigo's mother, Masaki. Karin seemed to have clutched onto Masaki's left leg, while Yuzu was on her right. Ichigo's father, Isshin, was holding Masaki closely, though he still hadn't returned to his human body. His eyes were closed, but there was a steady trickle of tears down his face.

"Mommy…" Yuzu sobbed into her leg. "We missed you so much…"

Silently allowing tears to run down her cheeks, Karin seemed content to clutch Masaki's leg as though her mother would disappear if she ever let go.

Ichigo knew perfectly well that at her age, he too would have been doing the same thing. But now… now, Ichigo was unsure of what to do. He wasn't good at expressing his emotions, but at this point not even he knew what he wanted, what he desperately needed.

He set Zangetsu down gently against the wall, hoping that the separation would make the difference in whether Ichigo could touch his mother or not. But apparently, that made more noise than he thought, because Isshin's eyes opened and homed in on his position. "C'mere, Ichigo."

"Ichigo?" Masaki's watery voice asked. She turned around, her twin daughters moving with her so as not to tangle her. For the second time that day, mother and son locked eyes.

"Mom…" Before he could warn her, Masaki had walked over and pulled him into a hug. Her right hand behind his head, her left at his back, Ichigo found himself pressed physically against her, his head over her left shoulder.

Ichigo came to his senses a second later, tensing and ready to pull himself away to save his mother's afterlife… but she was unharmed! Relief hit him then, sharp and cutting straight to his heart. Tears flowed to his eyes unbidden as he wrapped his arms around his mother and held her tightly, and Ichigo's eyes closed as he wept.

* * *

Yes, Aizen is dead. Gone. Caput. No more. Expired. Absolutely, one hundred percent DEAD. And you got to see my updated theory on Aizen's emotions and reasoning for his new forms, specifically the Hollow one.

So, Soifon got a look into Ichigo's thoughts, and got to see Tensa Zangetsu and Cazador de la Luna. But now she's also making preparations... you'd think she would know better by now than to try to involve Ichigo's mother, considering what happened to Aizen when HE did...

Now, I know many of you are wondering why Ichigo's power didn't harm Masaki. Ichigo will find out next chapter, but what happened was simply this: Ichigo is in almost full control of his power in Shikai now. He's at his literal weakest, and so his control is maximized. His power reacts to his thoughts and desires, as revealed when Ichigo was doing his mask training with the Vizard. Simply put, Ichigo wanted more than anything to NOT harm his mother. So it worked.

Ichigo actually will be getting that vacation he wanted. All expenses paid by the Shinigami, actually. They owe him a debt they can never repay, and neither Urahara nor Ishida nor Isshin will ever stop reminding them of that. Heh heh.

Anyway, there wasn't a new Bleach chapter this week, so until next time!

NeoRyu777


	30. What Now?

Hello again, everyone! Welcome to the first chapter of the post-Aizen arc of my fic!

I received a couple of very memorable reviews remarking to the depth I gave to Aizen's character, compared to what Kubo did. Let me just say, thank you! Character growth is the key behind any fic, in my opinion. Any good protagonist, any good antagonist, any main character requires a depth of character behind them, a way for people to sympathize with them in some manner. Reasons, emotions, personality...They cannot just be strictly "I am evil, I will destroy the world."

In canon, Aizen seemed so very static, you know? He was always after the same thing, but we were never given reasons WHY. Why did he go after the Spirit King? Why did he transform into a Hollow-like form when he expressly stated he had transcended Shinigami and Hollow? Why did he feel such solitude? These questions, I tried to answer in my fiction, and apparently you all enjoyed my interpretation! I wonder if Kubo will ever go into detail about it in canon... It'd be fun to be proven right!

It also looks like I'm getting a few new readers, so let me just say welcome, and I'm glad to have you!

Now, for some review responses:

deltawaves - Ichigo is still unable to seal his sword. The problem is that Ichigo unconsciously feeds Zangetsu enough reiatsu to keep him in Shikai state. That's entirely due to how much reiatsu he has, compared to control. Considering Ichigo's reiatsu has jumped to new evolutionary levels... his control needs a lot more work.

whitespiderlily - Soul Society was thrown for a loop by Ichigo's decision, but think on it - it was perfectly understandable. Ichigo's priorities have always been known to them - he wants to protect those he calls his own. They will ALWAYS come first. So while he didn't earn any brownie points, he certainly hasn't lost any respect for being unable to sacrifice those he loved.

Queen of the Random Word - Thanks for your review! And for the record, I don't mind when people mindlessly gush over something. No need to rein it in, it just means you liked my story. As for the whole "war god" thing... yes, "Shinigami" does translate to "Death God". When Tensa Zangetsu stated they need to make Ichigo a "Kami of war", he meant that Ichigo had to be pretty much untouchable. Notice the word untouchable. It had its side effect already: Ichigo cannot touch another human being while at full power without harming or disintegrating them. Even at partial power, he has to rein in his reiatsu.

Ishihackaloogie - Romance? For Ichigo? Keep in mind that at the moment, he's a recovering war veteran who just killed someone for the first time. On top of that, he now understands Aizen's motivations entirely, and cannot dehumanize Aizen at all. And on top of THAT, now he has issues touching people and doesn't understand how he was able to touch his mother. So he has to deal with the issues that's going to bring up. So he won't be looking for romance, though that doesn't completely rule out the possibility...

And in response to the many, many reviews concerning Soifon's apparent stupidity/insanity - she's just doing her job, with a good touch of reasonable fear behind it. Ichigo is damn near impossible to defeat. So far his only weak point appears to be his family. She's creating insurance, just in case Ichigo goes berserk and decides to wipe Soul Society off the map. "Prepare for the worst, hope for the best." She'll be working on other options in this chapter as well.

Next up... Kubo's announced he's only half-done with the series. Meaning another ten years of Bleach. This is my reaction: "Oh come on, already! What now? Where can you possibly go from here without literally inventing a villain that hasn't already been hinted at before? Or do you plan on making the Spirit King the next villain? Are you going to make Ichigo its heir or something? Are you going to make Ichigo part-demon next? Hello, next coming of Urameshi Yusuke!" OK, yes, I am a bit sarcastic at times.

Finally, let's start the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 30: What Now?

Ichigo didn't know how long he stood there, holding his mother. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. All he knew was that when they finally separated, his eyes had long since run out of tears.

"Ichigo… Yuzu… Karin…" Masaki murmured, gently breaking off the hug. "How many years has it been? You've all grown so much…"

"I'm sixteen now," Ichigo whispered. It seemed so surreal now, like a dream, to have his mother back, even if she was a spirit. "It's been six and a half years…"

Quickly drawing the correct conclusions, Masaki glanced downwards at her twin daughters, "You're eleven years old? I've missed so much… I'm so sorry… "

Ichigo felt a twinge in his heart at that – did she blame him for getting her killed?

"It's alright, Mom…" Karin assured her, her voice a bit choked up. "You're here now."

"Let's get your mother caught up on everything, shall we?" Isshin asked rhetorically, his face bearing a smile.

And so, the Kurosaki family reclaimed the living room. Zennosuke, Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro had left already. Since Aizen was apparently gone – otherwise, Ichigo would still be fighting – they figured it was likely safe to return to where they should be.

Ichigo, still wary about the effects of his reiatsu on his family, took a nearby comfy chair. Isshin sat across from him, while Masaki, Yuzu and Karin settled on the couch. The conversation started haltingly, but soon they had gotten caught up in the storytelling, with Isshin only occasionally interjecting.

Yuzu told her mother how she had taken over the household, the cooking and cleaning especially, and how she teamed up with her father on spying on Ichigo at times. Isshin, Ichigo and Karin all praised Yuzu for being the one who managed to keep them together as a family during those troubled years of grief.

Karin laid out her life simply, sharing how she'd been able to see ghosts for almost all her life but refusing to believe in them, how she'd joined the soccer team and grown stronger, strong enough to not let her family worry about her. Now she was even able to take care of the weaker Hollows!

When it was Ichigo's turn, he found he had a very dry throat. What could he say? His life had been far from easy, but if anyone deserved to know, his mother did. So, he began with his karate training with Tatsuki. Masaki already knew about that, she'd picked him up from the dojo before she died, so it was a decent place to start in Ichigo's mind. Then he described how he'd come to need the skills he picked up from there as bullies and thugs picked on him because of his hair color, and how he'd gained a best friend for life when he saved Chad. He relived the exhilaration of finally beating Tatsuki in karate, and explained how his skills as a fighter gave him a reputation, one that persisted due to the thugs who kept challenging him.

"I know, hardly the best thing for a high school teenager," Ichigo admitted when he saw his mother's shocked face. "But I'm not going to dye my hair just to avoid fights. I won't let anyone stupid enough to challenge me force me to change something I got from you."

Yuzu, who had more than once urged Ichigo to dye his hair to keep from coming home bruised and bleeding, barely held in a gasp as Ichigo finally gave his true reasons for his stubborn refusal. Ichigo had indeed inherited Masaki's fiery orange-red hair, and who could blame him for wanting to hold onto that precious piece of her after she had died?

Masaki smiled, flattered but unsurprised. "How did you become a Shinigami?"

Ichigo grew quiet for several seconds before he nodded, knowing where to begin. "Last year, my life changed forever when a Shinigami leapt in through my window. Her name was Kuchiki Rukia, and she was looking for a Hollow that my reiatsu had attracted. She explained what she was, and what her purpose was in Karakura. But then she sensed the Hollow, which had injured Dad, and captured Yuzu.

"She had bound me in a Bakudō, but I broke it and chased after her, leaping at the Hollow to save Yuzu." Ichigo chuckled self-deprecatingly, raising his hand to his neck and rubbing it. "I was smacked away effortlessly, and Rukia got very injured trying to purify it. She asked me if I wanted to save my family, and when I agreed to do anything, she thrust her Zanpakutō into my heart, giving me her Shinigami powers. With them, I slew the Hollow effortlessly. That was the start. I ended up getting my own powers, but that story is the beginning of a war that ends with Aizen's death by my hand."

"We've got nothing but time, Ichigo," Isshin assured him with a small smile. "Besides, it's time we got the full story."

Initially about to refuse, a glance at his mother's face, pleading to know exactly who her son was after so many years of absence, Ichigo relented.

His family was the perfect audience. They gasped at all the right parts, and even Karin looked stricken when Ichigo related how close he'd come to losing against his Hollow side permanently when it came to saving Inoue. Almost two hours and a tall glass of water later, he finished his story with the choice Aizen had forced him to make on who to sacrifice, and how he'd come to his decision to forsake pride, honor and his word, to fulfill his vow to protect everyone.

By the time Ichigo had finished, his mother was crying once again. "My baby boy's… all grown up."

Ichigo felt distinctly uncomfortable with how he'd made his mother cry, but he had no idea how to fix it. Looking slightly panicked, he leaned forward, waving his hands in front of him as though to deny her claims. "Ah, well, I…"

Isshin, on the other hand, merely got up, made his way to the couch, and reached an arm around his late wife. "Masaki… he's had to learn some hard lessons early due to the war. But Ichigo's still a teenager, and he has a lot to learn about life, rather than the practice of death. He still needs you, just not for the same reasons as when he was young."

To Ichigo's surprise, Masaki managed to nod, swallowing her tears and murmuring apologies, which were quickly waved off by everyone. It had been a very emotional day, by anyone's standards. _Wow. _For once, Ichigo was impressed with his father. He hadn't acted like a total fool, and had instead somehow managed to quickly identify and address the exact issue Masaki was having. _How did he do that? _

"That said… Ichigo, I'm very proud of you. You were put into an impossible position that no man should ever be placed in, and you found an answer you can live with without regret. So what are you going to do now?"

"I'm thinking… it's time for a vacation."

"A vacation?" Karin and Yuzu asked in unison.

Ichigo gave a sharp nod. "Yeah. I've had enough of war, of desperate struggles to get stronger in time, of life-changing realizations of who and what I am, of choices that decide the fate of thousands of people. So as soon as I'm back in my body, I'm going to take a vacation, and figure out what I'm going to do from now on. I need time to feel like a human teenager again. Anything that isn't life-threatening can wait until I get back."

Isshin nodded seriously. He knew that there were limits to what the human mind could take – endless fighting put a strain on the psyche that nothing but time, rest and relaxing experiences could relieve. There would be other challenges, but he could tell as a former leader and a doctor that his son needed the reprieve, or he would reach his mental breaking point. Though it tore him up as a father, he knew that he could no longer treat his son as a child – the war had forced Ichigo to mature early. Though there were things that Ichigo did not know, lessons he had to yet to learn, he was an adult. Ichigo could be nothing less after what he'd been through.

* * *

By this point, Soifon had long since returned to Soul Society and alerted Kyōraku-taicho that Aizen was dead, and the Kidō Corps was no longer necessary. The taicho had all been recalled from the orders that Kyōraku-taicho had ordered, and had immediately been given new assignments. Squad 4 was treating Yamamoto, Gin and Tōsen, while Hitsugaya and Komamura stood watch, just in case. Neither of the traitors could be trusted, and having two taicho there should prove a large deterrent from them causing trouble.

Ukitake had returned to his quarters for a rest; the fights had stressed his body, and while his illness had yet to resurface, he wanted to ensure that Squad 4 didn't need to deal with him while they had critical patients. Kyōraku had taken up Yamamoto's duties in addition to his own, and was for once not so laid-back and lackadaisical about what had to be done. He complained lightly about it, but it was nothing compared to how lazy he usually was when dealing with his own squad. It was perhaps the first time that Soifon had seen what Yamamoto had in the man – Kyōraku might actually have what it took to be sōtaicho one day.

Soifon herself had quickly assigned a team of five Onimitsukidō to spy on the Kurosaki family and report back to her in a few days. The team Yamamoto had dispatched to Hueco Mundo finally returned shortly afterward. Because all the other taicho were so busy, it had naturally fallen to her to deal with getting their reports.

Soifon had immediately sent Unohana and the other healers to her division – their healing prowess was more needed than her report, which Soifon believed she could ascertain from the others. Strangely enough, Hinamori Momo was being carried by one of Unohana's team members… But stifling her curiosity, Soifon moved on to acquiring the reports.

Kenpachi was largely unharmed, and Yachiru-fukutaicho was as cheery and healthy as ever. His report had been extremely casual, with many details missing. "Eh? We wandered around a while before found a guy, called himself Yammy. Byakuya got to him first, but he got bigger and madder, and we ended up fighting together. Then Kurotsuchi did his thing with stuff he got from some guy's lab, and opened the way back."

Kurotsuchi Mayuri was completely unharmed, along with his fukutaicho, Nemu. "We arrived in Hueco Mundo, and made our way to Las Noches, but for a while we couldn't find anyone. When I sensed Kuchiki-taicho using his Bankai, I made my way over to where he was, and found a quite interesting Arrancar that I would have loved to run experiments on… he fancied himself a scientist, you see." Mayuri grinned that wide grin that showed almost every single one of his teeth. "It seemed that Kuchiki-taicho had been hit by a liquid that duplicated him several times, all versions using Bankai against each other. I stayed back to watch, as Kuchiki-taicho fought his clones until the Espada used another ability, creating a doll of Kuchiki-taicho. It was quite fascinating, really, witnessing how the Espada was able to destroy Kuchiki-taicho's internal organs just by crushing the doll's parts… I really must see if I can duplicate that ability in myself, it seems quite useful…"

Soifon cleared her throat.

"Mm? Oh. I killed the Espada and healed Kuchiki-taicho, before finding the Espada's lab. I found a device capable of creating a perfect Garganta, which I used to bring us back here. Nemu!"

"Yes?" she asked emotionlessly

"Get everything we recovered from that wanna-be scientist's lab to ours, and begin cataloging everything!"

"Hai." Both Mayuri and Nemu left then, leaving Soifon stewing in her own frustration about taicho who didn't take their jobs seriously enough to give professional reports. Mayuri had given extreme detail on the capabilities of an Arrancar that was now dead, and had been almost flippant about his possible technological findings, which were vastly more important.

Luckily for her state of mind, there was Kuchiki Byakuya left, and he was well-known for succinct, but thorough reports. "After arriving in Hueco Mundo, we separated in the interest of finding and defeating more of the Arrancar," Byakuya reported calmly, stoically. "I was stopped momentarily by a team of Arrancar who called themselves the Exequias, but they were quickly purified by my Shikai. In my exploration of Las Noches, I came across a labyrinth of stairs and walkways that led me to the Octava Espada, Szayel Aporro Granz. His Resurrección proved troublesome to defeat, until Kurotsuchi-taicho and his fukutaicho came to assist. He finally met his end at the hand of Kurotsuchi-taicho due to some unorthodox precautions Kurotsuchi-taicho had made within the body of his fukutaicho.

"Kurotsuchi-taicho remained on site to examine the Espada's lab after healing me with some of his drugs. I set out to search for more Arrancar, and found the Cero Espada, Yammy Llargo. Defeating him took some time due to his special ability of utilizing his rage to increase his strength exponentially, eventually requiring collaboration with Zaraki-taicho. In conclusion, I must state that Substitute Shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo was correct in his information regarding the change in Yammy's strength pre- and post-Resurrección.

"After Yammy was defeated, Kurotsuchi-taicho utilized a new device that produced a stable Garganta, allowing us to return to the living world. We were met there by Sado Yasutora and the Quincy, Ishida Uryū. They explained that Hinamori Momo had arrived in the living world to gain answers from Aizen, and Aizen had used his illusions to convince her that Kurosaki Ichigo was the enemy. Sado and Ishida defeated her swiftly, but lacking the capability to transport her to Soul Society, had been waiting for our arrival. Afterwards, we used a Senkaimon to return to Soul Society. I know nothing of Unohana's actions in Hueco Mundo."

The leader of the Onimitsukidō could have sighed in relief. That was all the information she needed for the time being. "Thank you, Kuchiki-taicho."

Byakuya nodded slightly. "Now, what has happened? I presume Aizen is dead."

Soifon quickly gave him a synopsis of the day's events, focusing on Aizen and Kurosaki, though not neglecting to mention Gin's betrayal and Tōsen's capture.

"I see." Byakuya's poker face gave nothing away that could give Soifon a glimpse into his thoughts. "Thank you." He turned and began to leave.

"I ask your honest opinion, Kuchiki-taicho."

Byakuya paused for a moment at the door. "My honest opinion?"

"Yes."

"… Kurosaki Ichigo has many flaws. He is young, brash, disrespectful, and has no sense of tact. I dislike his casual attitude towards nobility and his disregard for tradition and law. However… he is not entirely unrespectable." With that, he swept out of the room, his words hanging in the air.

_And what is that supposed to mean? _Soifon wondered, her eyes narrowed. _His strength is respectable, yes, but there is something in the way he spoke that indicated more… _She rubbed her temples. _Why can no one understand that Kurosaki must be reined in? _

_Because they have allowed themselves to put their feelings over their duty. Kurosaki has never done anything terrible to Soul Society, and every single person he fought gained a respect for him. Madarame, Abarai, Zaraki, Kuchiki_, Suzumebachi reminded her.

_The first three are or were in Squad 11. They only value strength and the ability to fight, which Kurosaki had. Kurosaki saved Kuchiki-taicho's sister. _Soifon's eyes lit up in understanding before horror crossed over them once more. She was beginning to comprehend just how many people Kurosaki had on his side within the ranks of the Gotei 13. By his actions, he'd managed to acquire a sizeable chunk of support within the community.

"Then again… the community does not rule Soul Society…" Soifon murmured to herself, recalling how Urahara and Yoruichi had been banished and the Vizard slated for execution, despite the outrage of the taicho of the time. "The Central 46…"

While she was already making plans to plant more Onimitsukidō agents in Kurosaki Masaki's district, such a heavy-handed tactic should be kept as a last resort, Soifon reasoned. Instead, why not let the government make the decisions? It put the Gotei 13 in the best possible position – enforcing law, rather than being the organization that was truly Kurosaki's enemy.

The Central 46 had not reconvened since Aizen had killed their members, as Yamamoto had declared Soul Society to be in a state of martial law. The Central 46 only ruled during times of peace, as they were meant to represent the entirety of Soul Society. When it came to times of war, it had seemed reasonable that the Gotei 13 be put in charge, being a military organization and knowing better than the public what actions had to be taken.

Soifon nodded to herself. As soon as Yamamoto declared the war over, it was mandated by law that the Central 46 retake control of the government. The Central 46 had previously displayed anti-Vizard tendencies in the past. _It shouldn't be difficult to instill some fear into them. _

_Yep! Though you might have problems keeping them from simply ordering you into assassinating him directly…_

Soifon paled. That _was _a problem. The Central 46 had ordered almost precisely that concerning the original Vizard group, and as the leader of the Onimitsukidō, she had the best chance of killing Kurosaki. However, she hadn't been able to pierce Aizen, his reiatsu overwhelming her own. Kurosaki had to have even more enormous reiatsu than Aizen had had, considering the traitor's evolutions. As a result, Kurosaki would be impossible to kill in her usual tactics. If only she had Zaraki-taicho's levels of reiatsu, there could have been a…

Soifon's eyes were wide as her back went ramrod straight, an idea forming almost faster than she could think. _Hold on. Zaraki. His eye patch inhibits his reiatsu significantly. How quickly could I commission Research and Development to make a stronger version that could work even on Kurosaki's reiatsu? _Without waiting for an answer from Suzumebachi – not that she expected one, Soifon's Zanpakutō rarely spoke up since she'd gained Bankai – Soifon immediately began drafting a request for two such devices. One would be needed for Kurosaki, and one would be for herself – Soifon knew she needed to increase her reiatsu reserves significantly if she wanted any sort of chance.

Soifon nodded to herself, more confidently this time. She now had plans, tentative though they were. She would need to arrange to have Kurosaki willingly wear such a device – and that should prove no trouble, considering his fear of accidentally harming his family with his reiatsu – and work on her own reiatsu levels so if need be, she could take him out. Another alternative was convincing the boy to have a large portion of his reiatsu sealed, much like how taicho and fukutaicho were required to have theirs sealed when on missions in the living world. The emergency backup plan was to use Kurosaki's mother as collateral. That simplified matters enormously – Soifon had no need to use the Central 46 at all.

However, the ideal situation would be to have Kurosaki swear loyalty to the Gotei 13. That power could be put to good use. _But how to arrange that? _Soifon needed to think more, but one of her subordinates brought her another stack of paperwork, and she resolved to work on that particular problem later.

* * *

Urahara stood in front of the Kurosaki residence, his face remorseful. He did not like what he was about to do, but it was necessary. He knocked on the door in front of him.

It was answered by Ichigo. "Urahara?"

"Ichigo… I'm sorry, but it's time."

Ichigo blinked. "Time?"

"Time for Karakura to return to the living world. I'm afraid your mother must remain in Soul Society."

There was a cacophony of denial from Karin and Yuzu as they rushed and stood next to Ichigo steadfastly, blocking Urahara's path inside. Ichigo's expression was unreadable, however. "Why?"

"Ichigo, she is a purified spirit now. Her spirit body subsists on spirit particles in the air – she can't survive long the living world."

"Isn't there some other way?"

Urahara shook his head. "Not until she has developed powers of her own. At that point I could devise a gigai for her, but even then I wouldn't recommend it – she is known to the living world to be dead. Her body was found. Her name was registered as deceased. For her to suddenly return… it would create difficult questions."

Ichigo felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he saw his mother smiling sadly. "It's ok, Ichigo."

"But we just got you back!" Yuzu cried out. "It's not fair!" Karin said nothing, but her expression indicated she agreed with her fraternal twin.

Masaski kneeled down and held her daughters close. "Sometimes, life isn't fair, darlings. I'll be waiting for you in Soul Society, but I don't want to see you there for a very long time. And when you do come to see me, I want to have a lifetime of stories, ok?"

Yuzu nodded, her eyes already leaking tears. Karin, however, wheeled on her older brother. "Ichigo, you better be ready to deliver messages whenever you go to Soul Society."

His throat dry, Ichigo could only nod. When Masaki stood up, the Vizard hesitantly initiated a hug, which Masaki quickly accepted. "Be safe," Ichigo pleaded.

For the first time in years, Ichigo heard his mother laugh. It warmed his spirit and prompted a heartfelt smile of his own. "I should be telling you that, young man," she chided, still smiling as she broke the hug. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. If I do need anything, I'll see about contacting a Shinigami to get a hold of you."

"Thanks, Mom." Ichigo suddenly realized he felt a lot more… at ease. Peaceful, even. It didn't take long for him to realize why: his mother was alive in a spiritual sense, happy and healthy. She didn't even blame him for her death. Even though she had to reside in Soul Society, he could see her every now and then.

Masaki pulled him in to kiss him on his forehead, before doing the same to Yuzu and Karin. Then she turned and pulled Isshin into a hug, kissing him on the lips for a few seconds.

"I've missed you," Isshin whispered hoarsely.

"And I've missed you. Take good care of our children, Isshin."

Ichigo's father nodded resolutely. "I will."

Her goodbyes made, Masaki gently pushed past her children and took Urahara's hand. "Ichigo… your body will be waiting for you in the shop when the transfer is complete," Urahara informed. "Yours too, Isshin." Then, with a flicker of Shunpo, they were gone.

With a sigh, Isshin closed the door to their home, and sat heavily down on the couch. "I suppose you want my story, Ichigo?" he asked heavily.

Isshin was startled to see his son shake his head negatively at him, a smirk on his face. "Nah. You had your reasons. When you're ready to tell me, then I'll listen." Ichigo leaned against the wall, looking up.

"But aren't you curious who I was?" Isshin asked, astonished.

"A little," Ichigo admitted. "But I can wait. Besides…" His eyes glazed, recalling one of the life-changing lessons that his Zanpakutō had beaten into him, and paraphrasing a little. "… what difference does it make who you were, if I know who you are?"

Just then, Ichigo felt a wave of reiatsu harmlessly pass over him. He blinked, before coming to the obvious conclusion. "Back in the living world?"

"Back in the living world," Isshin confirmed. "Now then, let's get those bodies of ours."

Upon leaving the building, Ichigo's father Shunpo-ed away – he needed his body quickly so he could actually be available as a doctor for if any emergencies came up. Ichigo decided to walk – he could use the quiet time to think.

Now that there wasn't an immediate need to grow insanely stronger as quickly as possible, Ichigo contemplated what he wanted to do with his human lifetime. He'd never honestly thought about it before, but as a high-school student Ichigo knew he had to think about it soon, and recent events had forcefully introduced him to realities of life and death. After having nearly lost his life several times by now – Ichigo's mind flashed to that first Hollow that had attacked his family, to Byakuya destroying his powers, to fighting Kenpachi without his eyepatch, to Aizen slashing him almost in two, before Ichigo snapped out of his recollections – he wanted to make the most of it. But the question was…

_What do I want to do with my life? _It was a tough question. Until recently, he hadn't really enjoyed doing much of anything. Ichigo had always felt his most alive when fighting after his mother had died. He snorted. _Professional recreational fighter? _

_**We'd kick so much ass. **_

_We do have a bit of an unfair advantage, _Ichigo reminded his Inner Hollow, though the corners of his lips pulled upwards in amusement.

_**So let's use those advantages. Mercenary for hire? Bodyguard? International superspy? **_

Despite himself, Ichigo chuckled at the last suggestion. _Now you're just being ridiculous. Though, I could bodyguard, _the Vizard mused. The idea had some merit, he had to admit. It served to satisfy his instinctual desire to protect, and gave him an occasional fight. And if a Hollow showed up, Ichigo would just have Kon take over his body while he went and took care of business.

"Not a bad idea," he finally muttered aloud, before noticing he'd almost reached Urahara's shop. Resolving to think about it later, he went in to talk to Urahara – he wanted to make sure his body wouldn't disintegrate with him inside it.

* * *

Meanwhile… "This is strange," Hachigen murmured from his meditative position within the Vizard warehouse. "I cannot sense Ichigo's reiatsu anywhere."

"Eh?" Hiyori demanded. "How is that possible? The Strawberry has no control over his reiatsu, last I checked, and that was earlier today!"

"I don't know," Hachigen admitted.

"Could he be in Soul Society or Hueco Mundo?" Lisa asked calmly.

"It's possible," the Kidō master conceded.

"But why would he?" Shinji pointed out. "He just killed Aizen. If he's working his way through killing someone for the first time, he should be with his family, and they're here in the living world now!"

"Could we have been tricked by Aizen again?" Rose inquired worriedly.

Everyone fell silent as the idea sunk in – with Aizen, anything could be possible. Was Ichigo dead?

"Can you sense his father?" Kensei demanded.

After a moment, Hachigen nodded confidently. "Yes. He is with Urahara."

"And how are their reiatsu?"

"Calm, but alert."

Kensei nodded, folding his arms over his torso in a manner that suggested that Hachigen's response answered everything. "Then Aizen truly is finished. Ichigo must simply be in Soul Society for some reason, and in no danger, otherwise their reiatsu would be far more agitated."

Everyone relaxed – the former taicho's words made sense.

"I have a question." The rest of the Vizard turned to Mashiro, who for once seemed uncertain rather than her normal cheerful self. "Aizen's dead now, right? What are we going to do now?"

The question seemed to bring the reality of their situation down on them. Their goal was complete, though now the Shinigami forces knew that the Vizard were alive and well. "Well…" Love said slowly. "Surviving is still something we all want… we should probably change locations sometime soon. We don't want the Shinigami to come kill us."

"True," Kensei agreed, seizing the idea.

"No."

The others turned in shock of hearing Hiyori's firm answer. "What?"

"I said no, you dumbasses! Don't you get it? The Shinigami know we're alive now, and let's face it, to them we're traitors!"

"We've been traitors to them for a hundred years, Hiyori," Shinji reminded her softly.

"Yes, but before now, they thought we were just Hollows! Now they know that we have powers of both Shinigami and Hollow, and they are going to want to use our power, or destroy it! And I don't know about you, but I'll be damned if I work under those bastards ever again! But they'll track us, no matter where we go! Hachi's barriers are strong, but now they have that fucking Tōsen creep who went and got himself Hollow powers too!"

"She has a point," Hachigen admitted. "Tōsen could, with some help from the current Kidō Corps, be able to break my barriers… and he might just able to track us."

"So what do you suggest?" Lisa asked curiously. Hiyori had never been this passionate about getting stronger before, only about her need for vengeance and for fighting.

"If we want to survive, we need to get stronger! We need to be so strong, the Gotei 13 has to think twice about even trying to take us on!" Hiyori passionately ranted. "What we need… is Resurrección! If Ichigo can do it, why can't we? Let's get so strong that they have no choice but to let us be!"

"And then what?" Kensei asked coldly.

"And then we can work towards ensuring what happened to us doesn't happen to anyone else," Love said quietly. Seeing everyone's gazes turning to him, he went on. "We were marked as traitors because of Aizen's actions. We weren't given any choice in the matter, and we were to be executed by the orders of the Central 46. Let's change how Soul Society's government works, by saving anyone that is being punished unfairly by them, challenging them to gather all the information."

"Sooner or later, they'd go to war with us over that," Shinji warned.

"They wouldn't dare." Eyes snapped onto Rose, whose voice had taken on an awed tone. "I see where you're going with this, Love… we'd gather the information ourselves, and publicly prove they were wrong, every time. Without the ability to silence us without going to war, the Central 46 would be forced to repeal their decisions until they got their act together and actually do the proper investigations. If they didn't, the Central 46 would lose power, people would begin to revolt."

"Nobility won't like that…" Kensei commented, though his mouth was beginning to turn upwards into a smirk.

"Who cares about fucking nobility?" Hiyori demanded, a victorious smirk of her own showing to everyone what she thought of the idea. "Let's do it."

Hachigen nodded – it was a noble plan, and it did have an element of humiliating the government that had banished him and his taicho. He had to admit that appealed to him.

"I'm in!" Mashiro chirped.

"Why not?" was Lisa's response. Internally, she wondered what her old taicho, Kyōraku Shunsui would have said about the idea. _I suppose I'll find out. _

Shinji's face broke out into a wide grin, every one of his teeth showing. "Sounds like we have a plan. Once we find Ichigo, we'll get him to teach us Resurrección!"

* * *

And there we go... people are making plans all over the place. Soifon's planning to control Ichigo, Ichigo's planning what he's gonna do with his life, and the Vizard are planning to revolutionize Soul Society.

Remember that the Vizard weren't there for Ichigo's final confrontation with Aizen. Boy are they going to be surprised...

I figured Ichigo might go for the bodyguard idea. He's got everything he needs - fighting skill, reputation, and a few aces in the hole. But he hasn't decided yet, and won't make any final decisions for some time. After all, he's still got the rest of school to finish, and he could easily find something he likes better.

I took Suzumebachi's character somewhat from the Zanpakuto arc, I admit. We don't know what canon Suzumebachi is like, and I highly doubt we'll get to find out. Then again, 10 more years of Bleach? Argh...

Now, for spoiler rant!

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... I knew it was coming. I just knew it. Of COURSE Ichigo has a Fullbring power. "But how can that be?" Ichigo was human, Shinigami and Hollow. Sacrifice the SHINIGAMI power, and you have human and Hollow. Hey, isn't that exactly what the Fullbringers have?

Which means that Kubo's really beginning to screw with us. Ichigo was in spirit form when he sacrificed his Shinigami powers. Meaning he SHOULD have gone all Hollow... unless Hollow Ichigo's PERSONALITY faded with Zangetsu, leaving access to the Hollow powers for Ichigo. But still!

My theory for Ichigo's Fullbring is that he will summon Zangetsu himself. Or maybe Hollow Ichigo's reversed-colors version of Zangetsu.

Anyway, that's it for now!

NeoRyu777


	31. In Memoriam

Sorry this is almost a week late - life decided that it was high time for Murphy to stroll in, break all our stuff, and flip us the finger on his way out before spraying us with mud from his car. Just when things are getting better financially, shit happens. Oh well, c'est la vie.

First, review responses:

deltawaves - To be honest, I have a sort of end to the story planned? But it keeps getting pushed back due to canon developments that I keep thinking "Oh, come on, I want to see how that changes with my version."

Ruby Silken Sun - Wow, thank you! And no, I don't believe it's wrong at all. I actually started caring more about some Naruto fics than canon now, so I know exactly what you mean.

Dhragonis-Slytherin - Thanks for the wonderful review. And no, I'm not a seer, I just like trying to put the dots together in a good way. My philosophy on story-telling is that it's the characters that make the story, not the plot. If a person can't sympathize with the characters, can't see and feel where they're coming from, if you can't make them human... then they won't want to read it. Especially when they start acting OOC.

lightningblade49 - She doesn't think it'll be that simple, no. But imagine if she did it while Ichigo was in his human body? Ichigo would be pretty much powerless if the seal were strong enough.

The Sinful - Yes, Soifon would look good in an eyepatch, I agree. Almost pirate-like, you know?

The Don - Don't worry, Nel and the others aren't gone from the story just yet.

Next, new term!

Gintei Reiin (Soul Limiter Symbol) - This is the seal that fukutaicho and taicho get when on missions to the human world. Normally, when applied by the 12th Division, it's at 80%. However, I have a different use for it here. The counter is Gintei Kaijo.

Finally, let the chapter begin!

Chapter 31: In Memoriam

"What do you mean I can't get in my body just yet?" Ichigo demanded.

"Your body can't take your reiatsu," Urahara explained easily. "Quite frankly, you're too powerful for your mortal body. It would die in a day or two as your reiatsu burned it alive from the inside out, possibly longer depending on your high-speed regeneration."

Ichigo sighed, palming his face. "Fine then, it's not like I didn't expect something like this might happen. What can we do about it?"

"We have very limited options, Ichigo-kun. You see, the problem is that our reiatsu cannot affect yours unless you consciously control it and lower it to our level," Urahara began. "That means that we cannot seal your reiatsu as we normally would. I could devise something for you in time, but I expect that you would rather join your body now, rather than in a week or two."

The Vizard gave him a flat look that clearly stated how he felt on the matter. "Why can't you seal my reiatsu?"

"Our reiatsu can't affect you anymore unless you let it," Isshin elaborated for Urahara, having decided to stick around for his son. "It's too, for lack of a better phrase, highly evolved. You could compare it to an experienced fighter facing a rookie who has just picked up a wooden sword. Unless the fighter actively lowers his skill level, the rookie would never be able to strike him. In the same way, unless you actively lower your reiatsu, we cannot normally affect it without using specialized tools, tools which we currently do not have."

Ichigo nodded, following the metaphor.

Seeing his companion's understanding, Urahara continued where Isshin left off, "So, if I were to seal your powers like any other Shinigami's, you would have to be constantly controlling and dampening your reiatsu to be on the same plane of evolution as we are. If at any time that control slipped and your reiatsu were to revert to an evolution higher than ours, the seal would break down at a very rapid rate. Your full reiatsu would then flare, quickly decomposing your body from the inside out. I surmise it would be a quite painful experience."

That made sense to an extent. "So, what are the alternatives?"

"Well… I can make you a gigai that can tolerate the reiatsu better until I can complete the device to help us seal your reiatsu…" Urahara said slowly. "Or… Tessai and I can teach you how to seal your reiatsu yourself."

Ichigo barely suppressed a groan. _More to learn? _

_**Oi! Quit your griping, this will take care of your little problem touching people! **_

_That reminds me… _"Urahara, I thought that my reiatsu kept me from touching people without hurting them. Tensa Zangetsu told me so, when my mother was in danger. But later, I was able to embrace her without a problem after I left Bankai. Do you know why?"

Isshin, already knowing this from Ichigo's explanation from earlier, was also looking at Urahara expectantly, hoping the scientist could answer the question.

"Hmmm…" The shopkeeper mulled over his thoughts for a few moments, before nodding. "During the confrontation, your reiatsu stayed at its evolved state so as to allow you your maximum fighting capabilities. Afterwards, it seems that your love for her and desire to protect made you instinctively suppress your reiatsu, and lower it to the point where it would be anything but harmful to her. But," he warned, "you cannot rely on that in your day to day life. If you even felt the slightest hint of aggression, playful or not, your reiatsu would respond. Considering how frequently you are targeted by human gangs, unless you want them dead…"

"I get it," Ichigo interrupted. "But considering my poor control, how am I supposed do something as complicated as sealing?"

"That would be a problem if you were to try sealing someone else," Tessai agreed, stepping inside the room and crossing his arms over his chest. "However, sealing one's own reiatsu is not so difficult – it is a similar process to resealing your Zanpakutō out of Shikai."

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head in a slightly embarrassed fashion. "Ah, well, I've never done that. Yoruichi said that Zangetsu is a constant release type Zanpakutō… my lack of control means I give off too much reiatsu, and it keeps Zangetsu in Shikai. My control never got good enough to try, and even if it did, I don't really care to keep him sealed. He's my partner, and he's always supported me. Why should I seal him away?" Ichigo suddenly received a sense of wordless appreciation from his Zanpakutō. _No problem, Zangetsu. _

"Even so, it is a skill worth learning," Isshin pressed. "Not only is it an important step in being able to fully control your reiatsu, it may prove especially useful in future interaction with Soul Society – they usually prefer Shinigami to keep their Zanpakutō sealed at most times. Adhering to their customs could ease your path later, especially when dealing with nobility and possibly the Central 46."

"Not to mention, I'd like to see some of their faces if you release Zangetsu in front of them," Yoruichi's voice jumped in. Ichigo spun, not having detected her presence, and then spotted her on the windowsill, basking in some sunlight in her cat form. "That would be a sight to remember forever. But Isshin's right, Ichigo. Before, it wasn't really a priority, since you needed as much power as possible, as quickly as possible. Now, though, it's time to refine your control, and being able to seal your Zanpakutō will help enormously in the long run. It may even make it easier for you to reenter your body."

"Well, I suppose knowing how to do it doesn't mean having to do it all the time," Ichigo muttered. He respected both Yoruichi and Tessai as his teachers, and his father did have a point… So he was willing to trust them, though he was reluctant to seal away Zangetsu. _What would happen if you were sealed, anyway?_

_My power would be greatly limited, you would be largely cut off from me, and likely Cazador de la Luna as well, until you unsealed us or performed Jinzen. As a result, Cazador and I would be unable to see the outside world, and unable to converse with you regularly as we do now. _

_What's the point of that? _Ichigo asked, confused. _Surely there has to be some sort of upside, or others wouldn't do it so often. _"Tessai-sensei, why does everyone keep their Zanpakutō sealed?"

"To prevent accidents from happening," was the Kidō master's simple response. "Also, it's customary to do so, as walking around with their Zanpakutō released tends to be viewed as a threat and a challenge."

Ichigo blinked. "Even the taicho?"

"Especially the taicho," Isshin answered solemnly.

"Why?"

Urahara cleared his throat. "The idea is a Shinigami should not have their Zanpakutō released unless they are planning to use them. It's based in the fact that most Shinigami don't have the reiatsu necessary to keep them in Shikai all the time."

"What about talking to them, getting to know them?" Ichigo demanded incredulously.

"That's what we have Jinzen for," Urahara explained with a shrug. "Why are you so offended by it?"

"It just seems so… stifling for the Zanpakutō," Ichigo tried to describe how he felt. "To be completely bottled up all the time, only able to see outside someone's Inner World when the Shinigami feels like releasing them… Try to imagine being in Benihime's position for a moment. Unable to invent anything, unable to talk to anyone, just stuck there and unable to see anything unless she needs you to help her fight someone. And when was the last time you used Jinzen?"

Now it was Urahara's turn to blink, looking down at his cane that hid his own Zanpakutō. "Huh. I hadn't thought of that. It sounds like a boring existence. Perhaps you have a point, Ichigo-kun. Regardless, if you want to reenter your body, you will need to learn how to seal your own power, and the first step to that is sealing your Zanpakutō."

_It is alright, Ichigo. _

_**Like they said, doing this could come in handy. **_

The Vizard sighed. "Alright, how do we do this?"

"Simply cut off the flow of your reiatsu into Zangetsu," Yoruichi ordered. "Try to keep as much of it as you can inside you."

Ichigo closed his eyes and focused on his reiatsu. It was so very, very vast and strong… ignoring how his reiatsu was emanating from him constantly, Ichigo traced how his power flowed. It took him a few minutes, but he finally located the river of power that ran through Zangetsu. He gave it a firm mental tug, pulling it away from its path and attempting to keep it in his body. It felt quite odd – if Ichigo could compare it to anything, it was like he was holding his breath, but not needing to breathe for a while.

Opening his eyes, Ichigo reached up and felt Zangetsu's physical form, and was surprised to see that Zangetsu was still in his Shikai state. Confused, Ichigo closed his eyes again and took another 'look' at where his reiatsu entered the blade. Though the Vizard still had a grip on the reiatsu he'd pulled away from that path, some of the reiatsu that he gave off into the air had apparently redirected itself to Zangetsu's pull.

_This is gonna be tougher than I thought. I don't think I can create and maintain as many grips as I would need to capture all the reiatsu… _

_Then compress all the reiatsu into one place, and then grip it there. _

Nodding absently at Zangetsu's suggestion, and vaguely noting that a lot of the Zanpakutō's advice concerning his reiatsu involved compression, Ichigo tried to think of a way to put the all the reiatsu in one place. _What I need is a way to suck most of it back into my body and keep it there. _He began to sigh, but then froze in mid-breath, having an idea.

He slowly breathed in, mentally grasping as many strands of his reiatsu as he could and pulling them back inside his body, combining and compressing them together. Making sure he had a good grasp on the combined strands, he breathed out and began again, pulling more of his reiatsu each time.

Three more rounds later, Ichigo felt like he couldn't pull in any more without compromising what he already had. _Time to test. _The Vizard once more reached up over his shoulder, and gripped something that was far different than cloth-wrapped metal – an actual hilt.

His eyes flying open, Ichigo pulled what he knew had to be Zangetsu's sealed form out of its sheath, which had miraculously materialized on his back. The blade was a standard-sized katana, though a bit wider than most, with a red handle and a rectangular bronze hand guard. On the end of the handle were two light blue tassels. The hand guard had some decoration, though Ichigo had to look a lot closer to tell – it had stylized flame patterns on the long edges, and small curved slits on the short ones. "This is…! This is a properly-sized version of the sword that I was using, before I learned Shikai!"

Urahara nodded. "I see you're finally able to control your reiatsu enough to make your sword a normal size. I'm impressed; I thought you might generate that enormous version again."

"To be honest, I rather expected that monstrosity," Yoruichi admitted.

"Hold on a minute!" Isshin drew his own Zanpakutō and held it out to compare against his son's. "Look at them! My Engetsu is almost exactly the same as your Zangetsu, Ichigo!"

Ichigo blinked, before his jaw dropped. His father was right – they both had the same red handle, the same blue tassels, even similar lengths… The only thing different that Ichigo could see was the hand-guard, where Isshin had an elongated hexagonal handguard, while the Vizard's was rectangular.

The near-identical appearances of their Zanpakutō startled Ichigo enough to accidentally loosen his grip on his reiatsu, and suddenly Zangetsu glowed brightly before shifting into Shikai state. "… Sorry," Ichigo apologized.

"No matter," Urahara waved off. "You succeeded, which is enough for the time being. Now, go through the same process, but this time, condense the reiatsu as much as you can and imagine storing it in a symbol on your chest, as small a symbol as you can. This symbol will be the seal. When you're done, call out 'Gentei Reiin.'"

"Be sure to keep your reiatsu on a level that we can feel it," Isshin reminded his son. "So we can figure out how much of your reiatsu is sealed."

Nodding and getting to work, Ichigo once more gathered as much of his reiatsu as he could, and sealed Zangetsu. That done, he wondered what sort of symbol he should use… _A sword? No, that's Zangetsu. A mask? No, that's Cazador. The word "seal"? Too suspicious if it's seen. Perhaps… a crescent moon? _It worked as well as anything else Ichigo could immediately think of, so he decided to go with it. He mentally pushed the reiatsu into the symbol, and imagined placing it over his heart. Quietly, he whispered, "Gentei Reiin."

Suddenly, Ichigo's grasp of his reiatsu shattered, and so too did his sense of it. It was as though the reiatsu wasn't there at all! _Wait, that's not quite true, _he amended as he caught a flicker of it on his chest. Opening his eyes again, he glanced down at his chest, using his left hand to pull the shihakusho away from his body enough for him to see his skin. The symbol was there, white as the moon itself.

The Vizard relaxed, the feeling of holding his breath having disappeared when the symbol materialized. Glancing at Zangetsu, he felt a flash of frustration when he saw that the sword had once more resumed its Shikai form. Doing a quick assessment of his own reiatsu emissions, he found that once he'd relaxed, he'd begun to leak reiatsu, though not in the same quantities as before. "Well?" he asked expectantly, turning to his mentors.

Urahara glanced at Tessai, whose face was unreadable. "You have sealed approximately 20% of your reiatsu," the Kidō Master finally judged.

Ichigo sighed. "Is it possible to place more than one seal upon a person?"

"Of course," Urahara confirmed. "But it is not usually a good idea for a long-term self-sealing."

"Why not?"

"Seals, like all Bakudō, tend to reinforce each other," Isshin cut in. "So by putting more than one seal on yourself, it becomes harder for you to remove them."

"Isn't that a good thing in this case?" Ichigo pointed out. "We _don't _want my seals to accidentally go off."

"There is that…" Yoruichi agreed. "How much more do we have to seal before Ichigo is back to something resembling his old power levels?"

"One more ought to do it," Isshin judged.

With a sigh, Ichigo performed the Gentei Reiin again, this time making a black crescent moon facing the opposite direction, so the tips almost touched and the combined symbols made a circle. Zangetsu was still in Shikai, but now Ichigo felt that if he needed to, he could keep Zangetsu sealed for a while, though why he would ever want to was still beyond him. Now that that was done, Ichigo did feel much weaker – he was down to between half and two-thirds of the power he'd had just a few minutes ago, and it wasn't regenerating. When he voiced this question aloud, he was greeted with a laugh from his father.

"It's still in your body, Ichigo!" Isshin chortled. "So your body doesn't recognize it as missing, you just don't have access to it at the moment!"

"What I'm curious about, is whether you can still put your reiatsu on that stage of higher evolution," Urahara mused.

Feeling curious about the results himself, Ichigo mentally made the indescribable change to his reiatsu, the change brought on by the evolution he'd achieved in the Dangai. Ichigo almost jumped when all the other occupants in the room stumbled in place. "Something wrong?"

"It's just… weird," Yoruichi told him. "For your reiatsu to just suddenly vanish entirely…"

"So, it's not just a matter of how much reiatsu you have, there's another factor involved…" the scientist muttered just out of Ichigo's earshot. "In any case, you should be able to get back in your body now."

"About time." Relaxing and feeling his reiatsu settle back into its pre-evolutionary state, Ichigo promptly entered his body and immediately doubled over in pain.

Isshin yelped and ran to get his son out of his body, but Urahara and Tessai bodily held him back. "What are you doing? He's obviously in pain!" Isshin yelled. "We have to get him out!"

"Look."

Having little other choice, Isshin did as he was told, and then noticed that Ichigo's body was growing a few inches, as was his hair. His facial structure was maturing somewhat, and the rest of his body was filling out somewhat. All in all, Isshin was watching his son's mortal body rapidly age from the point where Ichigo had left it three months ago, to what Ichigo now looked like.

"… Well, that hurt," Ichigo rasped, straightening into a sitting position. "Can I have some water?"

"Of course." Tessai had a glass of water in his hand in seconds – Ichigo realized a moment later that perhaps he'd anticipated needing it.

"Do you feel any pain?" Urahara pressed urgently. "Any burning sensations?"

"No," the Vizard answered.

"Good. Now that you've sealed off enough of your reiatsu not to harm yourself, your human body is acting as a buffer to the rest of your reiatsu. As a result, you should now be able to touch others without harming them, no matter what stage of evolution your reiatsu is in. I shouldn't have to tell you that you should not unseal your reiatsu while inside your human body," he warned gravely.

"Right. How do I unseal it anyway?" Ichigo asked, realizing belatedly that it was a rather important piece of information.

"Gather reiatsu to the seal you want to undo, and call out Gentei Kaijo," Yoruchi instructed before Urahara could open his mouth. She knew quite well that Urahara would have had Ichigo say some ridiculously long and embarrassing but ultimately useless phrase, and only tell the truth when it failed – he'd played that trick more than once on Ichigo, and on others as well.

Urahara almost pouted at Yoruichi for spoiling his fun, but merely nodded. "Ichigo…" The Substitute turned to face him questioningly. "Isshin was just explaining to me before you arrived, that you want a vacation. Tell me what you want and I'll see to it that you get it. It's the least I can do after dragging you and your friends into this mess."

* * *

Several minutes later, Ichigo left the shop in a better mood. He was on his way home when he heard a familiar voice yell, "Kurosaki-kun!"

Turning on the spot, Ichigo spotted Ishida, Chad and Inoue coming his way. "Hey guys."

"What happened to you?" Ishida gasped. "Your hair…!"

"Trained in the Dangai for three months," Ichigo explained glibly. "Turns out time goes a lot slower in there than out here and in Soul Society, so I was able to get some last-minute training to take out Aizen. When I got back in my body, it aged accordingly."

"Is he…?" Inoue asked quietly.

"Yeah. Aizen's dead. Blasted his head off myself. Well, twice if you're counting," the Vizard corrected himself. "But he's definitely dead now, and even if he wasn't, Urahara's got his body now and there's no way that Aizen's getting out of that one."

Ichigo almost smiled when he saw his friends relax at the news. "And the Hōgyoku?" Ishida pressed.

"Urahara's got it again. He'll take care of it." Ichigo wasn't sure how to explain that the Hōgyoku had its own sort of semi-conscious will according to the exile, and that it now registered Ichigo as its master. Nor did he want to go into detail on why it had happened – it was an experience that Ichigo just wanted to put behind him.

"Good," Chad said simply. "So what now?"

"We go on a week-long vacation," Ichigo answered his best friend. "All expenses paid trip to a nice beachside hotel. Urahara and Yoruichi will take care of anything that happens in Karakura while we're gone."

"Who all is coming?" Inoue asked excitedly.

"Just the four of us, plus Rukia and Renji if they want to come," Ichigo told her. "And anyone you guys want to invite."

"Why them?" the Quincy asked, curious.

"They're the only ones who doubled back and helped save Inoue, and they're almost sure to catch flack on that," Ichigo justified his decision. "Besides, they've been going through just as much shit as we have."

"Point taken," Ishida conceded.

"When is the vacation?" Chad asked.

"Next week," Ichigo admitted. "They do need time to actually set up the trip."

"Why is he doing this?" Ishida pondered aloud.

Ichigo didn't answer; he had his suspicions, nothing else.

"I suppose it doesn't matter," Ishida muttered, low enough that the others wouldn't hear him. "Kurosaki, Sado, Inoue…" The three turned to him questioningly. "I will make this quick. In order to receive the training I needed from my father to be of significant aid in the Winter War, I swore to halt most of my Quincy activities and resume life in a manner of someone not spiritually aware. As Aizen is dead, I am now forbidden to hunt Hollows. I may only act in defense of a life should the situation present it. As such, I entrust the safety of Karakura to you."

Ishida spun on his heel and began walking home, leaving three shocked people behind him. It hurt, Ishida had to admit, to leave the life he had chosen, the life where his intelligence and power could be used to their full potential. _But this is the price I chose to pay for the strength to protect. _And he refused to regret it.

"Ishida! Is that it?" Ichigo demanded with traces of anger coloring his tone. "Is that the extent of your feelings? Will you just walk away from us like you no longer belong? You are Ishida Uryū, Quincy of the Winter War! More than that, you are our companion!"

"Don't you get it, Kurosaki?" Ishida turned, his voice caustic. _How dare he make this harder than it is? _"I can no longer be a Quincy! I swore on the pride of my race! I cannot guard your back anymore, Kurosaki Ichigo, and I will not break my oath by associating with three people so intimately tied with the spiritual world, just for some half-assed effort to make me feel useful! Face it, Kurosaki! I'm not needed anymore!"

"You are not our friend simply because of your powers," Chad rumbled. "If that were the case, then would we not have let you go when you had no powers, before Orihime restored them?"

"Ishida-kun…" Inoue whispered, taking a step towards her friend. "I understand. You are hurting, because you feel that if you cannot protect Karakura alongside us, then what was the point of making these bonds?"

Ishida gaped at her, but had no chance to respond as the mistress of rejection continued with tears forming in her eyes.

"We are your friends, Ishida-kun, but right now that gives you so much pain, doesn't it? You want to protect your home just as much as we do, and the knowledge that we're going to do it without you now just breaks your heart…" Inoue brought her left hand to her heart, but her eyes never left Ishida's as she took another step forward. "You want to push us away so it hurts less, so you can resent us and your father in peace. But don't you see, Ishida-kun? You can never break the bonds we've forged together. We've been through too much."

Memories flashed against his will in front of Ishida's eyes… He remembered fighting back to back with Kurosaki, and being shaken by the Substitute's words reminding him of his grandfather's vision of Quincy and Shinigami working together, eventually taking on a Menos Grande together. He recalled Chad and Inoue offering for him to join them in training under Yoruichi, and later working with them and Kurosaki to break into Soul Society to save Kuchiki Rukia. Training together, protecting Karakura together, invading Hueco Mundo to rescue Inoue together… _She's right. We have been through too much. _

Ishida came to himself only to realize that Inoue had finished crossing the distance between them and had pulled him into a hug, her arms gently wrapped around his waist, his head over her left shoulder. He gaped, but once again was not given the chance to speak as Inoue's soft voice silenced his own. "It's ok," Inoue whispered. "It's ok to let us in, Ishida-kun."

"You're our friend, no matter what you think," Ichigo stated firmly from a few meters behind Inoue. "We'll figure it out together, alright?"

Chad merely nodded his agreement.

Slowly, hesitantly, Ishida returned the beautiful girl's embrace. "… Yeah," he finally assented. "Alright."

Almost an hour later, the four of them sat atop Ichigo's roof, looking at the sun as it finally began to set. None of them had had the destination in mind, but had ended up there after meandering through the town for a while, making sure no one was injured.

"… This has been the longest day of my life," Ichigo finally said as the sun dipped behind the horizon.

Ishida chuckled lightly at the non-sequitur. "Well, you did spend three months in the Dangai, Kurosaki. It's to be expected." He smirked but purposely did not look at Ichigo, who was glaring half-heartedly at him.

Inoue giggled a little. "It all seems so strange," she admitted. "I was beginning to think it'd never be over."

"In a way, it never will be," the Quincy said quietly, but not quietly enough it seemed, as Inoue's face scrunched up in a confused manner, though her eyes did not waver from the sun as it continued to descend.

"What do you mean?"

Ichigo shared a look with Ishida, whose eyes reflected a grim expectancy that made the Vizard realize that Ishida had already thought past the Aizen conflict a while ago. _Of course. Ishida always did see further than I did. _

_**Ironic, given his glasses. **_

Stifling a snort, Ichigo's eyes darted at Inoue, but the newly-retired Quincy shook his head subtly. _Don't tell her. _

Ichigo understood; Inoue was an innocent, kind soul. It would break her heart to suspect that Soul Society was going to go after them next, and there was always the chance that somehow their friends in the Gotei 13 would be able to keep that from happening. So, thinking quickly as he turned his eyes back to the sunset, he finally said, "He means that now that we're involved with Soul Society, there's probably always going to be something that we're going to end up in the middle of."

"Well, it'll be nice to stay in touch with our friends in Soul Society," Inoue concluded with a smile.

After another few minutes, the sun finally disappeared beyond the horizon. Ishida got up slowly. "I'm going to head home," he announced. "School in the morning, and after today, we're all going to need some rest."

Seeing the wisdom in his words, though Ichigo felt a little silly thinking about school after the war he'd just finished earlier that day, the four of them parted ways. Jumping down to the ground, Ichigo walked in the front door, only to find his father in the middle of an aerial roundhouse kick.

Without even breaking stride, Ichigo ducked underneath it, took a step forward and retaliated with a punch to the chest that sent Isshin flying back several feet. "Hey Dad," he said casually as if this happened every day – which it largely did. "What's Yuzu making for dinner?"

Isshin got up quickly, rubbing his chest but grinning. "Your skills haven't deteriorated at all, my son! And Yuzu-chan won't let me into the kitchen to find out…"

"You're right on time, Ichi-nii!" the aforementioned daughter chirped as she began to bring out the food, steaming hot with enticing aromas drifting in the air.

Minutes later, all four living members of the Kurosaki family were sitting at the table and eating Yuzu's freshly prepared food with relish. "Hey, old man?" Karin began after a minute. "Tell us about Mom?"

Isshin closed his eyes and swallowed his food, savoring the taste as he chose his words. Opening his eyes, he fixed a kind gaze at his fraternal twin daughters, with Ichigo nearby. "She's a wonderful woman who loves every one of you dearly. She was so happy to be a mother, I wish you could have known her so much longer just so you could feel the love and caring she felt and still feels for you."

The food was almost forgotten on the table as the three children of the late mother listened closely. Yuzu and Karin were leaning in eagerly, while Ichigo merely smiled softly in remembrance – he'd had nine wonderful years with his mother, and remembered being such a happy child. Kurosaki Masaki had always supported him, and had never failed to bring a smile to his face no matter what had happened.

"She liked to tease a little," Isshin recalled fondly. "Gently of course, she could never stand hurting someone's feelings. Yuzu takes after her in that way. But she loved to poke fun at people, make them laugh at themselves. Let me tell you, she once…"

The next couple of hours were spent telling stories about Masaki, with even Ichigo contributing a couple that he could remember. And so, when the Vizard lay down in his bed that night, he found himself feeling far more relaxed and at peace than he had for a long, long time. He felt himself drifting to the land of dreams…

"Hello again, Ichigo-kun."

… and awoke in a realm of nightmares. Ichigo's eyes went wide with horror, leaping out of bed and summoning Zangetsu to his hand, heart beating so loud that he felt it might just pound its way out of his chest. "No… You can't be alive!"

For there in front of Ichigo's bed, the impossible image of Aizen Sōsuke stood calmly with a triumphant smile on his face.

* * *

Oh dear, oh dear indeed. Aizen? Don't worry, I didn't lie before - Aizen really is dead. Next chapter will have an explanation for why Aizen seems to be there.

Ishida finally tells everyone about his promise... and I only just realized this, but without my knowing it Ishida took Ichigo's place in the whole losing power thing! But yeah, Inoue is just far too kind, too innocent despite everything for Ichigo and Ishida to share their suspicions.

Anyway, now for some spoiler rant!

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... Ahem. To all those disbelievers, Ichigo has now demonstrated that he does indeed have a Fullbring. Also, kudos to Servent Satsujinki who accurately predicted that Ichigo would use his Shinigami badge.

And to my own disbelief, it holds a heavy resemblance to the Futon: Rasenshuriken from Naruto. WTF?

Alright, slightly more seriously. The form of Ichigo's Fullbring, as was pointed out to me by a reviewer, appears to be the manji, or rather the kanji of "Ban", meaning "Full" or "Great" depending on the translation. To those who recall, that's the shape of the guard of Tensa Zangetsu. Now, remember that Chad is a Fullbringer too, and his arms evolved, and damn did they evolve. So, perhaps, Ichigo's Fullbring will evolve to resurrect Tensa Zangetsu? And from there, regain Shinigami powers? Was that the Fullbringer's goal?

Next, I was recently PM-ed asking about Inoue, Ishida and Chad... here are my theories.

Inoue's Fullbring is to pull out the soul of rejection from her hairpins. If I had to name her power, it'd be "Rejection of Fate"

Chad's Fullbring is to pull out the soul of defense, and of attack, from the skin on his arms. If I had to name his power, it'd be "Titan"

Ishida is a Quincy. But remember how Quincy have to focus their reiatsu through a cross, or a pentacle, or a glove that they CAN'T REMOVE without removing all their powers? It's only when with that item that they always carry around that they can create their bows and arrows. Now, consider that according to the canon history of the Quincy, they gained their powers after becoming aware of the Hollows, and trying to survive. Who's to say that the origin of the powers wasn't due to mothers bearing child surviving Hollow attacks, and creating a Fullbring?

So my thoughts are that the Quincy are simply a specialized, hereditary form of Fullbring. Perhaps they pull out the soul of destruction from their crosses and pentacles.

Now, Ichigo... we have no idea what his power does, so I can't say for certain, but I'd speculate that his power has something to do with high speed, or throwing it.

Anyway, that's it for now. See you next week!

NeoRyu777


	32. Impressions

Hello everyone! Another week, another chapter. This one will be focusing on a lot of people's different outlooks both on life, and on Ichigo, so if the writing style changes, it's supposed to reflect the thinking patterns of that particular person. Wish me luck, hope I get them right...

First up, review replies.

A fair few of you thought that Ichigo would be receiving Kyoka Suigetsu, who was taking on Aizen's appearance at the end of the last chapter. I'm afraid that's not the case - had too many bad experiences with stories that started off on that premise and completely screwed it up.

I did get a few questions regarding Ichigo's sealed Zanpakuto. Yes, I did just use the one from before Ichigo learned Shikai, but it is not a carbon copy of Rukia's. Allow me to illustrate the difference.

Ichigo's Zanpakuto has a red handle, blue tassels, and a rectangular bronze guard with slits and stylized lines that resemble flames.

Isshin's Zanpakuto has a red handle, blue tassels, and a hexagonal steel guard.

Rukia's Zanpakuto has a reddish-brown handle, no tassels, and a rectangular guard with slits and stylized lines.

As you can see, Ichigo's Zanpakuto appears to be a blend of his father's and Rukia's, which makes a sort of sense if you think about it. Ichigo's innate power was inherited from his father, and Zangetsu and Engetsu appear to be related somehow that has yet to be explained. But it was Rukia's powers that awakened his.

Also, I now have had several calls for me to write my own book and alert them. Thank you so much for the support, I do plan on getting it going in the near future, but I'm just trying to get by at the moment.

No new terms this week, but there are a few new concepts.

There are three ways for a Shinigami to become a taicho in canon:

Trial by Combat - the Shinigami beats the current taicho in front of 200 of that Division's members. This is how Kenpachi got his position.

Recommendation - the Shinigami gets recommendations from six taicho, and the recommendations get approval from three others.

Taicho Proficiency Test - a test which is largely unknown, but we do know that it involves proving you have Bankai. At least three taicho have to witness the test.

* * *

Chapter 32: Impressions

Standing in the Taicho Assembly Hall, various taicho began coming in and lining up in their customary places in two lines facing each other. However, there were several exceptions for this meeting. Kyōraku Shunsui, taicho of the 8th Division, instead stood apart from the two lines, standing at the head of the assembly where Yamamoto-sōtaicho normally addressed his troops. In his place stood his fukutaicho, Ise Nanao.

Similarly, Kira-fukutaicho stood in place for 3rd Division, Hisagi-fukutaicho for the 9th Division, and Sasakibe-fukutaicho for 1st Division. The 5th Division stood unrepresented, as both its former taicho, Aizen Sōsuke, and its current fukutaicho, Hinamori Momo, were dead and incapacitated respectively.

Once everyone arrived, Kyōraku nodded. "As acting sōtaicho, I call this meeting to order. Unohana-taicho, report."

"Hinamori-fukutaicho will make a full recovery in the next few days," the healer began. "It appears she was knocked out with minimal force."

"And Yamamoto-sōtaicho?" Kyōraku had to fight not to call his sensei by his usual nickname, "Yama-jii". As the acting leader, with all the potential disasters just waiting for someone to step badly to go off, he stood in an unenviable position. He acted with the authority of his sensei, but he was not nearly so respected and had to fill the old man's shoes, so to speak, until Yama-jii could recover… His reputation worked against him, and so Kyōraku could not afford to act in his usual manner. He had to remain firm and serious, and make sure that everyone knew that he meant every word he said tonight. _How troublesome… Maybe Nanao-chan will let me have more sake tonight… _

"Yamamoto-sōtaicho suffered serious injuries from his fight with Aizen. His chest had been punctured by what appears to be Aizen's hand, grievously damaging his right lung. He also acquired minor burns from his own flames, though they were easy to heal. His reiatsu and blood were low, but it seems there was some first aid administered to keep his reiatsu levels up.

"Physically, he has been almost completely healed. Seventh Seat Yamada Hanatarō's Zanpakutō was extremely helpful in that endeavor, and I suggest that Ukitake-taicho request his service in the near future to determine if his illness can be alleviated in any way," Unohana finished with a hopeful smile.

"Noted. What of Gin and Tōsen?"

"Tōsen is merely exhausted. My medics are delaying his recovery by draining his reiatsu as it returns and keeping him under a sleep Kidō until he can be tried. Gin, however, suffered massive injury, and despite being near death summoned his Bankai. As a result, his strained his body and reiatsu even further, and whether he will heal completely is still unknown. Given the state of Gin's reiatsu, it was unwise to use traditional healing Kidō on him. As a result, we were forced to rely almost entirely on Yamada's Zanpakutō, which healed the body directly rather than restoring the subject's reiatsu."

"An interesting ability," Kurotsuchi observed. "And quite suited to your division. One must wonder why he has not risen in rank."

Unohana merely smiled slightly at the man. "He requires more experience, Kurotsuchi-taicho, and has little confidence in his ability to defend himself. It will come in time."

Kyōraku nodded. It was good to have such promising Shinigami in the ranks, especially the healing division of the Gotei 13. "Soifon-taicho. I know you have assigned some of your Onimitsukidō to monitor the Kurosaki family. What have you gleaned so far?"

"Nothing from them," Soifon answered truthfully. "They will report back in two days. However, I overheard a private conversation between Kurosaki Ichigo and the manifestations of his Bankai spirit and his Inner Hollow before he returned to his family."

Murmurs of interest arose, with all the taicho looking at her interestedly. Soifon had to hide a smirk – she was damn good at her job. "Tensa Zangetsu, Kurosaki's Bankai, takes the form of a young man with mid-length dark hair. He called Kurosaki 'extremely overstressed' and advised him to take a vacation. Kurosaki's Hollow is largely identical to Kurosaki himself, save for being much paler and having a mask fragment on his forehead. He too seemed concerned about Kurosaki's mental state, and suggested the vacation be to a beach in order to partake in typical male teenage actions."

"And Kurosaki himself?" Byakuya asked.

Soifon frowned. The information she was about to relay was important enough that it could not be left out, but would remind everyone that Kurosaki was human and quite young at that. "He expressed a desire to 'feel like a teenager again, rather than a war veteran.' He also repeatedly verbalized his worry concerning his reiatsu accidentally harming his family, specifically his mother."

There was silence for a few moments. "I'd forgotten," Ukitake murmured, "that he was so young."

"It is a shame," Komamura declared somberly, "that we had to rely on a child to kill our foe for us."

"Why was Kurosaki's mother even there?" Hitsugaya asked quietly.

"Simple," Kurotsuchi answered the young taicho in a dismissive manner. "Aizen had hoped to gain a psychological advantage over Kurosaki Ichigo."

"She was killed and eaten by the Grand Fisher several years ago when Kurosaki was nine years old," Soifon contributed. "It's likely that Aizen wanted to use her as a deterrent, and possibly to persuade Kurosaki to join him."

Kyōraku frowned. Soifon's last sentence had planted an idea in his head. One way or another, at least one taicho spot needed to be filled, and that was Aizen's. Kurosaki Ichigo _had _killed Aizen in one-on-one combat, in full view of all the taicho and fukutaicho that were able in Soul Society at the time. While it was not the required 200 witnesses from the 5th Division that would allow Ichigo to be automatically promoted by trial of combat, it was still five taicho and several fukutaicho.

_Maybe… _Kyōraku quickly counted – there were nine taicho in the room. That was just enough to approve Ichigo's promotion to taicho by way of personal recommendations… if all of them agreed, which was hard enough to do on subjects that weren't so controversial.

"It seems to me," he began, and silence fell immediately on the conversation, "that regardless of what happens to Tōsen and Gin, we have a taicho position empty. According to the report I received from Soifon-taicho earlier today, Hinamori-fukutaicho went against orders and went to the living world to help against Aizen, only to be swayed by the traitor's words and illusions. Does anyone disagree that her mental state is now extremely perilous?"

The room was silent. Everyone there knew of Hinamori's devotion to Aizen before the man had betrayed them all, and her desperate belief that Aizen was somehow still a good person. If her beliefs had been verified by Aizen himself, then perilous was putting it lightly.

"I could, ah, make some mental adjustments…" Kurotsuchi offered after a few moments.

"Denied," Kyōraku said instantly. "However, the 5th Division is now in a rather poor position, is it not? Its taicho a traitor, its fukutaicho mentally unstable… it requires new leadership. Someone charismatic, someone undeniably strong, but someone who is as different from Aizen as it is possible to be. Someone who embodies the traits defined by the 5th Division's flower – sacrifice, danger."

By now, everyone knew what Kyōraku was going to suggest, but as Kyōraku was acting sōtaicho, it would be a very large breach of decorum to interrupt him.

"Kurosaki Ichigo is charismatic; He has swayed even Aizen's own Arrancar against him. Kurosaki is strong; he defeated Aizen even after Aizen's Hōgyoku-induced evolutions. Kurosaki is as different from Aizen as it is possible to be; Aizen was subtle, Kurosaki is blunt. Aizen lacked empathy, Kurosaki apparently has too much of it to be able to sacrifice those he deems his own. Aizen preferred to sacrifice others… Kurosaki would rather sacrifice himself.

"With this in mind, I would recommend Kurosaki Ichigo be promoted to the position of taicho of the 5th Division. However, he is a still-living human, and we are sworn not to interfere with human lives whenever it can be avoided. So, I propose a new solution: I, Kyōraku Shunsui, taicho of the 8th Division, recommend Kurosaki Ichigo be promoted to part-time taicho in preparation for his eventual death, at which point he will take on the position in full. Are there five others who will recommend him as well?"

Soifon could hardly believe her ears – she'd been thinking about ways to induct Kurosaki into the Gotei 13 prior to his death, but somehow she'd not thought of that solution. It bound Kurosaki to the Gotei 13, and gave them further rights and abilities to bind his power if need be. Barely suppressing a smile, she nodded. "I, Soifon, taicho of the 2nd Division, give my personal recommendation."

Unohana shook her head. "I have not known him long enough, nor seen enough of his skills to be able to say one way or another. I cannot give my recommendation."

Byakuya's expression did not change. Upon his return, he had immediately had his fukutaicho, Renji, brief him on what Kurosaki had accomplished since their fight. _Mastering the mask, Resurrección, Cero, Garganta… Learning Bakudō and new techniques with his Getsuga Tenshō… Kurosaki Ichigo is certainly strong enough to be a taicho, and has the drive to improve himself. He may be disrespectful at times, but he is certainly better than Zaraki. And… - _his mind flashed to Rukia's face - _…I owe him more than I care to admit. _"I, Kuchiki Byakuya, taicho of the 6th Division, give my personal recommendation."

Komamura was a hard person to read at the best of times, considering his bestial appearance. However, now his face could have been carved from stone and studied for months without revealing his true emotions. He didn't know what to think – he'd only really met the boy during the battle in the Fake Karakura, and had observed Kurosaki's fights carefully when he'd had the opportunity.

What he had seen, however, made him uneasy of the idea of recommending him. Kurosaki Ichigo had gone completely berserk in a Bankai-Resurrección hybrid form, going toe to toe against Aizen. A berserker taicho was not necessarily a good idea. However, if Komamura was thinking clearly then Kurosaki could hardly be blamed for relying so heavily on his Hollow powers – it was not as though Kurosaki had asked for them, and they had indeed provided the edge the Substitute needed to not only survive, but win. And Kurosaki _had _recovered his sanity and regained control of the new form.

But what truly weighed heavy on Komamura's mind was a conversation from when the pair of evolved juggernauts had warred against each other in Soul Society.

**Flashback**

_"Have none of you thought about the implications for after this is all over?" Soifon demanded heatedly. "None of us can sense either Kurosaki or Aizen! If Aizen wins, he could just as easily disguise himself as Kurosaki, though he likely won't bother since his goal is to replace the Spirit King. But if Ichigo wins, there's a rogue, unstable Vizard that we cannot sense, cannot defeat, and cannot control!"_

_"Unstable?" Abarai hissed in disbelief to Soifon's cool, if slightly cruel assessment of the situation. "What has Ichigo ever done to us? He broke into Soul Society for the purpose of saving someone who saved him and his family. Name one other time he has done anything against Soul Society!"_

_Despite himself, Komamura had to admit that the fukutaicho had a point. Thus far, Kurosaki had been an extremely valuable ally and the ace in the hole needed to fight Aizen. And even his previous transgression could be forgiven – Kurosaki had acted with honor, and not taken any lives despite having the opportunity. _

_"It's not a chance we can take," Soifon countered coolly._

_Unfortunately, Komamura was also forced to recognize the assassin's point. To let Kurosaki live would be an incredible risk. It was practically a given that the boy would grow even stronger, and it seemed extremely unwise to let the still-living Vizard become too powerful. _

_"So you would imprison or kill him for saving you, saving all of Soul Society and the living world?" Abarai inquired incredulously. "Some justice system we have. Should I go ask him to back off then, and let Aizen do what he wants?"_

_The words struck Komamura as though they were a physical slap to the face. Not only was Abarai questioning Soul Society's honor, but such words were treason! "Abarai!" he rebuked. "You are out of line!" _

_"Even so, he has a point," Kyōraku pointed out with a stern look at Soifon._

_Though Abarai turned his head to resume watching Kurosaki, Komamura could not help but look at him for another few moments. The fukutaicho's words were digging painfully at the anthropomorphic canine's sense of justice. _

**End Flashback**

Abarai had made his point – it would be extremely unethical to act against Kurosaki, who had done nothing to deserve it thus far. But there was still the question of Kurosaki's character. Komamura knew very little about Kurosaki's personality, though Soifon's report did provide some valuable insight. However, the way he'd taken charge and insisted there was still a way even if Yamamoto were to fail… It was obvious that Kurosaki kept a cool head in stressful situations, and was unafraid to do what he felt had to be done. Those were qualities that Komamura could respect in anyone, and qualities that would serve him well as a taicho. "I, Komamura Sajin, taicho of the 7th Division, give my personal recommendation."

Kyōraku had to fight a smile. There were four of the requisite six recommendations already out there, and still a few taicho left. _So far, so good. _Though, in order for his plan to work, Unohana would need to approve the recommendations after they'd been gathered.

Hitsugaya's frown deepened. He was uncertain whether Ichigo would actually want to be a taicho…

**Flashback**

_Ichigo scoffed. "Soul Society might try to tolerate the existence of a human who could defeat some of their best Shinigami, since humans live for such a short term anyway compared to you. But a human who could defeat some of their best Shinigami, and then have an additional power to push himself beyond taicho level? They'd assassinate me, or wear me down, or seal up my powers given the slightest excuse, because they'd be afraid I would come into their town and do the same damn thing. Preemptive strike my ass. And then to top things off, they'd try to recruit my power for the Gotei 13!"_

**End Flashback**

_Well, Ichigo, it seems that it's come to pass, _he mused with a hidden sigh. Hitsugaya hadn't thought that his own trial of loyalty would come so soon… What was best? Ichigo rightfully held no love for the Gotei 13, and probably feared for his own life now that his Vizard abilities had been revealed. _If I give my recommendation, and it goes through, Ichigo will have the choice to accept or not. If he accepts, then it provides a level of protection against the Central 46's rulings, and relaxes those afraid that he will turn against Soul Society. But if he turns it down, it may be considered spurning the Gotei 13 and could be taken as both an insult and a threat, considering how strong he is. _

_On the other hand, _Hitsugaya reasoned, _if it doesn't go through, Ichigo will be left for the Central 46's judgment regardless. _Not for the first time, the ice-wielder decided he hated politics.

After another few moments of indecision, he decided honesty was the best policy. "Before I give my recommendation," he stated clearly, "I must remind you all that Kurosaki Ichigo has little love for Soul Society's government. So far, we have brought nothing but woe to him and his friends and family."

"What do you mean?" Kyōraku queried, interested.

"Allow me to list the offenses in chronological order," Hitsugaya began. "During my assignment to the living world, Kurosaki informed me that one hundred years ago, Soul Society attempted to execute Shinigami who had illegally acquired Hollow powers against their consent. Yamamoto-sōtaicho has confirmed this. As Soul Society has not publicly changed its stance, Kurosaki Ichigo can be quite sensibly afraid for his life now that he has irrevocably revealed that he is the same.

"Soifon-taicho has just revealed in this meeting that Kurosaki's mother was killed and eaten by the Grand Fisher six years ago. According to Kurosaki himself after regaining control of his Resurrección form in the Fake Karakura, he went berserk due to Aizen's revelation that he had sent the Grand Fisher to do the deed. However, it is Soul Society's responsibility to cleanse all Hollows, especially those who have slain Shinigami, such as the Grand Fisher. Soul Society has failed to kill the Grand Fisher for fifty years, and can therefore be held liable.

"Several months ago, Kurosaki's family was targeted by a powerful Hollow that proved itself beyond Kuchiki Rukia's abilities to purify. This should not have happened – Soul Society has had policies in place regarding humans with reiatsu since before the Quincy Massacre, and the 12th Division had monitors in place in Karakura Town as soon as we were aware that it was the jūreichi. We are all well aware of the Hollow-luring effect when a human's reiatsu is greater than normal, and according to Kuchiki-san's report, Kurosaki broke a Bakudō… before gaining any Shinigami powers."

One could have heard a pin drop in the silence left after this most recent revelation. Seeing that most understood the implications – Hitsugaya wasn't quite sure about Zaraki, but was not about to stop to explain it – he continued. "Not to disrespect Kuchiki-san's skills, but a more skilled Shinigami should have been sent to handle the inevitably stronger Hollows. However, this did not happen. As a result, Soul Society is directly responsible for failing to protect Kurosaki's remaining family, and this failure forced him into a do-or-die situation that resulted in his becoming a Substitute Shinigami.

"To make matters worse, Soul Society then punished him and Kuchiki-san for choosing the only option left to them, by having a taicho nearly kill Kurosaki while taking Kuchiki-san to be tried. Soul Society then allowed itself to be fooled by one of its own taicho to the point of nearly executing Kuchiki-san with the Sōkyoku, which required Kurosaki's literally direct intervention to stop. After Aizen escaped, Soul Society proved itself incapable of handling the Bount situation on its own and required Kurosaki's assistance.

"Just today, Soul Society has also proven to Kurosaki that it cannot be relied on when Kurosaki's allies requested assistance of their own – namely, regarding the brief capture of Inoue Orihime. And finally, Soul Society was unable to deal with Aizen on its own and even blatantly requested Kurosaki to sacrifice his town to finish Aizen himself. All said and told, I would not be surprised if Kurosaki was unwilling to work with Soul Society much longer," Hitsugaya concluded. "The only reasons I can think of for him to continue would be to maintain the safety of those he has befriended in the Gotei 13, and if I may be blunt, some of them are becoming quite disillusioned with Soul Society as well." _Myself included. _

There were several mutters in the room at the last statement. "Wow," Kira murmured, "I hadn't realized… How could we have screwed up so badly? Aizen had a hand in several of those, but others were all us…"

"Be grateful that Kurosaki-san either is unaware of the depth of Soul Society's failure, or is more forgiving than most," Unohana advised from next to him.

Kyōraku cleared his throat, silencing the room once more. "Where are you going with this?" he asked pointedly.

"If you want Kurosaki to join the Gotei 13 as taicho of the 5th Division, then he will need reasons to feel that doing so is a good idea," Hitsugaya said simply. "That said, should Kurosaki be persuaded, I, Hitsugaya Tōshiro, taicho of the 10th Division, give my personal recommendation." _There. Assuming Kurosaki's problems are addressed to his satisfaction, he gains protection from the Central 46. Not to mention, with so many fukutaicho here, the information is bound to spread. _He barely kept a smirk from forming on his face. _With any luck, he will gain even more public support. _

Kyōraku nodded gravely. _Of course, things just can't ever be simple, can they? _"And you, Zaraki-taicho?" This was the taicho he knew for sure would recommend Ichigo – the boy was the only one who had been able to defeat Zaraki in many years, and Zaraki loved a good fight more than anything.

"Hmm…"

Everyone, except Yachiru atop the taicho's shoulder, looked at Zaraki with shocked expressions. To see him actually thinking it over could be nothing but a sign of the apocalypse. "What are your thoughts, Zaraki-taicho?" Ukitake asked diplomatically, though inwardly still astounded.

"The way I see it, Ichigo's more than strong enough to do the job, and he'd probably be better at it than Aizen anyway," the enormously tall taicho admitted, his face lacking its typical maniacal grin. "If it were just that, I'd recommend him right now. But after what ice-boy said, it seems to me that it'd look like we were just asking him for more permanent help, like we ain't able to do anything without him. Makes us look weak, and I don't like looking weak."

… _One of these days, I will stop being so surprised when Zaraki points out something we should have already known, _Kyōraku swore silently to himself.

"But Ken-chan!" Yachiru whined with all the cuteness of the child she resembled. "I wanna see Ichi-kun again! Besides, you want to fight him again, right? He got so strong he beat Aizen, didn't he?"

"Hmm, you've got a point…" Zaraki mused. "Plus, things are never boring when he's around, are they?"

"Nope!" Yachiru chirped.

"I suppose it doesn't matter whether we look weak or not, as long as we keep getting stronger." Zaraki gave a predatory smirk up towards Kyōraku. "Alright. Ichigo's got my recommendation."

_Yes! _Kyōraku mentally crowed. _Six recommendations! Now for the three approvals… _In order for Ichigo to be made taicho, all three of the remaining taicho – Unohana, Kurotsuchi, and Ukitake – had to approve the recommendations. "We now have six recommendations. In order for Kurosaki Ichigo to be promoted to taicho, we now require approval from three other taicho." His formality slipped a little, and he couldn't help but quirk his eyebrows and let his voice lilt a bit in amusement in the next line. "Fortunately enough, we have three here. What say you?"

Kurotsuchi-taicho stroked his chin as he thought about it. "It would be rather interesting," he thought aloud, "to have a being whose reiatsu transcends that of our understanding. It provides a unique opportunity to study the reiatsu, and perhaps upgrade some of our technology. Having easy access to the subject by keeping him in Soul Society would be best, after all…" He began to grin widely, thinking of the possibilities. "Yes, yes… I do believe I approve the nomination."

Ukitake sighed. He was rather fond of Kurosaki Ichigo for a number of reasons, not the least of which was how he'd helped Rukia regain her old spark of life and confidence that she'd lost after killing Shiba Kaien. Ichigo was strong, and stood by what he felt was right. And though he'd apparently abandoned the Rukongai to Aizen to protect Karakura, Ukitake found he couldn't really blame Ichigo for it… though that might be because Ichigo had gone on to kill Aizen anyway. No, Ukitake didn't retain anger towards the young man, nor was he bitter that Ichigo had, in the span of a year, become stronger than Ukitake had in centuries. No, the sickly taicho was proud of the boy for having managed to achieve his goal – acquiring the strength to protect his town.

But the emotion that Ukitake held most regarding Ichigo… was sorrow. It wasn't right, he felt, to have forced Ichigo into such a position. It wasn't right that despite all the good that Ichigo had done, despite what the Substitute had sacrificed, despite what he'd gone though, that Soul Society now had to consider him a potential threat. It wasn't right that Ichigo now had the choice of either joining the same Soul Society that had done him so much wrong, as Tōshiro had artfully illustrated, or face the likelihood of aggression.

Ukitake knew what Kyōraku was trying to do. He was trying to give Ichigo a chance to avoid another struggle for survival, another clash of titans. Both taicho knew that Central 46 feared what it could not understand, and Ichigo himself had grown into a presence that literally could not be understood by any of the Shinigami in Soul Society, if his reiatsu was any indicator. Their fear would lead them to order the Gotei 13 to take action against Ichigo. But if the Gotei 13 could legitimately claim with evidence that Ichigo was one of them, then it was possible for Ichigo to not only survive, but continue to protect his family.

When thinking about it that way, Ukitake knew there was only one decision he could make. "I approve the nomination." And if, somehow, it still came to be that the Central 46 ordered Ichigo's demise… Ukitake knew who he'd be siding with. Ichigo had earned that much.

All eyes turned to Unohana. It was now up to her whether Kurosaki Ichigo would become a taicho. But the healer wasn't sure at all. She had had minimal experience with the boy, only really interacting with him while Kurosaki-san was recuperating from Aizen's brutal attack. What she had seen then was promising, but still not enough.

Unohana recognized that it was a good solution to have the one who killed Aizen take his place – it would fill up the hole in the ranks, and would aid Kurosaki-san in various ways. However, not one of the taicho had considered what it would mean for everyone else. Namely, Hinamori Momo.

The 4th Division taicho mentally sighed. _The poor girl. _Hinamori-chan had only just begun to recover mentally from what Aizen had done to her, and now she was only going to be worse if what Sado-san and Ishida-san had said was true. _If Aizen had personally convinced her once again that he was a good person, then Hinamori-chan is going to snap after learning that he's dead_, Unohana thought sadly. _To put Aizen's killer as Hinamori-chan's superior is just asking for her to gain a mental disorder._

The Gotei 13 would lose a valuable Shinigami if that happened – Shinigami who were unsafe to the rest of the Gotei 13 were put in the Maggot's Nest where they couldn't hurt anyone outside it. However, if Kurosaki Ichigo were to not become a taicho, then Hinamori could have a chance to recover, and it was not as though the boy could not take care of himself…

But that led to another problem. Unohana had been a taicho for just as long as Ukitake Jūshiro and Kyōraku Shunsui, and she too recognized Kurosaki-san's situation. If Kurosaki-san did not become a taicho, then it was rather likely that the Central 46 would demand they execute him. Even from the little experience that Unohana had with the Substitute Shinigami, she knew that Kurosaki-san would never simply let that happen. His will to live was too strong. _And with his powers having transcended all of us… we would be forced to war. And Kurosaki-san has so many allies, from all kinds of beings… Vizard, Arrancar, even in our own Shinigami ranks… So many would die. _

In comparison to that, what was the value of Hinamori-chan's life? Hinamori Momo, devout follower of Aizen, who was going to go after Kurosaki Ichigo one way or another… But Unohana was a healer, and it went against her being to sacrifice someone when it wasn't absolutely necessary. The future was always changing, especially with so many variables – there was no way to tell for sure what was going to happen. And Unohana Retsu was not going to sacrifice someone for a mere possibility that it would save other lives.

"I'm sorry, but I do not approve the recommendation."

* * *

"Did you really think you would win against me, Ichigo-kun?" Aizen asked with a smile. He seemed to be in his pre-evolutionary state, human and all, though Ichigo could see a shine in his stomach that indicated the Hōgyoku was there still. Even so, much to Ichigo's horror, he could not sense Aizen's reiatsu.

"I did win! You're dead, Aizen!" Ichigo insisted.

"Am I? Then how am I standing here?"

Ichigo had no answer to that. Not daring to look away from Aizen for even a moment, his left hand reached behind him, searching for his Shinigami badge so he could release himself from his body.

But a second later, Aizen calmly brought his own left hand up, dangling the badge from his index finger. "Looking for this?"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "Bankai."

Reiatsu swirled, obscuring the Vizard from Aizen's sight, before Ichigo dashed at him with his Adjuichas-masked Bankai form, Tensa Zangetsu already in motion.

However, he had to hold back his reiatsu from forming the instinctive Getsuga, from crushing everything – he could still sense his families' lives, and Ichigo refused to sacrifice them to kill Aizen!

However, Tensa Zangetsu struck not flesh, but simple air. The image suddenly shattered into a thousand shards, crumbling into spirit particles in midair. _An illusion? __**"But I never saw Kyōka Suigetsu's release!"**_ Ichigo protested aloud, searching through his memories for any instance of something, anything to indicate a change in Aizen's Zanpakutō.

"Have you forgotten, Ichigo?" Aizen's voice said kindly from right behind him. Ichigo spun and cut right through him, and this image too shattered. "When a Shinigami learns Bankai, they no longer need to speak to release their Shikai. It was simply a matter of sealing and releasing it too quickly for you to tell the difference."

It was a horrifying realization. _**"When…?"**_

"Does it matter?" Aizen rebutted, materializing from Ichigo's left side. "But surely you can figure out what happened. After all, Karakura is alive and well in the living world. I kept my word, and used parts of the Rukongai. I have the Ōken."

"_**No! I killed you! I obliterated your head with a Cero, and felt your reiatsu fade away!" **_Ichigo denied, stepping back and shaking his head violently. _**"You can't be alive! You just can't be!"**_

"Do you really think it beyond my skills to create a fake corpse?" Aizen asked slyly. "I have done it before, you know. As for how I did it this time, it was quite simple, really. I regenerated quickly enough from your Cero, and felt another evolution from the Hōgyoku beginning. I took the opportunity to overlay an illusion on a rock and used the Hōgyoku's power to imbue it with its own reiatsu." The evolved Shinigami smiled. "I knew that it would be sufficient to fool you and Urahara."

"_**You're lying!" **_Ichigo claimed. _**"The Shinigami would notice if you used part of the Rukongai!"**_

"Ah, but you see, they haven't, and they won't. Kyōka Suigetsu allows me to control the senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell of those it has hypnotized, as you well know. But that's only Shikai. To hide something more massive, something more was required. My Bankai."

Ichigo could feel his world crumbling around him as his mind reeled from the realizations. His Adjuchas mask broke, falling into pieces as the Vizard lost his grip on his Hollow powers. "Your… Bankai?"

"Of course. Did you think I didn't have it, Ichigo-kun?" Aizen said in a gently teasing voice which infuriated Ichigo. "My Bankai allows me to create a self-sustaining illusion that affects those same senses, but for anyone who enters that area, even those who have not seen my Shikai release. And on those who have, my Bankai has an additional effect: it dampens the ability to doubt what they see is anything but reality. There are downsides, of course. It takes an extremely large portion of my reiatsu to create, and it will not start to regenerate until I break the illusion." The traitor's smile grew somewhat. "That's why I never used it earlier – I couldn't create an illusion wide enough to encompass all of Karakura without killing myself with reiatsu depletion, and it does take some time to set up. But now, with the Hōgyoku evolving me as it has…"

Ichigo felt like his brain was shutting down. _I… I failed to protect everyone? He got me? Tensa Zangetsu! Cazador de la Luna! Help me!_

"Don't worry, Ichigo-kun," Aizen suggested with that same reassuring smile. "I have what I wanted, and I have no intention of harming you or Karakura. I want to see if you can reach my level, after all. Grow stronger, Ichigo. I'll be waiting for you."

And then the Substitute's sight went black.

Ichigo woke up with a gasp in his bed, panting and sweating like mad. It was dark out, and his clock read 1:03 AM. "Aizen…!" There wasn't time to waste. He reached for his badge – which was laying right on the desk where he'd left it the night before – and pressed it against his chest, pulling himself out of his human body, which fell backwards with a thump into the bed.

He leapt out his window into the chilly night air, his eyes wide as he searched for any trace for the bastard. _Zangetsu, please, PLEASE tell me that was just a nightmare, _Ichigo begged.

_There is no way for me to tell, _Zangetsu admitted. _I am part of your soul, Ichigo. Everything that you see, dream or otherwise, can be seen by myself and Cazador de la Luna if we are unsealed, especially if you call upon us. I do not know if it was a nightmare, or if it truly took place. _

_Is it even possible for Aizen to have done everything that he said he did there?_

_Though I do not recall seeing it, he is correct in that he would not have needed to call out his Shikai verbally. And his Bankai does sound plausible…_

_**Is there any way for you to prove one way or another that what Aizen said was true? **_Cazador queried.

Ichigo blinked and honestly thought about the question. _It'd be too much of a coincidence if I imagined Aizen's Bankai power. _

_But Soul Society doesn't know Aizen's Bankai, _Zangetsu pointed out. _He hid even his Shikai's true nature from them. _

_**What about checking Aizen's corpse? He said it was fake, and he had to do a rush job in order to evade us. If anyone could tell for certain, it'd be Urahara and maybe that healing taicho, Unohana. **_

Ichigo perked up. _Great idea! _Knowing he wouldn't be able to rest until he knew one way or the other, he rushed to Urahara's and banged on the door loudly. "Urahara! It's Ichigo! Let me in, it's important!"

A bleary-eyed shopkeeper came to the door, opening it slightly. "Ichi… go?" he asked in a confused manner, yawning. "What's wrong?"

"It's Aizen."

Several minutes later, Ichigo was watching Urahara and Tessai, both awake and fully alert by the idea that Aizen could be alive still, both going over the headless corpse with medical Kidō, searching for any hint of deception. After a tense half-hour, Tessai nodded to Urahara, who halted his Kidō and turned to an anxiously-waiting Ichigo.

"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the corpse," he concluded. "It's exactly what we expected to find. Even so, I would suggest bringing Inoue-san over for an inspection with her own abilities… if Aizen has somehow managed to fake his death, Inoue-san should be able to dispel the illusion."

Somewhat reassured, Ichigo nodded. "Thanks for taking the time to check…"

"It was no problem – I am glad you came to me," Urahara responded, beginning to lead Ichigo back to the door. "It would be a disaster if Aizen survived. Like I said, bring Inoue over tomorrow at some point to verify, but for the moment I suggest you try to get some rest."

Nodding tiredly – how had he not noticed his own exhaustion before? – Ichigo mumbled an agreement and began making his way home. _It was just a nightmare, _he rebuked himself. _I can't be jumping at shadows anymore… Aizen's dead. He's dead and can't hurt anyone anymore. Just gotta relax…

* * *

_There's something you don't see in most stories... them talking about offering Ichigo the position of taicho, but not doing it! I really tried to get all the taicho's personalities in there appropriately... And I did modify a flashback or two so that it would reflect the taicho's point of view.

What did you think of my idea of Aizen's Bankai? It certainly explains why he never used it... can you imagine trying to set it up in the heat of battle? Jeez! I came up with it after an intensive study of other Bankai. Every Bankai that I've seen, seems to take the Shikai's ability, take it up to 11, and then add a supplementary ability on top of that. For example:

Soifon's Shikai allows her to kill in two strikes in melee combat. Her Bankai allows her to kill a number of people in one strike, in long-distance.

Gin's Shikai allows him to extend the reach of his Zanpakuto. His Bankai makes him do it faster, and farther, but also gives him the "Kill" ability that he used on Aizen.

Byakuya's Shikai allows him to direct sakura-like shards of his Zanpakuto with a swing of the hilt. His Bankai allows him a crapload more shards, and then allows him to control with just his MIND, or he can use his hands for faster use.

As you can see, they tend to have a little extra add-on. So, given what I knew about Kyoka Suigetsu, it seemed right that it would create a self-sustaining illusion set on an area that would affect anyone who entered it. Then throw in a helpful addition, "dampen the ability to suspect it's an illusion" and viola, Bankai.

Anyway, in this chapter Aizen really was just a nightmare of Ichigo's, but can you really blame him for freaking out? That's the thing about people who can fuck with your head. It becomes damnably difficult to tell what's reality and what's not.

Next up, spoiler rant!

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OK, I am very, very amused. I totally predicted that Ichigo would try throwing it as a shuriken first. But the whole "It's a crossguard. It guards, not attacks." thing suits Ichigo pretty well, and now it throws out wheel-shaped Getsuga-like blasts. Good to know.

Now, question. Ichigo, in canon, is unable to see ghosts anymore. But now he has to have some form of reiatsu... think about it. Chad can see ghosts and Holllows and all that, and he gained that ability with his now-revealed-to-be-a-Fullbring Brazo Derecha del Gigante (yes I know that's poor Spanish, I took it in high school and I have a Spanish-speaking sister, I'm well aware of the gender-specific endings, stop mentioning it already). So, can Ichigo see spirits again, now that he has his Fullbring?

Hold on. If Ichigo can see spirits again, then he would have to have reiatsu. If he has reiatsu, then maybe he just needs to build it up enough to release Zangetsu again?


	33. Mental Wounds

And once again, another chapter in another week. I swear I'll get to "Anger Management" someday, but it's been so hectic lately... Yay financial difficulties!

Anyway, first up, review replies:

Writing Bunny - that's just the thing. How do you know if it's reality... or not? Focusing on it too much drives one to insanity. For instance, just look at the movie Inception. That's what happened to the main character's wife!

Slayer End - Thanks for going back and reviewing all my chapters, and for pushing me over the 1,500 review mark.

SilverHyurinmaru - No, they're not dead. Yamamoto had a hole in his right lung, so he was terribly weak, but remember that reiatsu = life force for Shinigami, so he was able to stay alive long enough to get to the 4th Division. Gin was a similar case.

ZeroDivisionCaptain - Ichigo really is like the Hulk in that manner, isn't he? "You won't like me when I'm angry." = "Angel or demon, those titles mean nothing to me, as long as I can fulfill my desire!"

Yami-no-Tamashii - Aizen isn't ready to leave Ichigo alone just yet... You'll see.

Eternal Love's Eclipse - Yeah, most people who do fight scenes can't really do the subtlety of politics, can they? See, for me it was the other way around. I can do politics, but I had the HARDEST time writing fight scenes, at least to start.

keiranhalcyon2010 - Nice call about Retsu's decision being a turning point. You'll see why later.

VLS - Thanks for the review! Get some sleep, I know what it's like reading a huge fic like this in one go.

No new terms this week, so let's get started on the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 33: Mental Wounds

Ichigo's eyes were wide open in an instant, adrenaline running through his veins as his mind comprehended the first thing it could that morning: someone was attacking him. _AIZEN! _

There was no time to summon his trusty Zanpakutō. Moving from lying down to leaping forward, Ichigo's lashed out with his right hand. Successfully gripping his attacker's face, he used his forward momentum to plunge the man's head into the floor. _Wait, that shouldn't have worked if it was Aizen. It must be an assassin from Soul Society!_

Anticipating the assailant's next move, Ichigo caught the enemy's punch with his left hand, before flipping the man over onto his front using his leverage over the man's face and arm, managing to pin him to the floor with the Vizard's knees digging into the attacker's back. He was about to summon Zangetsu and cut off the assassin's head, but just then, Ichigo's brain caught up with his body – this was his usual morning ritual. Now recognizing the distinctive hair and the way the "assassin" was now saying loudly into the floor that he had nothing left to teach him, Ichigo sighed and released his father. "Dad, you had nothing left to teach me in terms of hand-to-hand combat months ago."

Isshin brushed himself off, not having a scratch on him. "Good… you have the self-control to not kill someone if they catch you unaware."

Ichigo was uncomfortably reminded of the fact that he was one of the most, if not the most, powerful being he knew, but he nodded seriously anyway. "Don't worry, everything will be fine." _Aizen is dead, he is dead and won't come back, _he reminded himself. _And it's too soon for Soul Society assassins… _

The ex-taicho looked at his son in concern. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" Ichigo looked away. The words "I'm fine" were on the tip of his tongue, but somehow they wouldn't come out. He sighed. "No."

Isshin sat down on the Vizard's bed. "Want to tell me?"

Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck and looked up, his face strained. "Just a nightmare."

"What happened?"

_No getting out of this, I guess. _"Aizen tricked us all and faked his death again."

Isshin nodded slowly. "I guessed this might happen." He stood. "Ichigo, your mind and body are still operating as though you're fighting a war. Your nightmare is simply a symptom of the fact that you're tense, ready for life-or-death combat at less than a second's notice. You can't even see it, because to you this is your natural state now."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked.

"I mean that you should look at yourself. The way you're standing is as though you expect to be attacked at any second. Your muscles are tense, primed and ready to block and counterattack as soon as they register an attack," Isshin explained. "You look like you're on guard, waiting to be attacked."

"Can you blame me for it?" the Vizard demanded bitterly.

"No," his father denied softly. "What I'm trying to say, Ichigo, is that you need to find a place, or an activity, something that you enjoy, that helps you relax. Being constantly battle-ready is an asset in war, Ichigo, but it has no place in peace." He put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder, looking him in the eyes. "It will be hard. It will feel like you're going against every single instinct in your body, you'll feel panicked and self-reproachful when you realize that you let your guard down. But you need to do this, Ichigo, if only for your own sanity."

Half an hour later, Ichigo was walking to school but his mind remained centered on his father's words. _Something that I enjoy and helps me relax… But what? _Searching back through his memory, Ichigo was dismayed to realize that he didn't really have any hobbies, or relaxing activities or places. His life prior to meeting Rukia and becoming a Shinigami had been simple – school, family, beating off thugs, and hanging out with Chad, Keigo and Mizuiro. Occasionally he'd help out some ghost. Afterwards, he'd been a bit preoccupied with learning how to be a Shinigami, and then saving Rukia, and then training to protect his family, and then fighting Aizen.

The closest thing Ichigo had to a fun pastime to taking satisfaction in kicking the asses of gangs who challenged him. But that was counterproductive to the whole point of relaxing, so Ichigo discarded the idea. _Besides, _he reasoned, _it'll be good to do something besides fight. So… what to do? _

He was still pondering that by the time he reached the school, his head bowed in thought and his hair obscuring his eyes from sight. Oblivious to all the muttering of the students around him, he entered his classroom, taking his usual seat.

A pointed voice broke through Ichigo's state of self-searching, forcefully bringing his attention back to the present. "Kurosaki," Ishida greeted.

"Ishida." The pair nodded at each other before the Quincy took his own usual seat. Spotting a Quincy cross on the other young man's clothing, Ichigo suddenly remembered that Ishida was in the Handicrafts Club and was particularly good at sewing. _So that's his way of reconnecting with life… _

The realization prompted Ichigo to think about his other friends… what did they do that they enjoyed? _Inoue likes making weird food… Tatsuki likes karate… Chad plays bass guitar and listens to music… Mizuiro goes after older women… Keigo likes to play around and do whatever seems fun. _

_But what about me? Something that I enjoy doing… _Finally shrugging and figuring he had to look around and try new things, Ichigo finally brought his attention back to the real world, and suddenly realized that everyone was staring at him.

"What?" he asked flatly.

"Well, Kurosaki-san…" one of the girls whispered nervously, despite one of her friends trying to shut her up with rapid hand signals. "We were wondering about your hair…"

"Ah…" Ichigo hadn't thought about the impact his sudden aging would have concerning his school life. Of course his hair would be a noticeable change. The extra height would be noticeable soon too, but Ichigo was glad that his clothes still fit, though this was only because he'd bought them with a few extra inches in mind. But how to explain the rapid growth of his hair…? _Wait, my reputation should help a bit here… _"I grew it out," he said simply.

"But it wasn't nearly that long a few days ago when you last came to class…" the same girl pointed out. "It should have taken months…"

_Apparently not. _"Listen…" Ichigo trailed off, waiting for the girl's name. He wasn't sure they'd ever talked before, but he was horrible with names and it had been months to him, so he really couldn't tell.

"Natsui Mahana."

"Mahana-san, it has to do with the reason why I've been out of school for so long," Ichigo hedged. "Not really something I like talking about."

"Mahana…!" the other girl hissed. "Come on…!"

"Oh, alright, Michiru…" Mahana relented, letting herself be pulled away. "By the way, Kurosaki-san… you look really cute with that hair!"

"HOW COULD YOU, ICHIGO?" Keigo's voice demanded hysterically as he skidded to a stop from bolting into the room. "Mizuiro is taking all the older women, and now you're going to take all the ones in our grade?"

Ichigo gave him a deadpan look. "It's not what you think, Keigo." He brought a hand to his forehead, massaging his temples to stave away a headache. _All I want right now is some peace and quiet. _

It was then that the teacher, Ochi Misato, stepped in. "Everyone sit, it's time for roll call." Then her eyes spotted her worst offenders for skipping class. "Do my eyes deceive me?" she asked semi-seriously. "Sado, Ishida and Kurosaki are all here today? And Kurosaki, what happened to your hair?"

Ichigo sighed. "I'd really rather not talk about it. Suffice to say it grew."

"Alright. Ishida, Sado, Kurosaki, stay after class, we need to discuss the effects of your absence."

Ichigo groaned, but nodded.

Class passed without incident, with Ichigo paying close attention to the lesson. Though it had only been a few days here, to him it felt as though a lifetime had come and gone. It was hard for Ichigo to remember the material from the last time he'd attended, which had been months ago to his perspective. But fortunately, as the class continued, Ichigo found the lesson not at all hard to follow, and he was able to remember more and more.

The bell rung all too soon to signal lunch, and the students began to leave. As requested, the three defenders of Karakura stayed behind and stood in front of Ochi-sensei's desk. "Let's start with Sado. Why were you absent for so long?"

Chad thought quickly, trying to come up with a plausible reason. He couldn't exactly say that he was visiting the afterlife to go find his dead grandfather, and his fortitude was well-known, so claiming illness was out of the question. "I was kidnapped while walking home," he fibbed in a low voice. "I don't know by whom, or where I was taken, but somehow Ichigo found out and came to my rescue. I just got home yesterday."

"Why didn't you go to the police?" Ochi inquired Ichigo, turning to him.

"And say what?" Ichigo demanded plainly, picking up the story. "'My six-and-a-half foot tall friend got kidnapped?' 'By whom?' 'I don't know, it could be any of the gangs that we beat up for picking on us.' Throw in my orange hair and I'd get myself arrested before anything got done."

"Point," Ochi admitted. "So, who was it?"

Ichigo and Chad glanced at each other before Ichigo shrugged at his teacher. "No idea. I found Chad in an abandoned warehouse. No one was there, and I took the opportunity to get us out rather than wait for them to come back. We don't go looking for fights, you know."

"And how did you find him?"

"I know a few people," Ichigo said in an embarrassed voice. _I can't believe I'm saying this. It sounds so corny! _"And people hear things."

Ishida was astonished at how easily Kurosaki was able to lie to their teacher – then again, Kurosaki did have a reputation as a hooligan, so it wasn't hard to believe that he knew some shady contacts, and it was well-known that Chad was Kurosaki's best friend.

"Alright," Ochi conceded, satisfied with the story. "Ishida, has your family business issues been taken care of?"

"Yes."

"In that case, let's keep your absences to a minimum from now on, all three of you," she warned. "We haven't had any tests while you were gone, but I expect high marks from all three of you in the next few assignments, or else I will have to give you special makeup exams. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Ochi-sensei," the three of them agreed together.

"Then get out of here. And try to be more careful walking home, Sado."

They made their way to the grounds where Inoue was waiting for them. "You are so cliché, Kurosaki. 'I know a few people. And people hear things.' Really?"

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" Ichigo retorted. "Give me a break."

But Ishida was no longer listening – he'd suddenly had an idea. He couldn't use his Quincy powers anymore outside of maintaining his skills and saving lives, per his vow to his father. But here, perhaps, there was a way for him to aid in the protection of Karakura in a way that was not at all spiritual. He absently sat down next to Inoue, resolving to continue thinking about it later.

"Oh, Inoue!" Ichigo exclaimed, suddenly remembering something. "Would you mind coming with me to Urahara's today after school? We need your personal touch on something."

Inoue looked at him questioningly for a moment before smiling and nodding. "Sure!"

The rest of the class after lunch passed without issue, and soon enough Ichigo found himself with Inoue heading to the shop. "So, what is it, Kurosaki-kun?" the perpetually-happy girl asked as the shop came in sight.

"Eh…" Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck. There was really no easy way to ask this of her. "Well… I'm sorry, Inoue, but we need you to use to your powers to check Aizen's body to make sure it's not an illusion."

Inoue gasped, stopping in her tracks and covering her mouth with her left hand. "But…!"

"I know I said I killed him," Ichigo admitted quickly. "It's just… we want to be sure, you know? Aizen's faked his death before, and we can't afford to be wrong."

The teenage girl nodded slowly, obviously gathering her courage. "Alright, Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo knocked on the door, and it opened almost immediately, Urahara just beyond the threshold. "Come in, come in," he beckoned. "It's just in the back."

Inoue began visibly trembling as they approached. Ichigo put a hand on her shoulder, startling her. "It's ok," he reassured her. "Nothing can hurt you here."

She swallowed audibly, but entered the room. Thankfully, Urahara had placed a sheet over Aizen's headless corpse, and Ichigo watched with concern as Inoue almost collapsed in relief. _She was… afraid to see the body? _

"Sōten Kisshun."

The reality-rejecting shield materialized over the covered body quickly, and less than a minute later, Inoue nodded and called it back. "There's no illusion," she reported. "And it seems to be… dissipating?"

Urahara nodded. "Bodies of Shinigami do that after they've been killed. The reishi that make up their being dissipate into the air. It's our version of decomposition. Thank you, my dear… it seems that this truly is Aizen's body."

Ichigo stepped between Inoue and the corpse. "Thanks, Inoue. You've helped more than you know."

Inoue gave him a confused look, but then smiled softly at his sincere expression. "I'm glad I could help, Kurosaki-kun… If that's everything, I think I should head home now." Without waiting for a response, she quickly took her leave of the vicinity.

Before Ichigo could follow, however, Urahara gripped his wrist, holding him back. "Ichigo… are you alright? You look like you have something else on your mind."

The Vizard hesitated, but nodded a few seconds later. He related the conversation he'd had with his father that morning, before sighing. "I just feel sort of, well, lost. When I look at everyone, I can see what they like doing. Chad has his music, Inoue her food, Ishida his tailoring… even you have your inventing and playing occasional harmless tricks. But I haven't really had anything but fighting and training, and that's kinda counterproductive."

"Hmm. If I may make a suggestion?"

"Sure, go ahead," Ichigo invited.

"While I was a taicho of Soul Society, I did research on the bond between Shinigami and Zanpakutō in an effort to strengthen both, and there's a very interesting piece of trivia I found there. It seems that usually, a Shinigami's Zanpakutō has similar desires and interests to its Shinigami. If Zangetsu's said anything, you might want to follow up on it," Urahara advised. "You might find it to your liking as well."

Ichigo took a moment to consider, remembering his past conversations with the blade of his soul. He gave the barest hint of a smile. "Thanks, Urahara."

"Anytime, Ichigo." The shopkeeper led his young man he'd trained to the door. "My door is always open to you, Ichigo. It's the least I can do."

"Thanks again." Ichigo held up an arm in farewell as he walked away, lost in thought. _Zangetsu's mentioned he likes sunsets and stargazing, _he recalled. _It's a place to start. _

Interrupting his musings, a figure appeared in front of him with a flicker of Shunpo. Tensing, Ichigo was halfway to summoning his Zanpakutō when he recognized the reiatsu, and the hairstyle. Ichigo narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Shinji."

"Ichigo," the Vizard greeted. "Mind taking a detour to the warehouse for a few hours?"

"Fine," Ichigo accepted with a shrug. They began walking, and each was quiet for a several minutes. "So what's this about?" the Substitute finally asked.

"You'll see," Shinji responded mysteriously. The pair was silent the rest of the way to the warehouse, before the blond Vizard threw open the door, entering it. Ichigo followed a moment later.

But Ichigo was completely taken aback when he saw all seven of the other Vizard standing in a military-style line. When the seven immediately bowed to him, he was even more shocked. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Ichigo, you are a true Vizard," Shinji stated from next to him as he began walking to stand in front of the line, looking Ichigo directly in the eyes. "You've reached both Bankai and Resurrección and found a balance between each, becoming something more than Shinigami and Hollow. You avenged us all when you killed Aizen when we failed to do so. You are stronger than us all, Kurosaki Ichigo. Now, we implore you…" Shinji suddenly bowed as well, at about a 40 degree angle to the rest of his body. "…teach us Resurrección!"

_**They want the power of Resurrección? **_Cazador asked darkly. _**They buried their Hollows deep within their souls, Ichigo. Make them regret it. **_

Ichigo got the impression that Cazador felt some form of sympathy for the Inner Hollows of the rest of the Vizard. After all, the same fate almost befell him as well.

_They will never achieve the pinnacle of Hollow powers until they have reached the same truth and acceptance that you learned, Ichigo, _Zangetsu contributed.

Ichigo's customary scowl grew. "You want to learn Resurrección? Fine."

"What?" Love asked, dumbfounded. "Just like that?"

"You don't even want to know what we'll use it for?" Rose added.

"I don't care what you want it for," Ichigo answered. "Learning Resurrección is going to be one of the most painful and humbling experiences of your life. It will be hard, and you will definitely not come out the same way as you started. Everything you know about yourself will be challenged, and you will not be able to achieve Resurrección until you have accepted the truth of who and what you are.

"For you all, it will be doubly more difficult than it was for me, because you all sealed your Hollows away for a century," Ichigo rebuked. "If you still want me to teach you, then prepare for hell and open your mind and your very soul." He called on his Hollow power then, materializing his mask without a motion as he glared at his would-be students. _**"Because in order for you to reach Resurrección, you must resurrect your Hollows!"

* * *

**_Kyōraku Shunsui sat by Yamamoto's bed, where he had yet to awaken. His sensei looked so very old right now, despite his well-maintained muscular body. As Unohana had said the night before, Yamamoto was physically fine now, and just needed time to regain his reiatsu. He'd completely exhausted himself with his Ennetsu Jigoku, and then surviving a hand-sized puncture wound to his lung long enough to be treated.

"Yama-jii…" Kyōraku murmured. "You leave pretty large shoes to fill, you know? Being acting sōtaicho is a lot of work. I'm just glad Sasakibe-fukutaicho can handle the duties of the 1st Division pretty well by himself. You trained him well."

There was silence for another minute, before Kyōraku sighed. "I wish I knew what to do about the Kurosaki kid. Ichigo-kun's gotten so very strong, sensei. Some might say too strong. Unfortunately, those same people are the ones who run our government. I know that you wanted him to identify with the Gotei 13 and eventually join us, but I can't shake the feeling that it's now or never. I tried last night to make Ichigo a part-time taicho of Aizen's old Division, but we didn't have enough taicho to get the motion through.

"We would have, if Unohana-sempai hadn't made a few good points about Hinamori-chan." Kyōraku sighed again, his voice laden with sorrow. "I don't know what I'm going to do about her either. She's a fukutaicho, and quite skilled at Kidō, so it is not as though she isn't strong enough to do some damage if she wanted to. The question is whether Unohana-sempai can get through to her and help her through this. If she can't, then we have no choice but to lock her up in the Maggot's Nest. But she is just as much a victim in this as Ichigo is… both of them victims of Aizen, just in different ways…

"It feels wrong to think about punishing her for something that isn't really her fault, but I'll do it if I have to, for Soul Society's good. I just want to give her a chance. But it isn't right, either, that her chance comes at the expense of Ichigo's safety from the Central 46. They meet up again soon, you know," he absently reminded his comatose teacher. "And then Tōsen and Gin will be tried for their crimes, but there's another set of problems there.

"Gin claims to have joined Aizen for the express purpose of betraying and killing him at the first opportunity, because of something he did to Tōshiro's fukutaicho, Matsumoto-chan. Gin served faithfully, growing stronger and waiting for his chance. He found the weakness of Kyōka Suigetsu, and struck Aizen down with his Bankai's special ability. It would have worked, had Aizen not been as evolved as he had been. I don't want him to go to trial with the Central 46, because he seems to have been on Soul Society's side the entire time, and to be honest, Gin did what he felt he had to do because we wouldn't have believed him about Aizen. I can't begrudge him that. But Central 46 will protest if we don't punish him enough, so I need to come up with something suitable there.

"Tōsen, on the other hand, joined Aizen to get vengeance on Soul Society for not punishing the Shinigami responsible for the death of his friend, from before he even joined the Gotei 13. He even went against our laws and acquired forbidden Hollow powers. But Komamura-taicho and Hisagi-fukutaicho have asked for leniency on Tōsen's behalf." Kyōraku shook his head. "What's so frustrating about this is that I can sympathize with Tōsen. Where he was denied justice, he sought to bring it out himself. Isn't that what I did with Jūshiro when Rukia-chan was to be executed?

"Why can't you just wake up, Yama-jii?" Kyōraku asked halfheartedly, not really expecting any response. "It's so difficult to uphold the law when I know it will punish people who saw its deficiencies and tried to do what was right. How have you managed for so many centuries? How can you balance the need to maintain law and order, and the need to satisfy your own sense of right and wrong?"

As expected, Yamamoto's unconscious form gave no answer.

The 8th Division taicho shook his head, his eyes downcast. "I'll just have to do the best I can. Get better soon, Yama-jii… we need you." He swept from the room quietly, donning his straw hat to hide his eyes on his way out.

Yamamoto's eyes opened then, and he heaved a sigh of his own. He'd been awake the entire time. _I know it is painful, Shunsui… but you are my successor. My time is very nearly over, my student. You must find your own balance… Perhaps you will be more successful than I, and find a balance that causes you less pain. Make a Soul Society that you can be proud of. _

"Was it really necessary for you to deceive him, sōtaicho?" Unohana asked quietly, entering the room. She'd known as well that Yamamoto had been faking sleep – after all, she was the best at medical Kidō, and there were several identifying differences between faking it, and truly sleeping.

"Yes," the leader of the Shinigami intoned, just as quietly. "I am so very old, Unohana-taicho. My reiatsu grows weaker with each passing year. I have perhaps another century left before I am no longer the strongest, and that is when the rumors will begin in earnest. 'He has gone senile,' they will say. 'He is too old-fashioned,' 'He cannot adapt to the new world,' 'He can no longer protect Soul Society'… They will call for my retirement, and the Gotei 13's reputation will plummet until I do. So I must have my successor ready before then. Shunsui must be ready to take the reins of the Gotei 13. He must be prepared."

"As you wish. I shall leave you to your rest, then."

Yamamoto closed his eyes once more. _Let us see how Shunsui does without my guidance. This old man still has some lessons to teach. _

Unohana silently moved into the next room, where Hinamori was currently recovering. She smiled pleasantly when she noticed that her patient was awake and sitting up. "Ah, welcome back. How are you feeling, Hinamori-fukutaicho?"

"I feel fine. When can I leave?" Hinamori's tone was quiet, but there was a hint of underlying anger that Unohana easily detected.

"I'm glad you feel better, but just to be safe I would prefer you stay here for the next day or two, just in case."

"Just in case of what?" Hinamori challenged.

"You fought a Quincy and a human with strange powers that we know little about," Unohana reminded her easily, her tone taking on just a hint of an edge, despite her still-pleasant smile. "So I would prefer _you stay._"

Hinamori quailed under the smile and lay down again. "Yes, ma'am."

"I'm so glad you see things my way," the healing taicho replied, her smile never wavering as she began a general medical Kidō on the young woman. "Besides, your wounds have not yet fully healed – I could not spare the power, when Yamamoto-sōtaicho had a hole in his chest."

"Oh," Hinamori said softly. "Did… Did Aizen-taicho do that?"

"Yes," Unohana confirmed with mixed feelings. Though inwardly glad that Hinamori had brought up the topic herself, the taicho was concerned about the 'taicho' that the fukutaicho had added to Aizen's name.

"I'm sure Aizen-taicho had a good reason for it, though…"

"That depends on how you define a good reason, I suspect," the healer demurred. "The sōtaicho and Aizen-san were fighting."

"Aizen-taicho just wanted to fix things," Hinamori tried to explain. "Soul Society needs to change, and the Central 46 is responsible for most of the mistakes, but the Spirit King put them in power so Aizen-taicho wanted to replace him to fix it!"

Unohana sat down in a chair she normally reserved for visitors, but she had the feeling that this meeting would take a while. "Please, take a deep breath and start from the beginning. I understand Aizen-san spoke to you?"

Hinamori did as she was bid – she'd always liked Unohana, so surely she'd see the truth. Several minutes later, the fukutaicho had largely repeated the speech that Aizen had given her.

"So, to summarize," Unohana began, "Aizen-san saw several flaws in Soul Society's justice system and decided to fix it by replacing the Spirit King. Knowing he had to have the Ōken, he was going to try to be the next sōtaicho, but saw that Kyōraku-taicho would be the next one due to his age and power and favored position. Everything he's done after that was for the sole purpose of fixing Soul Society."

"Exactly!" Hinamori exclaimed. _Finally, someone who believes me! _

"You have to admit, though, that he did hurt a lot of people," Unohana commented. "Didn't you tell me that he sacrificed hundreds of people to the Hōgyoku to try to make himself stronger?"

The girl looked down. "Yes," she whispered. Her head shot up. "But those hundreds are nothing to the millions that he will save by replacing the Spirit King!"

"Hinamori-chan…" Unohana said somberly. "Aizen-san is dead."

"What?" Hinamori gasped. "No!"

"Yes," the healer continued. "Kurosaki Ichigo killed him."

The fukutaicho began to quiver. The emotion behind it, however, Unohana had trouble deciphering. _Is it rage? Or fear? Or sorrow? Or some combination? _

The first thing out of Hinamori's mouth, however, was not "Why?" or "How could he?" as the taicho had expected. It was instead, "Does… does Aizen-taicho's body… have the head still attached?"

_Strange question. But, I don't see the harm in answering it honestly. Besides, she needs to trust me. _"No," Unohana denied.

Hinamori began to shake a little more violently, and this time Unohana could identify the emotion behind it. _Intense fear? _"Hinamori-chan, what's wrong?"

"Does Kurosaki know I'm still alive?" came fear-ridden voice.

"Most likely, but what does that matter?" Unohana was now terribly confused. There was obviously something more than Hinamori wasn't telling her.

Hinamori, however, was in the middle of a terrifying flashback.

**Flashback**

_"Don't hurt Aizen-taicho!" Hinamori cried, tears running down her face. "Didn't you hear him? He's a good person, he's doing this all to help us!"_

"**I don't care. I am going to kill him, slowly and painfully," **_the masked monster that Kurosaki Ichigo had become uttered, his Hollow reiatsu emanating sinisterly. _**"And when he is dead, I am going to hang his head in my home, fake your death, and fuck you day after day in front of it. Maybe I'll even let my friends here take turns with you." **

_Hinamori paled in fear of the threat, but she knew that Aizen-taicho would never lose to someone like this! "You cannot defeat Aizen-taicho, you monster! Abomination!"_

**End Flashback**

Hinamori began hyperventilating as panic ran through her system. Kurosaki was coming to make good on his promise! "Hide me!" she begged Unohana-taicho. "Please! Kurosaki's coming for me!"

* * *

Soifon was a very, very frustrated woman. Soul Society had been _this _close to offering Kurosaki the position of taicho, only to be stopped by a healer's bleeding heart. She'd honestly expected better of Unohana-taicho, who had seemed so levelheaded and pragmatic. _Fine then. If Hinamori-fukutaicho is the problem, then I'll quietly remove the problem. Suicide shouldn't be too hard to believe, considering Hinamori's obsession with Aizen. She's too much of a risk anyway. Once that's done, Unohana should have no objections. I simply have to wait for Hinamori to leave Unohana's constant watch, and then have my Onimitsukidō take care of it. _

That decision made, Soifon turned her thoughts to Kurosaki himself. _But… what concessions could we make to appease his sense of having been wronged? To assuage his worries? He must be made loyal to Soul Society, but how?

* * *

_

And that's the end of that chapter. Wow, things got dark there at the end.

Ichigo is searching for something relaxing. I already know where he'll end up because I'm the author, but I'm not telling just yet.

Unohana's the acting psychiatrist, because to be honest, I figure she has to be in order to deal with everyone else's general psychosis. I mean, think about it.

I may not be a politician, but the biggest problem I can imagine a leader of a large supernatural military organization having, is maintaining law and order while managing a sense of morality. It's easy to have one or the other in their extremes. You can see them in other members of Soul Society, for crying out loud! Byakuya and Soifon, for instance, are on the extreme end of "law and order", while Ukitake and Kyoraku are of the "Do what you know is right" variety. But how do you do both? Sometimes I think they can feel mutually exclusive.

Next up, Spoilers!

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So, Ichigo heard Rukia's voice through his Shinigami badge? That's promising. I wonder if that's a sign of something... or if he can only interact with spirits through the badge now, at least until he regains the ability to see spirits on his own.

Also, hold on. Rukia was talking about Ichigo? After a year and a half? Methinks that she's in Karakura, or has just been informed about something in Soul Society. And how did Ichigo even hear her? Maybe because his "pride as a Shinigami" had her most prominent, the badge connected to her somehow?

And now we see who attacked Ishida. And now they're after Inoue. If it were my Inoue... oh, they'd be so screwed. But canon Inoue? Er... I'm not sure how that's going to work out.

Anyway, that's all for now! Until next time,

NeoRyu777


	34. Consequences

Sorry about the delay everyone, I really didn't like how this chapter turned out the first time around and had to rewrite it. I'm still not entirely happy with it, but it's better now and this is largely a filler chapter.

In any case, as usual, review replies are first:

Shin'en of the Chaotic Destiny - Sorry, but Ichigo doesn't get to beat on the Vizards much this chapter. That will come up later.

TheWiseSirIvanTheShadowLord - Interesting theory, I could see that happening quite easily. I suppose we'll see if you're right in the coming chapters.

Mesonoxian - My theory on why Ichigo didn't regrow his hair in canon is because he was afraid it would make him look emo. Plus, it gets in the way of his vision, which is a pain when he has no powers and has to rely on being able to see things, rather than sense them.

Zaralann - Soifon sort of is that much of a bitch. It was actually put best by SuperiorShortness in his review: Soifon is a hardcore patriot who will do anything to help Soul Society. Since Hinamori is basically useless for the foreseeable future, and Ichigo is an extremely valuable resource... you complete the thought.

Eternal Love's Eclipse - I know what you mean. The mood of the fic shifted dramatically the last few chapters, and last chapter especially so in the darker directions. In some ways you can think of the chapter being written by a different person, since I had to use different parts of my personality to create it. In many ways, characters and their actions are simply aspects of the writer, when the writer is good enough. When those aspects find themselves on a darker road, the writer him/herself writes differently than if he were in a rather good mood, because the emotions of the author directly affect the mood of the story.

Majin Hentai X - I find myself amused at your finally growing tired of your persistent review phrase. But no, I have not scrapped the Hell Arc. This is simply working the way up to it.

PrincessFuFU - I was hoping not to confuse my readers too much about that. Sorry. I'll think about posting a warning on the next chapter.

To the several people who called Hinamori insane - not quite. To her, those events actually happened. Aizen made her see and hear those things with Kyoka Suigetsu. She's perfectly sane, and perfectly and rationally scared for her life.

I got a couple of reviews about Ichigo liking Shakespeare. I can't find where it says that anywhere in the Bleach wikia, the manga, or the anime. So while it's an idea, I may or may not go with it.

Next up, news. Trying to pay the bills, as usual. Economy sucks, as usual. What's new, however, is that my wife has asked me to help her advertise for her Mary Kay business. So, being a dutiful and doting husband, and not wanting to find out what happens if I don't, I'm doing as she asks. Here's the deal.

My wife is a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant, but is having trouble with her client base. It's hard finding people to even partake in a free facial due to the terrible economy. It doesn't matter where you are. If you're in the area, then you can have the facial in person. If not, the facial can be online. And if you're interested in joining her team, even better. Please send me a PM, mention it in a review, or send me an e-mail if you're interested or know someone who might be.

On a related note, I've started a computer repair business. Please see my website, accessible through my profile page, for more details. Now, on to the story!

* * *

Chapter 34: Consequences

There was silence between Ichigo and the Vizards for a few seconds. Every one of the exiled Shinigami-Hollow hybrids knew that Ichigo was being perfectly serious, as he'd gone as far as drawing his mask.

"_**Well?" **_Ichigo demanded. _**"Are you willing to risk your life and sanity to reach the pinnacle of Hollow power?" **_

"I am." All eyes turned to Hiyori, who spoke quietly, but fervently as she stepped forward. "I don't care if it's hard and painful. I don't care if I learn things about myself that I don't like. We need Resurrección to keep ourselves safe from Soul Society. But I don't just need it, I want it! I learned a hard lesson fighting Aizen: I wasn't strong enough! So teach me, damn it! I want to be the strongest! If I need to bring back my Hollow, then so be it!"

_Well said, _Zangetsu murmured.

_**She might be closer than she thinks. She sounded positively Hollow herself there. **_

Ichigo nodded, acknowledging Hiyori's speech. _**"Alright then, Hiyori. Now, keep in mind that I got my powers in a different way than you did." **_He took off the mask, twisting it around looking into its visage for a few moments before crushing it. "You had yours implanted into you by Aizen while already having been purely Shinigami. So was Tōsen's, most likely. Mine, however, are all natural – my Hollow powers were already developing before I became a Shinigami, and I never got a Konsō so I was never purified. So while I expect the process to be the same, there may be a couple of unexpected hitches."

Everyone nodded, acknowledging Ichigo's words. Encouraged, he continued. "Now that I have a chance to look back at everything, I realize that my first step was taken without my own knowledge of what it meant. I took my Hollow's sword and successfully claimed it as my own as I defeated him," he explained, materializing his Hollow's Zangetsu in his left hand. Ichigo stabbed it into the ground, allowing it to stand alone, cloth wrappings fluttering lightly in the air. "That was more accident than anything else," he admitted. "But it was my first step. I won't say any more until you've managed the same, and can summon them in the real world." Ichigo turned and walked to the door.

"Wait, that's all you're going to tell us?" Shinji asked incredulously.

The Substitute Shinigami paused right outside the door, the Hollow Zangetsu crumbling into reishi behind him. "Resurrección is a road of self-discovery, Shinji. It wouldn't be fair to you if I gave you all the answers. But here's a hint: think like a Hollow." With that, he silently left.

The Vizard all glanced at each other. "Well, he gave his assignment," Rose muttered. "And I think he meant it when he said he wouldn't say anything else until we did it."

"It's not like we'll be done in the next few minutes," Mashiro pointed out with an uncharacteristic pout on her face. "We have to fight our Hollows again."

"And we have to not only win, but take their swords and claim them," Kensei added grimly. "No easy task."

Lisa sighed. "Right then. We'll come up with a schedule after dinner."

"What if… one of us loses?" Love asked quietly.

The room fell silent as the spikey afro-haired Vizard voice what they'd all been thinking. It was a hard question. The last time they'd fought their Hollows, they'd agreed that if one of them fell victim to their Hollow, the rest would put him or her down. But now, they'd met Cazador de la Luna, and Ichigo had actually regained control of his body.

"Why not do what Ichigo did?" Rose finally asked. "Cut a deal with our Hollows? Fight periodically for control. It worked well for him."

"True," Lisa agreed before glancing at their leader. "What's wrong, Shinji?"

"I just have a strange question," the blond Vizard said slowly with a strange expression. "We didn't make any deals with our Hollows when we fought them the first time. We just beat them into submission, and buried them deep in our souls. How the hell do we unbury them?"

* * *

"Hinamori-chan?" Unohana blinked, confused by her patient's strange behavior. "What do you mean?"

"Please, Unohana-taicho!" Hinamori begged. "I might not have much time left!"

"Relax, Hinamori-chan," the healer gently suggested. "We will know if Kurosaki-san attempts to invade Soul Society, so you have plenty of time. Now, why not tell me what happened?"

Reassured by Unohana's words, the fukutaicho settled slightly. "I had arrived in the living world to help out and find out the truth from Aizen-taicho himself. I was so confused… I mean, I was his fukutaicho was so long! Surely not all of it was a lie… surely he would tell me the truth." Hinamori knew how foolish she sounded, but it was how she had felt.

Unohana, however, said nothing to condemn her. "And that's when Aizen-san told you what you've told me?"

Hinamori nodded, glad that she was not being judged. "Right. But Kurosaki…" She shivered, as though the mere mention of his name was a curse on her spirit. "He attacked Aizen-taicho anyway. And then, what he said…!"

Unohana waited several seconds for Hinamori to stop shivering in a mixture of fear and revulsion. "What did he say?" the centuries-old taicho asked quietly.

"He said he would kill Aizen-taicho, and take his head as a trophy. And then he would fake my death, and… and…"

Hinamori was unable to say it, but Unohana understood, and slowly moved to take her into an embrace. Apparently that simple gesture of reassurance was too much, as Hinamori promptly burst into sobs. The fukutaicho's tears stained Unohana's uniform, but neither moved for several minutes, until Hinamori had gotten ahold of herself. Finally, they broke the hug and Hinamori quieted her sniffles.

"I do not know Kurosaki-san very well personally," Unohana admitted, "so I do not know whether he would do such a thing had he the capabilities. But does he have the capabilities, Hinamori-chan?"

That was an excellent question, and it pierced straight through the fog of lingering terror and panic in Hinamori's brain. "I… I don't know," she said aloud. "I never met him before then, and I was never briefed on his abilities since I woke up so recently. No one thought I would need them, since I was ordered to stay out of the fight…"

"Then allow me to fill in the blanks." Unohana gave her patient a gentle smile, rather than one of her intimidating ones. She knew that she had to play this carefully – despite her words, she was rather certain that Kurosaki Ichigo would not do what Hinamori-chan had related to her. If he had been that kind of person, then there would have been some sign prior to then, especially during his invasion of Soul Society. The fact that Kuchiki Rukia had been powerless and had stayed with Ichigo for months, and still enjoyed is company, stated quite a lot as well.

Also, Unohana had taken the girl personally from Kurosaki-san's friends, who had explained their side of the story – Aizen had used Kyōka Suigetsu on his former subordinate and made her think that Ichigo had said that very thing. That, to the highly experienced taicho, gave them a lot of credit. In addition, it matched Aizen's character to do such a thing.

But Hinamori-chan would not believe this – it was all too apparent her fear ran very, very deeply, and to her the experience was very real. She had trusted the former taicho, Aizen, and would automatically dismiss any suggestions that he had used Kyōka Suigetsu on her as well. What Unohana had to do was always make it very apparent that she was on Hinamori-chan's side, and slowly have the fukutaicho discover the truth on her own. The first step to that was reducing the fear, by giving Hinamori-chan all the information.

"Kurosaki-san's powers are well documented," Unohana began. "His Zanpakutō's name is Zangetsu, and its power is the condensing of Kurosaki-san's powers and magnifying the power of his slash. It's known as the Getsuga Tenshō. His Bankai is Tensa Zangetsu. In this form, Kurosaki-san's Getsuga is much more powerful, and his speed and strength receive dramatic increases as well.

"In addition, he has a Hollow mask that allows him to tap into Hollow powers and enhance his Shinigami ones further. The most recent report states that he can use Resurrección, which seems to give him an upgrade in all the powers I've mentioned so far.

"In terms of Kidō, he seems to have had little education. He used Bakudō 1: Sai on Aizen during the fight in the Fake Karakura, but that is all we know of. He appears to prefer fighting melee." Unohana put a hand on Hinamori's arm. "Hinamori-chan, Kurosaki-san simply doesn't have the ability to fake your death."

Hinamori still looked a little worried, though far less than a few minutes prior. "What if he tries to take me by force?"

"Then Soul Society will go to war again, this time with him," Unohana reassured her. "You can't think that we would simply let him do as he wishes? If it comes down to it, then I will fight him myself. Nothing is going to happen to you. Now get some rest. I promise you, if Kurosaki comes, I will protect you with my life."

Hinamori's eyes shone with gratitude and unshed tears. "Thank you, Unohana-taicho," she whispered. She lay down, suddenly feeling her exhaustion – she was very tired from her burst of panic. She fell asleep almost immediately.

As soon as she detected her patient was asleep, Unohana let loose a sigh, her normal smile vanishing. "Poor girl," she murmured. _It will take months to make her comfortable enough to walk outside alone. Maybe years. And even then, just meeting Kurosaki-san could cause a relapse. I don't think her fear of him will ever truly vanish. Damn you, Aizen!_

She left the room, only to almost stumble over Hitsugaya Tōshiro. "Hitsugaya-taicho!" she exclaimed lightly. "I assume you're here to see Hinamori-chan?"

"Yes. Is she awake?"

Unohana gave her colleague a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, she just fell asleep again."

Hitsugaya's expression hardly changed, but Unohana could tell that he was disappointed. "How… How is she?"

Quickly but gently, Unohana guided him into another room so as to not be overheard. "Quite frankly, Hitsugaya-taicho, not good. Physically she is almost completely recovered, but mentally, she is worse off than before."

Hitsugaya nodded. "I had hoped otherwise, but I suppose that's to be expected. I read the reports after the meeting – Aizen used an illusion on her to convince her that Aizen was good and Ichigo was the real enemy."

"You are well-informed," Unohana commented, slightly impressed but not surprised by the young taicho's dedication. "I'm afraid that the illusion has had devastating consequences. Hinamori-chan is truly afraid of Kurosaki Ichigo and believes him a monster due to the illusion. She is convinced that he is coming after her now that her protector, Aizen, is dead."

Hitsugaya closed his eyes and rubbed his temples with his right hand. "Of course. I should have expected as much. What can be done?"

"I am working with her personally," the healer assured the ice-user. "Together, we should be able to solve the majority of her issues given enough time, but she will likely be very wary to outright afraid of anything that could be linked to Kurosaki-san for a long time. In the meantime, she will need the help of her close friends, but I must ask you to not bring up Aizen or Kurosaki-san if at all possible."

"What if she brings up the subject and insists on continuing it?" Hitsugaya queried, concerned.

"Be supportive, and discuss it. Try to remain as calm as possible," Unohana advised. "She may or may not lose her temper with you, but do not take it personally. Matters of misplaced faith are never easy to fix, and she will almost certainly apologize to you after it's all over." She paused. "Hitsugaya-taicho, what she truly needs from you is to know that despite everything, her friends and family are still there for her."

Hitsugaya nodded, reassured from her words. "Alright. When she wakes, could you please tell her that I came to visit?"

"Of course."

"Thank you." With that, Hitsugaya made his way out.

Now then, it was time for Unohana's next two patients. She calmly walked to the next room and entered softly. "Good evening, Tōsen-san, Gin-san, Komamura-taicho."

"Good evening, Unohana-taicho," Komamura greeted respectfully, standing up from where he'd been seated near Tōsen. He and Hisagi had taken turns standing watch over the two ex-taicho, largely because Tōsen was considered the larger flight risk.

Gin was sitting up, and merely nodded at Unohana, his small satisfied smile never once dimming. He had been rather docile his entire incarceration, actually, hardly saying a word, but smiling all the same. When asked by Hisagi several hours ago, he had simply said, "Aizen's finally dead. My dream, hundreds of years in the making, is finally accomplished. I even got the chance to stab him in the chest! I don't need any more reason than that."

Tōsen looked in her general direction. "Hello, Unohana-taicho. Would you care for a game of shogi?"

"No thank you." Unohana approached the blind man first, quietly using a diagnostic healing Kidō. "You seem to be completely fine, physically, and far faster than I had expected."

"It is due to my new Hollow powers," Tōsen explained without a trace of regret. "They increase my regenerative abilities, even without my actively calling on them."

Unohana nodded and moved on to Gin, using the same diagnostic. "You are recovering nicely, Gin-san. I see you have been doing as I asked and not been using any reiryoku. It will still be some time before you can even use Shikai again safely, however."

"Eh, it was worth it to put that hole in Aizen's chest."

Unohana said nothing, but privately agreed. She would have done the same simply for what he'd done to Hinamori-chan. Somehow, however, she got the impression that Gin knew her feelings on the matter by the way his smile widened minutely for a second.

Her diagnostic complete, Unohana stepped away calmly, but paused near the door. She wanted to know something, just in case. "I'm not sure if Komamura-taicho has told you, but we took a vote last night on whether to promote Kurosaki Ichigo to taicho of the 5th Division."

Neither traitor looked particularly surprised. "And?" Gin asked.

"I vetoed it, which meant that we were one taicho short."

"Hmm, Hinamori-chan, right?" Gin asked pointedly, his eyes opening just slightly. "And since there's a decent chance that one or both of us will be restored to our previous positions, ya want to know whether we'll also recommend him."

Unohana's eyes widened fractionally. _He's… very perceptive. _"Yes."

"Hmm, I don't know," Gin wondered aloud, leaning against the wall and looking up at the ceiling in an almost quizzical manner. "He's gotten unbelievably strong… did ya know that he can already look into and accurately decipher the feelings that echo in a Shinigami's Zanpakutō?"

"That is a high-level skill," Komamura answered, impressed.

"His growth rate is downright frightening, isn't it?" Gin's smile dimmed somewhat as he gave some honest thought to the question. "Ichigo's got the right kind of mentality for being a taicho, I think," Gin continued. "And with a little practice, I don't think paperwork'd be a problem. Certainly couldn't do worse than Kenpachi, anyway."

There was more than a grain of truth to that, Unohana had to admit – Kenpachi was notorious for putting off work in favor of fun, and his childlike fukutaicho was just the same. His paperwork ended up being largely handled by his third and fifth seats, Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika.

"But ya know, I feel for Hinamori-chan," Gin admitted, looking back at the lead healer. "Wasn't her fault what Aizen did to her. He's stole somethin' precious from her, ruined countless happy memories. She needs your help, and if you think making Ichigo her taicho keeps her from gettin' better, then nah, I won't do it."

"Thank you," Unohana said sincerely, looking him in the eyes. Gin had just won a measure of respect back from her – she hadn't expected him to be so sympathetic. It was as though he knew someone who had suffered something similar before… She put it out of her mind, and instead turned to Tōsen. "What of you?"

"My only experience with the boy was when he was fighting Grimmjow," Tōsen replied. "But he left a favorable impression. Not to mention, can Soul Society truly afford to not have him on their side? I follow the path of least bloodshed. I lost my way and followed a false trail set by Aizen, but now I see clearly. Having Kurosaki Ichigo not on Soul Society's side can only end in war, with many casualties and much suffering. I sympathize with Hinamori's plight, Unohana-taicho… but should I regain my former position, I will support Kurosaki's ascendancy to taicho. Hinamori is now a danger to every other Shinigami in Soul Society due to her unwavering belief in Aizen, and she will not be able to tolerate those around her celebrating his demise. She can be taken care of in the Maggot's Nest."

It was perhaps the first time that Unohana and Tōsen had ever disagreed on such a matter. Their views had been similar for as long as Unohana had known the blind Shinigami, both harboring a distaste for unnecessary bloodshed. Tōsen had very nearly joined her division, but had instead been snapped up by the taicho-turned-Vizard Muguruma Kensei.

"Harsh," Gin commented. "You would throw her into the Maggot's Nest? She'd never be able to defend herself with just her physical strength."

"To my sight, either Kurosaki or Hinamori must go in order to maintain the peace," Tōsen argued. "They cannot coexist without Hinamori losing her mind! The illusion Aizen put her under saw to that."

"How do you know about that?" Unohana demanded calmly. Tōsen, by all accounts, had been apprehended long before that, and should have had no opportunity to learn it.

"I have exceptional hearing, being blind." Tōsen turned his sightless eyes on the healer, who looked into them unflinchingly.

After a few seconds, it was apparent that was all that Tōsen would say. "I see," Unohana murmured. She had her answer, now it was simply a question of what to do with the information. "Please excuse me. I have other patients to attend to." She left a moment later, not giving them any chance to interrupt as she thought quickly of what needed to be done.

* * *

"Kuchiki-taicho."

Byakuya looked up from his paperwork to see his fukutaicho standing at attention, holding a few documents of his own. "Abarai."

"I've been invited by Kurosaki Ichigo to participate in a free vacation in the living world. I formally request a week's leave, starting this Monday," Renji intoned.

"Granted," Byakuya answered immediately, returning his attention to the paperwork on his desk.

Renji blinked – he'd been expecting something more along the lines of his being a needed presence in Soul Society's tumultuous time of reorganization, and perhaps a veiled comment that he should be training to fill one of the possible slots for taicho. After all, Renji was, to the best of anyone's knowledge, the only non-taicho Shinigami in the Gotei 13 who had achieved Bankai and might be interested in leaving the division he was in. Knowing his taicho, the fukutaicho had even taken the time to prepare calm responses to any question he could imagine Byakuya asking him.

So Byakuya's easy acceptance of Renji's request for leave rather startled him. "Taicho?" he asked in confusion before his brain could halt his tongue.

The taicho of the 6th Division calmly put down his writing utensils and looked his fukutaicho in the eye. "Abarai, you have served the Gotei 13, and this division, faithfully as my fukutaicho. You have proven you are among the elite by achieving Bankai. You have grown strong, Abarai, strong enough to have struck a blow on Aizen that would have finished almost anyone else, and wise enough to know there are still depths of your potential yet untapped. I would not insult someone of your dedication by reminding you of your need to train, for you are already well aware.

"You received that invitation this morning, and you have clearly carefully weighed your options before choosing your path. So long as you understand the consequences to your decision, and I have not received orders otherwise, I will not stop you." Byakuya turned his eyes back town to the paperwork before him. "When you return, your work will be waiting for you."

"Hai, taicho!" Renji saluted, then began to quickly retreat from his superior's office, a sense of pride filling him. He'd just been verbally acknowledged by the man he aspired to defeat. He was another step closer to finally achieving his dream!

"Abarai."

Renji froze. "Hai, taicho?"

Byakuya's eyes didn't leave the paperwork this time. As he signed another paper, he finally said, "If you see Rukia… inform her she too has my permission to go."

Agreeing quickly, Renji almost ran from the office to tell his lifelong friend. Finding her in the 13th Division training grounds, the fukutaicho narrowly avoided becoming a pineapple-haired icicle by dodging one of Rukia's dances. "Rukia!" he greeted.

Rukia lowered her sword. "Renji? What're you doing here? I thought you'd be drowning in paperwork by now."

"So did I, but get a load of this!" Renji almost pushed the invitation in her face.

Rukia grabbed it and quickly read through it. Her eyes lit up in excitement before her face turned downcast. "I'll have to ask Nii-sama…"

"He already gave permission," the tattooed redhead interrupted. "I didn't ask for you!" he amended, seeing her thunderous expression. "He just knew, and told me to tell you!"

"Hm." After a few moments deciding Renji's fate, Rukia finally smiled. "Alright then. This Monday it is!"

* * *

Ikkaku was not a man who scared easy. He lived for a good fight, just like his taicho, Zaraki Kenpachi, and was unafraid of death. However, he had a very strong survival instinct, and his whole body was screaming NOT to do what he was about to do.

He knocked on the door in front of him. "Eh, come on in," Zaraki beckoned grumpily.

Ikkaku entered. For once, Zaraki was working on his paperwork. Yachiru appeared to be snoozing in the corner. _That explains why he's grumpy. He hates paperwork. _

"Ikkaku? What do you want?"

"Taicho…" Ikkaku swallowed, but carried on with his voice unwavering. "I want your help in training my Bankai."

"Hmm?" Now Zaraki looked interested. "I thought you might have Bankai but I wasn't sure. And you want my help?"

"Yes, taicho. I want to fight you with it."

Zaraki grinned widely, his immense reiatsu beginning to give off battle-lust as he eagerly stepped away from the table and drew his sword. "I was just hopin' for a good distraction right about now. Lucky me."

Ikkaku raised his own reiatsu in challenge and drew Hōzukimaru. "Well then, it's time for our rematch! BANKAI! Ryūmon Hōzukimaru!"

Outside training on his own, Yumichika sighed when he heard that yell. He turned around just in time to witness part of their barracks collapse. _I'll go alert the 4__th__ Division… _

Part of the debris suddenly blasted outwards, revealing Ikkaku in his oversized Bankai, swinging the Chinese Monk spade joyfully at Zaraki, who blocked with his own Zanpakutō. "You got a nice-looking Bankai there, Ikkaku!" the taicho complimented, his grin looking more and more unnerving by the second. "But I wonder, how strong is it?" He purposely didn't block the next strike from the Guan Dao in Ikkaku's other hand, which cut deeply into Zaraki's left shoulder. "Perfect. You can cut me pretty well with that!"

"You better not take too many more hits like that, taicho!" Ikkaku taunted, indicating the faded red dragon crest on the axe-blade the floated behind him. Even as he spoke, the crest filled partway. "I get more powerful with every drop of blood spilled!"

Zaraki's left arm suddenly came up and knocked the weapon out of his shoulder, and he rushed directly at Ikkaku, bells in his hair ringing madly. Ikkaku deflected the as-yet-nameless Zanpakutō with the weapon in his right hand and struck again with his left, this time landing a shallow cut to Zaraki's torso. But he was forced to jump backwards to avoid being cut in half from the power of Zaraki's next slice, and even then the taicho's immense reiatsu seemed to surge forth, knocking him backwards.

Ikkaku grinned as well as he gave it his all fighting his taicho – he should have done this long ago. It felt _good _to be using his full power, and unafraid of being caught. With a battle cry of his own, he leapt back into fight, twin expressions of battle-given joy on both fighters' faces.

* * *

Ichigo sat on the roof of his home, watching the sunset, quietly enjoying how the sky's hue slowly darkened and shifted into other colors, creating a veritable painting of nature's beauty. But Ichigo's enjoyment was tarnished by his body feeling tense and on edge. He longed to be doing something, something physically demanding that would allow him to relax his mind. He knew that he would enjoy the sunset far more if he were not so on edge… it was too soon, Ichigo realized, for him to be able to properly appreciate the sunset like he had before.

Ichigo sighed, getting up and dusting off his pants before walking to the edge and casually flipping himself down and through his open window. He'd finished his homework earlier, and he was rather tired. After all, he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. _I think I'll take an early night, then. _Several minutes later, Ichigo had changed into his nightclothes and lay down to rest, his Shinigami Representative badge underneath his pillow, just in case.

He was just about to fall asleep when his badge suddenly screamed shrilly right into his ear, "HOLLOW!"

Taken by surprise, with his ear ringing painfully, Ichigo almost fell out of bed as he shot up. "Oh you have got to be kidding me," he groaned, picking up the badge and halfheartedly slapping it against his chest, releasing his Shinigami form.

Stepping through his window, Ichigo sensed the Hollow a fair distance away, and Shunpo-ed to it in an instant. This Hollow was a rather simple humanoid one, all black body with a white mask like most of its kind, with small bone-like blades extending from its elbows, knees and shoulders. It was about three times Ichigo's size, but it was far weaker than Ichigo's usual intruders. "You're interrupting my sleep, asshole," he said calmly. "Go back to Hueco Mundo or I'll kill you where you stand."

"**Who are you?" **

"Kurosaki Ichigo. I'll give you fifteen seconds to get out of my town before I take you out."

"**Hold on!" **the Hollow cried out, waving its arms **"I'm just a messenger!" **

Ichigo buried his face in his left hand in exasperation. "Fine, fine. What's the message?"

"**Ulquiorra Schiffer wants you to meet him in Hueco Mundo, near Las Noches. He told me to tell you that it's extremely important." **

Ichigo nodded curtly. "Open the Garganta. I'll follow you there."

"**Gladly. There are too many Shinigami here for my taste." **The Hollow opened a Garganta and leapt into it quickly, Ichigo following a beat later. A short time later, Ichigo and the Hollow reappeared in Hueco Mundo, landing softly on the sands of the endless desert. **"Alright then, I'm out of here!" **

The Hollow whose name Ichigo had neglected to acquire ran off, not wanting to be anywhere near someone with Ichigo's levels of power.

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo turned, having expected this. "Ulquiorra," he greeted. "What's up?"

"I believe congratulations are in order. You defeated Aizen," Ulquiorra began. "However, unexpected problems have arisen."

"What do you mean?"

"Aizen was the leader of Las Noches, and was master of even Vasto Lorde level Arrancar," Ulquiorra stated. "Prior to his rule, Baraggan Luisenbarn was the established King of Hueco Mundo. Now, both are dead. Hueco Mundo is in an uproar, attempting to determine who shall be its new leader."

"Hold on, how do they know Aizen's dead? I only just killed him yesterday," Ichigo pointed out.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, your clash could be felt across dimensions to those who knew to look. When your power remained in the end, the outcome was obvious."

"Oh. So, what's happening about the uproar thing?"

"I am attempting to gather any living Espada, former or otherwise, to reestablish order."

"Sounds reasonable."

Ulquiorra merely nodded in acknowledgment to Ichigo's remark. "In terms of rank and power, Tia Harribel and I are the strongest Arrancar remaining of Aizen's army. However, we are not necessarily stronger than the other Vasto Lorde Hollows in Hueco Mundo, and there are elements of Aizen's army that may hold grudges against us, or wish to fight to prove themselves stronger."

"Grimmjow," Ichigo recognized, remembering the Sexta Espada's desire to become Vasto Lorde.

"Precisely. Many high-level Hollows may attempt to band together and invade Karakura to locate and consume the one who has defeated Aizen – you – in order to become the new strongest. If I understand your motivations correctly, you find that idea abhorrent not simply because you do not desire to be consumed, but because others will be put in danger."

"Damn right," the Vizard agreed. "So you called me to warn me?"

"That was one of my objectives, yes," Ulquiorra acknowledged. "My second objective is to persuade you to end the rebellion yourself."

"And how would I do that?" Ichigo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Recall that Hollows obey the strongest. It is a matter of instinct. Demonstrate your strength, and most will not dare disobey. At that point, you publicly put myself and my colleagues in power as the established rulers in your absence, thusly allowing yourself to return to your human life."

"So, to summarize, Hueco Mundo is in civil war because there's no established strongest, so your solution is to prove that I'm the strongest, and then put you in as a legal authority."

"Yes."

Ichigo sighed. He already knew his answer – he would do all he could to make Karakura safe. But still… _The spirit worlds are never going to let me relax, are they? _

_**Probably not. **_

_I would not anticipate it. _

_You two are SO supportive. _"Fine. How do we do this?"

Ulquiorra nodded. "Flare your power as high as you can. Any challengers will flare their own to alert you their acceptance of the challenge, and then come to fight you. When you win, flare it again. Repeat the process until there are no challengers left. At that point, you will be acknowledged as King of Hueco Mundo."

_**Let's get this party started, then!**_

_Yes, let's. _Ichigo raised the arm holding Zangetsu and brought his left hand to rest on the inside of his right elbow. "Bankai." Reiatsu swirled around Ichigo, a black Getsuga running down Zangetsu. When it cleared, Ichigo was in his new Bankai form, with the chain running up his bare right arm.

Almost casually pulling on his Adjuchas mask and deciding to save Resurrección for if he really needed it, Ichigo turned his Hollowified eyes to the starry night sky of Hueco Mundo. _**"Time to get to work." **_He flared his reiatsu, vaguely noting that Ulquiorra weathered it without even a flinch.

A few moments later, he felt answering flares in the distance, which all began coming straight towards him. Ichigo steadied his grip on Tensa Zangetsu and put everything else but the incoming battles out of his mind – he couldn't afford to be distracted when he was fighting for his life. The first one arrived and Ichigo smirked behind his mask. _**"Perfect."**_

"**Who the hell are you?" **the Hollow demanded. This one seemed to be human-shaped with thick bone-like things jutting out of his skin in just about every visible place, giving the Hollow a resemblance to a pine cone. The Hollow used his two arms to rip out two of the bones from his hip area, which revealed themselves to be spiked boomerangs, which he held as though they were daggers.

"_**The name's Kurosaki Ichigo, Vizard. I killed Aizen. You?" **_

"**Leroux Banthos, Vasto Lorde." **

_**Oooooh, **_Cazador said appreciatively. _**Can I eat him, please? I want to find out what Vasto Lorde is like! **_

_Normally, I'd say yes, but we don't have time to fight the same guy twice, not when we're gonna be fighting a lot of people after this. _

_**What about the last guy? He's bound to be a Vasto Lorde too! **_

_Maybe. We'll see. __**"It seems my Inner Hollow wants to eat you."**_

"**I'm rather curious what Vizard tastes like, myself," **Leroux admitted. **"Now let's get started!"

* * *

**And that's it for this chapter!

A lot's going on all over the place this chapter. Unohana's getting all the information and now weighing her options. Byakuya is expressing some respect for Renji, and Renji and Rukia get their invitations to Ichigo's vacation. Ikakku, of course, is working on training his Bankai under Kenpachi, as he'd thought about doing. With any luck he'll get stronger.

But poor Ichigo! The spirit realms never give him a break! Remember that before Aizen took charge, Baraggan was King of Hueco Mundo per canon. Now both of them are dead, and Hueco Mundo is looking for a new strongest. That means that there would normally be lots of "I must get stronger, quickly!" and thus a lot more Hollow attacks on the real world looking for powerful souls. So, since Ichigo can't tolerate that, he's in Hueco Mundo to take care of the issue in a location where he can remove his limiters and unleash all of his considerable power without risking harming anyone. And when that's done... well, you'll see.

Once again, a quick note regarding my wife's business. She asked me to advertise, so I'm being a good husband and doing what she asks. She's a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant, and is looking for people to a) join her team, b) partake in a free facial, regardless of where you are. Please send me a PM, mention it in a review, or send me an e-mail if you're interested.

Now, for the spoiler rant!

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Hmm. It seems that Tsukishima's Fullbring is another of those bastard-type powers that is going to be a pain to beat. 'Book of the End', eh? Well, the other Fullbring names have been pretty straightforward. 'Time tells no lies' creates timers that, if not kept to, consume the object(s) with time's fire. 'Dollhouse' allows the user to put cute things and people into a literal dollhouse.

Another thing to think about, is Orihime's reaction to getting slashed by the Book of the End. She, for some reason, though that Tsukishima was a friend? What the hell? Is his power to bring an end to certain emotions, maybe, and reverse them? So Inoue's wariness and dislike due to Ishida's being hurt turned into open friendship? At least until Inoue can come to her senses?


	35. Preventative Measures

Hey all! Things are going alright at the moment, and I've begun work on my (hopefully) eventually-to-be-published book. I'll let you know how things are going, but I may slow down on the updates for the fic when I get my groove going on it.

I had a few reviews asking if Ichigo had released his seals for the oncoming fight. No, he has not.

I also had a few reviews asking what Ichigo's Vasto Lorde mask was going to look like. To be honest, I don't know yet. Still thinking that one through.

And I'm afraid I cannot think clearly enough to reply to most of the others, as I just got word of something that made my day... My fic is now on TvTropes! I'm gonna have to go redo my earlier chapters, just so it doesn't start off so bland.

Next up, new terms or memory refreshers:

Gigai - False body. This technology was developed by Urahara Kisuke in order to allow Shinigami to safely recover their power when dangerously depleted. It has now become a regular function of the 12th Division.

Gikon - False soul. This is the basis for gikongan, artificial soul capsules that allow Shinigami to exit their gigai and leave a working soul and personality inside it so as not to alert humans in the living world.

Reiraku - Spirit ribbons. This is the technique that allows Shinigami (or Quincy) to materialize the reiatsu in the air, best used to track a target. This was first shown by Ichigo when trying to locate Chad and the possessed bird when they were being hunted by Shrieker.

In any case, on to the fic!

* * *

Chapter 35: Preventative Measures

Ichigo dodged another spiked boomerang while Shunpo-ing to the side, trying to get into the Vasto Lorde's blind spot. Leroux Banthos had proven to be a formidable warrior, and his style involved adding more and more weapons to the mix, making it impossible to approach without being injured.

Currently, there were ten boomerangs spiraling around the Hollow at high speed, creating an offensive barrier that Ichigo was wary of physically tackling. The only opening at that time was when Leroux was throwing another of his weapons, and the opening itself was dangerous, for Ichigo would have to then confront a head-on attack with little chance to evade. There were also four boomerangs chasing Ichigo constantly, somehow controlled psychically by Leroux. Leroux himself was not simply standing there either; he was going after Ichigo physically as well, wielding two of his boomerangs in his hands.

Ichigo had already attempted a Cero to obliterate the barrier, only to have the rapidly revolving shield of thrown weapons deflect them. Somehow, the boomerangs had reflective properties. _If I let him get up enough steam it'll be impossible to beat him. Now I see why he's a Vasto Lorde. __**"Time to use something new." **_

"**Use what?" **Leroux asked in an amused fashion.

Ichigo leapt back again, putting a little distance between them, and then he began spinning Tensa Zangetsu to charge his signature attack. _**"Getsuga…"**_

"**Ha! Another energy attack? You know my boomerangs will just deflect it!" **Leroux lunged at his opponent, eager to eat such a powerful foe.

Suddenly, however, Leroux found himself stopped in his tracks, as Ichigo had simply leapt into and through the shield, taking the cuts and slices and ignoring them as he brought his blade down upon the Vasto Lorde. _**"…Tenshō." **_

In an instant, the Vasto Lorde was cut in half by the crescent-shaped black cutter. Being only the size of Ichigo himself, the Getsuga continued on for as far as Ichigo could see, cutting a swath through the desert sands of Hueco Mundo. The Getsuga also caught another of Ichigo's challengers off guard, obliterating him in an instant.

Regenerating his wounds quickly, Ichigo turned a hard eye to the Hollows around him. Not all of them had come to fight him – some had come simply to watch, and most of these were obviously Adjuchas, though there was the rare Vasto Lorde among them as well, apparently not interested in becoming King of Hueco Mundo. _**"Anyone else going to challenge me?" **_Ichigo asked quietly.

There was much shuffling around by the assembled challengers as they attempted to determine who had arrived next; Ichigo's display of power was enough to make them doubt their ability to win. While they were deciding, a familiar woman's voice called out, "Ichigo!"

The Vizard turned his head to see Nelliel Tu Odelschwank and Tia Hallibel running towards him, followed slowly by two figures he didn't recognize. Ichigo took off his mask so he could conserve his power for the time being. "Nel? Hallibel, and, who're they?"

"This is the former Primera Espada, Coyote Starrk," Nelliel introduced, indicating the tall, bored-looking Arrancar. "And this is Lilynette Gingerback, his Fracción."

Ichigo immediately looked at Starrk suspiciously. "I killed Aizen. Is that going to be a problem?"

Starrk shook his head negatively. "No. I owed Aizen much for giving me a priceless gift, but my debt has been paid – I fought for him as best I could. That was all that was ever asked of me." He gave a tiny smile in Nelliel's direction. "Now, I seek to convert Las Noches into a peaceful place in Hueco Mundo, a sanctuary of sorts, with Nelliel."

Ichigo nodded; he could respect that. "Alright."

Starrk looked around. "You're trying to become King of Hueco Mundo?"

"I don't exactly have a choice," Ichigo explained. "Since the last two rulers of Hueco Mundo – Aizen and Baraggan – are dead, Ulquiorra told me that there was a good chance that Hollows would invade my town looking to consume and absorb powerful souls to grow stronger quickly. I don't want my companions to die, so I'm here to take care of it now."

Something in that last sentence seemed to hit Starrk hard, almost enough to physically stumble. Little did Ichigo know that his explanation had sparked memories, memories of loneliness and despair. _I don't want my companions to die. I'm lonely. Why do they always die? Why can't I be weak? _Starrk tore himself out of his recollections and shook his head. "It's a pain in the ass, but maybe I can help." He raised his voice so he could be heard. "I am Coyote Starrk, Aizen's Primera Espada and second in command!" he called out. "Aizen, former ruler of Hueco Mundo, is dead! This man is Kurosaki Ichigo, the one who killed him!"

"**So he's said,"** another human-sized Hollow agreed with a disbelieving and undeniably feminine tone, stepping forward in challenge. This Hollow was completely covered from head to toe in a bonelike armor, but the armor was covered in strange designs that resembled strange, grotesque beasts with little markings where their heads would be…

With a start, Ichigo realized that the markings looked like Hollow masks. _Are those… supposed to be pictures of Hollows, maybe? _

_**Maybe she's vain and likes to remind people of who all she's consumed? **_Cazador suggested.

_Who knows? _

"… **but what evidence do we have that this boy was the one who slew him?"** the Hollow finished.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he stared into the Hollow's eyes, anger beginning to rise within him. "There's no evidence I can give that would suffice, would it." It wasn't a question.

"**Not unless you have some trophy of the kill, like I do." **She gestured towards her armor. **"My armor automatically updates with every Hollow I eat." **

"And the words of the Primera Espada, and the Cuarta Espada, and the Third Espada both past and present aren't enough?" Ichigo asked incredulously. "You know what, fine. I'm tired, and it's been a long day. There's no point in dragging this out." He held his left hand in front of his face, thick black tendrils of Hollow reiatsu rising from each finger. "I'll show you my power, and force you to submit!" In a single ripping motion, he pulled the mask back onto his face, looked directly into the eyes of his opponent, and gathered his Hollow reiatsu. _**"Blacken the night, Cazador de la Luna!" **_

Ichigo's eyes never left the Hollow in front of him as his mask stretched around his head and formed those wicked horns. His stance never changed as his Hollow vest stretched out to envelop his body or as his chest opened up with a Hollow hole. His killing intent never let up for an instant as his reiatsu changed to match his new Hollow form. **"Now do you get it?" **Ichigo demanded, unleashing his full reiatsu upon them all, noticing with some satisfaction that most of the Adjuchas fell to their knees, unable to stand, and some of them were even unable to breathe. Almost all the rest of the crowd looked rather uncomfortable as well. **"I am Vizard! I am Hollow and I am Shinigami, and I have attained both Bankai and Resurrección! Let me make this crystal clear: I am NOT in the mood to be fucked with right now, and I am NEVER in the mood to put up with people endangering my town! If it means guarding of those I have sworn to protect, I will purify every damn one of you, so unless you want to know the feeling of my Zanpakutō running through your heads, now would be a good time for you to shut up, acknowledge me as your King, and let me get back to my own life in the living world!" **

_**If you want them to respond, you might want to lighten up on the reiatsu a bit, Ichigo… **_

Ichigo waited a few more seconds, just to make sure that they had gotten the point, before lowering his reiatsu output. **"So?" **he inquired a lot more calmly, now that he'd gotten a chance to vent his anger in a productive way. **"What's it going to be?" **

Despite half-expecting it, Ichigo was still surprised to suddenly be the only one standing upright – everyone else had fallen into bowing or kneeling positions. Even the Arrancar Ichigo had befriended had all fallen to one knee and bowed their heads. **"Hail, Kurosaki Ichigo, King of Hueco Mundo!"

* * *

**Hitsugaya Tōshirō sat at his desk in the 10th Division quietly – he'd just finished his paperwork, and miraculously Matsumoto had done hers with minimal complaint. _It's probably her way of trying to make things easier for me, since Hinamori's… _Hitsugaya shook his head, trying not to think about it. Aizen was dead – getting angry about Hinamori's condition would serve no purpose any longer.

Hitsugaya was broken from his thoughts by an unexpected knock on the door. "Enter."

To the white-haired taicho's surprise, Unohana-taicho stepped inside quietly, as though she were about to ask something painful. "I apologize for disturbing you at such a late hour," she began, taking her seat in front of Hitsugaya.

"It's nothing," the diminutive taicho reassured. "What can I do for you, Unohana-taicho? Is something wrong with Hinamori?"

"No, no, Hinamori-chan is resting peacefully," Unohana hastened to inform Hitsugaya. "But she may not be for long. Tell me, Hitsugaya-taicho… what do you believe are the chances that Tōsen-san will recover his taicho position?"

Hitsugaya frowned pensively, giving it some thought. "Komamura-taicho did ask for leniency in deciding Tōsen's punishment, did he not? As Kyōraku-taicho is acting sōtaicho, and given that we are distinctively lacking in Shinigami capable of filling a taicho's roles at the moment, I believe chances are relatively high that Tōsen will regain his position but in extremely limited fashion."

Unohana nodded. "I had come to the same conclusion. Tōsen has told me today that should that be the case, he will recommend that Kurosaki Ichigo become taicho of the 5th Division."

"I see. And you want me to retract my recommendation, then, for Hinamori's sake?"

"No," the healing taicho disagreed. "That would only set back the problem for a short time. In order to give Hinamori-chan the most amount of time and the best chance to survive, you must convince Kurosaki-san not to accept the taicho position when it is offered. You worked with him for some time, Hitsugaya-taicho, and the reports indicate that he seems to listen to those he has worked with. Could you not persuade him to ask for some extended length of time to consider?"

Hitsugaya frowned. "I believe I could, should it come to that. How long do you anticipate needing to bring Hinamori to the point of being capable of working with Kurosaki?"

"Healing the mind is far different from healing the body, Hitsugaya-taicho," Unohana stated quietly. "She may heal quickly, or she may never heal. Given what happened last time, however…"

Both taicho held a moment of silence as they recalled Hinamori's struggles when Aizen had betrayed her openly. For her faith to have been restored, and then have Aizen die at the hands of someone she'd been fooled into thinking a monster… The truth could very well elude Hinamori for the rest of her days.

"Kurosaki isn't necessarily the source of the time limit," Hitsugaya pointed out, a new thought coming to him once he'd made that realization. "When Yamamoto-sōtaicho recovers, you know what he'll do."

Unohana nodded sadly. "He will see Kurosaki-san as a potential asset, and Hinamori-chan as a burden. He will make the sacrifice quickly should Kurosaki-san accept the position. I am hoping that he will take more time to consider the decision if Kurosaki-san remains where he is and takes no overt actions towards Soul Society."

Hitsugaya looked at the healer in surprise – sometimes it was hard to remember that Unohana was well-versed in politics and gentle manipulations with her usual actions. He narrowed his eyes; Unohana had to know that relations were very strained between Kurosaki and the Gotei 13. The odds of something sparking outright hostility were dangerously high. "This is a dangerous gamble," he warned.

"I'm aware of that, but I will not let an innocent be sacrificed just because she has been mentally raped by Aizen," Unohana replied with a hint of steel in her sweet voice. "I had thought that you agreed with me after our talk today, Hitsugaya-taicho."

A shiver ran down Hitsugaya's spine at her tone; he was treading in perilous waters, but the icy Shinigami would not back down from what he knew was right. "I do agree that Hinamori deserves her chance to recover, Unohana-taicho. What I am saying is that we should use that plan as a last resort. There must be other options available, we simply need to find them. Where does your authority supersede Yamamoto-sōtaicho's? Don't you have special rights as the lead healer?" Hitsugaya questioned. "I remember reading about something when I was preparing for my Taicho Proficiency Test."

"Yes, I have the right to declare a Shinigami medically unfit for duty," Unohana agreed. "Unfortunately, it only has provisions for physical trauma. Mental trauma is typically handled by the Shinigami in question's taicho. And as Aizen is the reason for Hinamori's state…"

Hitsugaya frowned. "That's a hole in the law that should be rectified."

"Unfortunately, it is not likely to be addressed for some time – Soul Society has more pressing issues," Unohana informed her fellow taicho matter-of-factly. "As this is a rare event, it has a low priority. In any case, I have found no other option, which is why I came to you."

"I see." The taicho in a child's body considered this for a few moments. "I will have a talk with Kurosaki."

"Thank you."

A sudden flare of reiatsu from the 4th Division caught both of their attentions. Almost as soon as it had been released, it was silenced. "Hinamori!" they cried out in unison, leaping to their feet and flickering into Shunpo.

They arrived together, rushing through the doors to where they'd felt the reiatsu, only to see Hisagi crumpled to the floor, and Gin staggered against a wall and breathing heavily outside of Hinamori's door, holding his Zanpakutō at the ready, with blood dripping from the end. "There was… someone… here…"

"Who was it?" Hitsugaya demanded as Unohana quickly began another diagnostic scan of Gin.

"I… don't know …" Gin wheezed. "Whoever it was… didn't speak. Average height. No Zanpakutō. Completely covered… in dark clothes. Suppressed reiatsu."

"It was your reiatsu we felt! You used your Shikai!" Unohana exclaimed in a mixture of surprise and urgency as she got the results from her diagnostic Kidō. "Stay awake, Gin-san! You must stay awake!"

"Sorry… Unohana-taicho. Didn't have… a choice…" And then Gin collapsed.

"Hitsugaya-taicho, chase the intruder! I must attend to Gin-san!" And before the ice-wielding taicho could respond, Unohana was rushing Gin off to be attended to.

Hitsugaya looked around quickly before spotting some blood on the ground that ended at a point. _He Shunpo-ed away once he felt us coming. _He focused his own power and with a few moments concentration, materialized reiraku. Searching quickly, he found the one whose signature matched that lingering in blood on the ground and seized it, immediately knowing the current location of his target. _Found you. _He flickered away in Shunpo, chasing the would-be assassin.

* * *

Meanwhile, Soifon frowned at the Onmitsukidō agent who had been observing the assassination attempt. She'd just received news of the plan's failure. "Gin…" she hissed angrily. "How did he do that?"

She'd scheduled the attempt at night immediately after she'd received word that Unohana had left the area. As luck would have it, Hisagi Shuhei was the one guarding Tōsen, rather than Komamura-taicho, which had drastically increased the chances of success; a surprise knockout worked much better on fukutaicho than they did on taicho. Given how Tōsen had seemed to be of likeminded opinion to Soifon herself based on his previous conversation with Unohana, the 2nd Division taicho had figured that the blind traitor would not interfere.

But Gin? Gin should have been asleep, and even had he not been asleep, he should not have been able to sense the agent with his still-recovering powers, and even if he had managed that miracle, it was outright ludicrous to think that Gin would find the strength to leave the bed, call his Zanpakutō to him, and then use Shikai! But that was exactly what Gin had done.

He'd paid for it, true, but Soifon's first and best attempt on Hinamori's life had been foiled. Now Soul Society would be on alert, security would be tightened, and all further attempts would be far more difficult. Soifon had half a mind to assassinate Gin next, should he survive the night, but his power was needed as a possible counter against Kurosaki. Against someone with the powers of a Kami, Gin's Kamishini no Yari would be quite helpful. Kurosaki could hardly be expected to anticipate and block a spear through his heart from kilometers away.

As it was, Soifon had just lost a good agent – the assassin she'd sent to kill Hinamori was under orders that if he should fail, then he was to consume a suicide pill in a nearby river. The pill would rapidly accelerate the decomposition of his body into reishi, and the river would wash away the rest of the evidence. Just in case of such a scenario, the agent had also been ordered to wear clothing that would not associate him with the Onmitsukidō, and all records of his existence had been removed.

Soifon scowled as she sat heavily. Her next plan would require some critical thinking… and perhaps some created opportunities. _I need a distraction large enough and urgent enough to lure all the taicho away… That also gives me some plausible deniability. The question is, what could do such a thing? The only time I know of was… Aizen… _Soifon began to smile; she had an idea.

But in the meantime, she now felt Hitsugaya's reiatsu nearby. _And now, a chance to appear completely uninvolved. _She Shunpo-ed out, preparing to join him.

* * *

"Damn it!" Hitsugaya cursed aloud, staring at floating clothes in a nearby river. His lock on the spiritual energy of the assassin had faded almost entirely less than a minute prior, and all that remained were on those clothes, and even that last trace was dissipating rapidly. "Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyōrinmaru!" With a single wave his Shikai, the clothes and a large part of the river froze in ice; with any luck, it would preserve the clothes and the reiatsu on them. Also, the Shikai release would undoubtedly attract attention from the other taicho and should be enough to bring at least one more to him.

Hitsugaya materialized the reiraku again and searched, but even as he did he knew it was in vain. Whoever it had been, the attacker was dead, and there were only two ways that Hitsugaya knew of that could completely destroy the body in such a short amount of time without unleashing enough reiatsu to be sensed easily. Soifon's Shikai, and an advanced suicide pill.

_It had to have been a Shinigami, _Hitsugaya thought with narrowed eyes. _It was obviously an advanced form of Shunpo. But who has the audacity to attempt to kill Hinamori when she's under the protection of so many taicho? _

Hitsugaya thought back to Gin's description, trying to place what it reminded him of. _Dark clothes, silent, suppressed reiatsu, no Zanpakutō… _His eyes widened. _No Zanpakutō? Every Shinigami in the Gotei 13 carries their Zanpakutō! But then… what about Onmitsukidō? They specialize in Hakuda… _

Hitsugaya frowned uneasily. He had no way to tell whether they were Onmitsukidō clothes or not. _Perhaps it would be a good idea to talk to Soifon? But if she was the one to kill him, then that could pose a problem as well… _

As if his thoughts had summoned her, he felt Soifon Shunpo a few meters behind and to his left. "Hitsugaya-taicho. I felt your Shikai just now – is something wrong?"

"Soifon-taicho, there was an attempt on Hinamori-fukutaicho's life approximately ten to fifteen minutes ago," the ice user explained quickly. "I tracked the assassin using reiraku, but too late it seems…" He gestured towards the frozen clothes. "His body has been completely destroyed."

Soifon inspected the clothes closely. "These are similar to the uniforms of the militia branch of Onmitsukidō. Please remove the ice, Hitsugaya-taicho, I need to examine the clothing more closely." Hitsugaya merely waved his sword and the ice shattered. "Thank you." Soifon made a show of feeling the fiber before testing its weight and durability. "Hmm. This is definitely not one of my uniforms," she concluded. "I believe someone may be trying to frame the Onmitsukidō, and by extension, myself. Alternatively, this could have been a rogue, overenthusiastic Onmitsukidō agent attempting to make certain that Aizen's influence over the Gotei 13 is no more. I shall perform an inspection on my troops in the morning."

Hitsugaya nodded in acknowledgment, watching as Soifon looked over the articles of clothing for something, even lightly sniffing it.

"There are no holes," she determined. "Nor is there a scent of poison upon it, though it's possible that any traces of poison would have been washed away. Considering that when put together, these fabrics cover the entire body, it is likely that the perpetrator took an advanced suicide pill."

"I had come to the same conclusion," Hitsugaya agreed, slightly impressed by Soifon's display of investigative skill.

Soifon frowned. "Suicide pills of this level are not available to most Shinigami. The Onmitsukidō have a stock commissioned from Kurotsuchi-taicho, but very few indeed have access to it. Please excuse me, Hitsugaya-taicho, I must check on them immediately."

The 10th Division taicho nodded swiftly, and Soifon picked up the faux-uniform and Shunpo-ed away. It was only after she was out of sight that she allowed herself a smirk. _Perfect._

Hitsugaya looked at the river, thoughts racing. _If it wasn't one of the Onmitsukidō… Kurotsuchi makes the suicide pill… But what Shinigami would do such a thing without his Zanpakutō? Whoever it was proved he or she was dedicated to killing Hinamori and only retreated once it was evident he would fail. But in such a case, it's counterproductive for a Shinigami to not bring his Zanpakutō, just in case. Unless it wasn't a Shinigami… But if it wasn't a Shinigami, then but maybe a… Mod-Soul in a gigai? _

That was a very troubling thought. All the Mod-Souls had been confiscated and destroyed, to the best of Soul Society's knowledge. The closest thing would be Nemu, Kurotsuchi's 'daughter' and fukutaicho, created from the combined technology of gigai and gikon. _Both Kurotsuchi and Urahara would have the ability to create a Mod-Soul that could emulate Shinigami Shunpo. And they could both devise a suicide pill capable of destroying the body and reiatsu. But why would one or both of them go after Hinamori? _

Hitsugaya shook his head and paced a few meters back and forth, trying to force his genius brain to get the answers like it always had. _What does Hinamori have that they don't? Think! What's changed that they would go after her now, rather than when there was perfect opportunity while all the taicho had left Soul Society? What's changed, Tōshirō? _

The taicho suddenly froze in place, his brain having clicked. _Aizen. She's the last known person that Aizen actively used an illusion on. Kurotsuchi and Urahara are both scientists… could one or both be trying to reverse engineer Kyōka Suigetsu? _

Without warning, Hitsugaya's brain flashed back to the recent meeting of the taicho…

_**Flashback**_

_"I could, ah, make some mental adjustments…" Kurotsuchi offered._

_**End Flashback**_

_Kurotsuchi NEVER simply offers his services unless he's interested in something! He usually has to be ordered by Yamamoto-sōtaicho! _Hitsugaya mentally snarled as anger and betrayal filled his being. "Kurotsuchi…!" he whispered, his voice trembling in rage, the hand holding Hyōrinmaru clenching as he struggled to keep his reiatsu from flaring and betraying his killing intent. Hitsugaya's Zanpakutō roared his support in its wielder's mind, thirsting to slay that which had brought such hot fires of anger and hate within Hitsugaya's Inner World.

Hitsugaya was a hair's breadth from accidentally entering Bankai. As it was, the river, grass and trees within a three meter radius around him had frozen solid. _I'll prove it was you, and kill you myself!

* * *

_Kyōraku Shunsui sighed as he lay on the grass under a tree near his division's barracks, looking up at the heavens. "The sky sure is pretty tonight," he commented quietly. "It's a nice night to think, and I could use all the extra help I can get right now."

"Perhaps you could bounce some ideas off me, Shunsui," Ukitake Jūshiro's voice offered, stepping into the clearing. Seeing Kyōraku's mild surprise, Ukitake smiled wryly at his old friend. "Shunsui, you've been going to this tree to think for decades. It wasn't hard to find you."

Kyōraku chuckled. "Well, if you're offering, Jūshiro… I'm trying to figure out how to deal with Tōsen and Gin. I want to at least give Gin back his taicho position – he only lost it because he figured the only way to beat Aizen was to stab him in the back, as we wouldn't believe it until Aizen did something against us. But if I don't punish him at all, the Central 46 will, and they're likely to execute him."

"Alright. What have you thought of so far for punishments you could live with?"

"Taking away his pay for a few years, temporarily removing some of his rights as taicho, binding his reiryoku for a while, putting him in some form of house arrest that would allow him to do his duties as a taicho but not much else…" Kyōraku listed. "Alone, each of them didn't sound like enough, but together, it seems like too much to put Gin through – he did what he felt he had to do. How can I punish him harshly for that?"

"Would execution be better?" Ukitake pointed out.

Kyōraku looked at his best friend sourly. "I hate it when you use logic while I'm having a moral crisis."

"Consider it comeuppance for not doing your own paperwork for Kami knows how long," Ukitake joked lightly. "Seriously though, I think you might actually be doing Gin a favor if you combine those punishments."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, it's not like anyone's going to trust him for a while," Ukitake reminded him. "Putting him under house arrest except to do his job would protect both him and those who would harass him."

"True…" Kyōraku murmured thoughtfully.

"Taking away his source of income for a year isn't exactly going to hurt him, especially if you bind his reiryoku. Those with lower power don't eat as much, especially when they are not doing very much, so combining those with the house arrest cancels out realistically, but politically it appears as though you're punishing him very thoroughly," Ukitake finished.

Kyōraku broke out into a broad smile. "Ah, what would I do without you?"

"Be buried in a pit dug for you by all your previous conquests, reciting bad poetry as they pile dirt on you," the white-haired taicho quipped instantly.

"Hey! I'll have you know my poetry is quite good!" Kyōraku protested, though the grin on his face betrayed his amusement. "It certainly helped me with the girls back in the Academy!"

"That it did," Ukitake admitted. "So, Gin is taken care of. What are your thoughts for Tōsen?"

"Well, there are three big issues," the easygoing acting sōtaicho replied. "First, Tōsen did betray us all for his own goals, which were decidedly anti-Soul Society. Secondly, Tōsen went so far as to seek and gain the forbidden Hollow powers. But thirdly, Komamura-taicho has asked for leniency and has given his word that while Tōsen does despise the Central 46, he understands that times are changing and so too will our government. I'm inclined to grant Komamura's request, mostly because while Tōsen does have his share of the blame, it was our government that drove him to it."

"Having Tōsen with us will certainly bring the truth out to the Central 46 that simply having Hollow powers does not make them Hollows," Ukitake conceded. "But there's something more to it, isn't there?"

Kyōraku sighed again. "Jūshiro, you know the Kurosaki kid better than I do. Do you honestly think he'll attack Soul Society?"

"Not unless he's provoked," Ukitake answered easily.

"And that's just it. Once the Central 46 convenes, don't you think they're going to be scared shitless by the idea of a Vizard of Ichigo's power, especially since he can't be sensed if he doesn't want to be?"

"Of course."

"They'll inquire about Ichigo's loyalty, and as soon as it comes out that he was taught by exiles, has Arrancar and Vizard friends, and has 'subverted' our own forces into being loyal to him first…"

Ukitake paled, immediately getting the implications. "The Central 46 would think he was gathering an army, and put us at war with him!"

"Bingo. If we were lucky, the least he would do is pull an Aizen and slaughter all of them." There was no humor in Kyōraku's normally playful expression as he looked Ukitake straight in the eyes. "So I'm trying to avoid that, just as hard as I can. Kurosaki's allies would not look nearly so bad if he were part of Soul Society; we could spin it as Soul Society spies in external circles or something. That's my other big reason for letting Tōsen regain his position: there's another chance of getting that last taicho approval for making Kurosaki a part-time taicho. But if that doesn't work, there's more than one way to do it. So I'm going to the living world tomorrow to persuade Kurosaki to take the Taicho Proficiency Test. Hopefully he listens to reason… If he agrees, I'm going to send Nanao-chan to him to teach him what he needs to know so he can pass, before the Central 46 convenes. Even if he fails, then it would still go a long way."

"What can I do to help?" Ukitake asked seriously.

"Aside from finding a way to abolish the Central 46?" Kyōraku clarified. "Figure out a plausible reason for Ichigo not being technically a part of the Gotei 13, just in case. Or create a crisis that extends our martial law a little longer so we can find a way out of this mess."

* * *

Stepping through a Garganta that opened above his house, Ichigo removed his Gillian mask and sighed tiredly. He'd left his orders that no Hollow of any Menos class – Gillian, Adjuchas, or Vasto Lorde – were to enter Karakura Town unless it were a dire emergency and his presence was needed. Anything needed in the meantime was to be handled through Ulquiorra, Nel, Starrk and Harribel, who would contact him if necessary.

Ichigo planned to make weekly visits to check on things for the time being – he was rather interested in how Starrk was going to convert Las Noches into a Hollow Sanctuary. But right now, the Vizard just wanted to sleep. He'd woken up as Kurosaki Ichigo, Transcendent Vizard, and had somehow ended up as King of Hueco Mundo. _What next? _Ichigo mused humorlessly. _Spirit King? _

_Perhaps in time. _

_**I think he was kidding, Zangetsu. **_

_But I was not. We are far stronger, far more evolved than any Shinigami , Hollow, Vizard or Arrancar we have witnessed thus far. We defeated Aizen, whose ambition was to take the Spirit King's place. Are we not closer than any other being in existence? _

Ichigo groaned, climbing in through his window and reentering his comatose body on the bed. _That _particular discussion could wait for another night – Ichigo had too many problems in the present to focus on the future just yet. Before he closed his eyes to succumb to sleep, however, he turned his head upwards and gave a fervent plea to any deity listening. _Please, please, let tomorrow be dull and have nothing to do with spiritual matters. _

_**You do know that's probably not gonna happen, right? **_

Ichigo sighed again as he rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. _Yeah. I know. _

He felt Cazador shift a bit, as though coming to a decision. _**Alright, listen up. You've been a kickass King, Ichigo, so let me give you a little advice. **_

Ichigo said nothing, but Cazador knew he had the Vizard's attention.

_**You're too wary of letting your guard slip to enjoy being alone. Spend your time with those ya trust to watch your back for you.**_

Strangely enough, that made a level of sense to Ichigo. His problem was that he was physically on the edge all the time, ready for combat on a moment's notice. Since Ichigo was having difficulty finding relaxation alone, perhaps he would have better luck in a friendly game with his friends. _Huh. Thanks, Cazador. I'll look into that. _Ichigo got an impression of Cazador smirking at him, but the Vizard ignored his Inner Hollow in favor of finally getting some sleep.

A dimension away, Kurotsuchi Mayuri grinned widely at the monitor in front of him in the 12th Division. "How interesting..."

* * *

I wasn't really happy with how this chapter turned out - I was technically finished on Sunday, but made little changes here and there until now. I still don't quite like it, but it's the best I could do for the time being.

So, Ichigo only had to fight once, and didn't get a chance to eat the Vasto Lorde. But he DID use Resurreccion again, and he has gotten a lot better at using the power he has, so he didn't need to undo his seals. And now he's King of Hueco Mundo. That was quick.

The main part of this chapter, though, was showing how easy it is to mislead those emotionally close to a victim. Hitsugaya is now convinced that Kurotsuchi is out to get Hinamori, and here's why: Soifon "proved" that it wasn't part of her Onmitsukido. That forced Hitsugaya to think about who else it could be, and taking into account a personal distrust, plus knowledge of the man's capabilities and lack of morals, plus his acting more agreeable due to having just acquired a large part of an Espada's lab... Well, it's really not hard to point the attention to someone who you already distrust.

Unohana reveals a bit more of why she wants so badly to help Hinamori - to be fair, Aizen has really fucked with Hinamori's head, to the point where Hinamori would very likely revolt in Aizen's name if she is exposed to Soul Society's general feelings about Aizen's demise. This is like a combination of mind-rape and Stockholm syndrome. I think Unohana would sympathize with this. Also, Hinamori was in Unohana's care for quite some time while attempting to get over Aizen's initial betrayal. I think they would have grown close.

Kyoraku struggles with his acting sotaicho position and turns to Ukitake for help, and they devise a way to play the system for everyone's benefit. But now it's a race to see who will convince Ichigo - will Hitsugaya convince Ichigo not to become taicho if/when Tosen regains his position and gives his recommendation? Or will Kyoraku talk him into taking the Taicho Proficiency Test?

And what will happen when Kurotsuchi reveals what he's seen?


	36. Leadership

You would not BELIEVE how quickly this chapter just flowed right out of my fingers. Or maybe you would, seeing as it's up in less than 4 days after my last one. Hopefully it's as good as ever; I'll looked it over three times already, and it's a bit longer than usual, but I don't really see anything wrong.

So, first up, review replies!

TD Master - Madarame Ikkaku has Bankai, but does NOT want to leave Kenpachi's Division. Renji might be amenable to it, but he needs more training, and preferably a bit more maturity. Regarding Hinamori possibly transferring, she would displace another fukutaicho, who would then have to deal with the unfamiliar 5th Division all by him/herself since no one knows if Ichigo will accept the captaincy. Not a very good idea.

Fiori75 - I'm afraid I will not be updating the Worldly Series for the foreseeable future. I have lost interest, motivation, plot, and all hope of developing Harry's character any further.

Zaralann/Writing bunny - Hitsugaya isn't trained in investigations, and Soifon made it perfectly clear she didn't do it by the whole "There are no holes." No holes meaning no weapon. No weapon meaning no Suzumebachi, which is the only way Soifon could have destroyed the entire body subtly.

Bonar - It's a Bankai, and Gin's a taicho. Since we've seen him in canon wield the damn thing at full length, I think he could hold it steady, or close to it. It doesn't even have to be perfectly steady, he could just slash Ichigo from a distance if he wasn't expecting it.

And to anyone that's listening, I'm getting a bit desperate. Does anyone know where I can see the full Bleach Hell Chapter movie, subtitled or in raw, I don't care. I'm trying to get an image of layout of the land, basic character traits, and assorted other information for upcoming chapters and I don't get enough information from the trailers. Yes, that is a confirmation that I'm integrating the Hell Movie with my fic. I know the official subtitles are in August, but does anyone really want me to wait another five months to get to that arc? At one chapter a week that's about 22 weeks. Potentially 22 more chapters. And now I'm intimidating myself. I need to get my mind off that.

New terms!

Mirror Door - this is a special Barrier. It creates a glass-like transparent barrier that is very difficult to break from outside, and very easy to break from the inside. This was originally used by Hitsugaya to protect Hinamori.

Now let's get to the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 36: Leadership

The morning following the incident, Unohana was exhausted – three times Gin had been almost stable, and three times his vitals had plummeted the instant she began to think he was out of danger. Gin's reiryoku had been overstressed and unstable due to Gin's forced use of Bankai with a life-threatening injury, and he'd essentially repeated the feat, this time with Shikai. A compounded reiryoku injury was extremely difficult to treat, as conventional healing Kidō restored the patient's reiryoku and worked with it to heal the body. As reiryoku was quite literally a Shinigami's life force, such a method typically worked astoundingly well in keeping the patient alive while addressing the wound.

But this time, the wound was not to Gin's body, but to his reiryoku itself. He'd overstressed his power, and it was beginning to fail to maintain his vital functions. Unohana had had to use her own reiatsu and manually keep Gin alive until her fukutaicho, Kotetsu Isane, had arrived to do the same, leaving Unohana able to perform the delicate procedure. It was difficult, very difficult, to guide someone else's power into a healing state, and there were several ways it could go horribly wrong.

But Unohana had had centuries to perfect her healing prowess, and so when she left the operating room that morning, she was tired but triumphant; Gin would survive. Just to be sure he would not risk compounding his condition another time over, Unohana had also put him into a medical coma that would last for the next several days unless removed prematurely.

The next pressing issue was Hinamori. It was clearly apparent that her life was truly in danger, by Kurosaki Ichigo or by some unknown entity was unclear, but in either case additional precautions were warranted. Though Unohana was still certain that Kurosaki and his group were not behind the assassination attempt, a sliver of doubt had wriggled its way into her mind: _Was Hinamori-chan right? Is Kurosaki after her? _She resolved to speak with Hitsugaya-taicho at the earliest opportunity and determine what he had discovered.

In the meantime, she needed to arrange better protection. Whoever it was had apparently effortlessly surprised and knocked out Hisagi-fukutaicho, and would have succeeded in killing Hinamori-chan had Gin-san not performed his self-mutilating act of protection. But considering that it was simply not practical to have a taicho guarding her full time – Tōsen was an exception, as with his Hollow powers and taicho-level abilities, it was simply asking for trouble to not place a high-level guard – the protections would have to be based in Kidō. For now, however, Unohana could not afford to leave Hinamori alone.

"Isane-chan."

"Hai, taicho?" the fukutaicho responded instantly. Kotetsu Isane was tired as well, but she was also aware that there were many things that had to be done before she could rest.

"Please contact the 11th Division to set up a guard rotation around Hinamori-chan's room, and prepare a Mirror Door inside to prevent any further unwanted intrusions."

"Hai!"

At the same time, Kyōraku was quickly making his way to the Senkaimon; he wanted to catch Ichigo quickly – there was precious little time before the Central 46 would reconvene. He'd woken painfully early, much to his Nanao-chan's stunned astonishment, already visited the 12th Division and had his limiter seal applied and a gigai procured.

Strangely though, Kyōraku found himself somewhat apprehensive. His upcoming conversation with the Substitute Shinigami would shape events to come for some time; this he was well aware of. He'd spent the necessary wait time at the 12th Division planning how he would broach the subject, but the taicho had found himself unable to figure out a way to make it work. _We'll get to it, _Kyōraku reassured himself. _Just some small talk, maybe over some tea or sake, and everything will fall into place. I just hope the Central 46 doesn't find out I'm doing this, or it could make things very complicated. _

If the Central 46 discovered the lengths Kyōraku was going to at this moment, it would severely hamper any argument they could make that Ichigo wasn't a threat. Kyōraku, as acting sōtaicho, by all rights should have simply summoned Ichigo to Soul Society if Ichigo were a respectable member of the Gotei 13. To instead go out of his way to meet the Vizard on his own turf was indicative of the opposite, that Ichigo was on par or superior to Kyōraku in status. _Every little thing is about status to those nobles, _Kyōraku grumbled with a sigh.

But it was unfortunately the truth – Ichigo, for better or for worse, could be considered the ruler of Karakura Town, spiritually speaking. No one knew whether Soul Society could or would even attempt to enforce anything if Ichigo put his foot down, especially with his transcendent strength. Worse still, as Hitsugaya-taicho had pointed out during their meeting the other night, Ichigo had several perfectly valid reasons to hate Soul Society. What it came down to, was that the two of them would be discussing relations between Soul Society and Ichigo's group.

Kyōraku stopped in front of the giant double-doors that marked the gateway between worlds. "Open the Senkaimon."

The Shinigami stationed there saluted sharply and began doing as ordered. A Jigukuchō was presented to Kyōraku, and he nodded silently. The Jigukuchō would allow him to go directly to the living world without having to make his way through the Dangai.

Several minutes later, Kyōraku stepped through the Senkaimon in the living world, the butterfly fluttering away. Taking a moment to attempt to sense Ichigo's reiatsu, he was pleasantly surprised to find that he could in fact locate it. _Perhaps keeping his reiatsu in a transcended state is mentally draining? _the acting sōtaicho theorized while entering his gigai.

When he was finished, Kyōraku stretched his legs and arms, acclimating to his new body. He was dressed in black slacks and a long-sleeved button-up light blue shirt, with a dark navy blue jacket over it, left open. He had forgone a hat this time on the 12th Division's suggestion, so instead a long, colorful scarf adorned his neck, with reds and yellows as the prominent hues.

Fully adjusted, Kyōraku set off at a brisk walk.

* * *

Ichigo was just finishing breakfast with the rest of his family when he sensed a familiar presence heading his way. But it was not so familiar that he knew who it was immediately… Nor if they were friendly or otherwise. It was a Shinigami, that was for certain, but Ichigo couldn't tell anything else. He sighed. _Of course, I can't get a single day to myself without SOMETHING spiritual. _

_**Might as well get used to it, Ichigo. I don't think that's ever gonna change. **_

Ichigo gave a mental glare at his Hollow half before getting up from the table, turning to face the doorway. "Thanks for breakfast, Yuzu."

His little sister smiled warmly. "I'm glad you liked it, Ichi-nii." Then she saw Ichigo's expression. "Is something wrong?"

Ichigo's eyes didn't leave the door. "Just an unwanted visitor coming our way. Stay inside for another few minutes."

"Is it… a Hollow?" Yuzu whispered.

The Vizard suddenly realized that he was accidentally scaring his sister. "No. It's one of the good guys, the Shinigami."

"Then why is the Shinigami unwanted?"

Ichigo blinked; Yuzu was still too young and too naïve to understand all the nuances of complicated relationships. He was about to open his mouth, but Karin interrupted with a half-bored, half-irritated expression on her face, her eyes closed as if trying to ward off stupidity. "Yuzu, the Shinigami is coming to see Ichigo, meaning that something stupid has happened or is going to happen and they probably want help." She opened one eye and gave her fraternal twin a "You should already know this" look. "So while the Shinigami is a good guy, Ichigo doesn't want him visiting because that means more trouble."

"Oooooh," Yuzu acknowledged, nodding her head. "Stay out of trouble, Ichi-nii!"

"I'll try," Ichigo agreed, impressed at how Karin had succinctly explained the basics of his working relationship with most of the Shinigami forces in a way that Yuzu could work with. He headed for the door, picking up his schoolbag and slinging it over his shoulder. "See ya later."

"Have a good day, Ichi-nii!"

Karin merely waved an acknowledgment, but Ichigo knew she wished him well too. As soon as he had left the house, Ichigo's expression changed as he put on his typical scowl, eyes serious. He was half-tempted to simply put his reiatsu in its transcended state and evade the Shinigami for the rest of the day, but Ichigo knew he would have to deal with them at some point.

Instead, Ichigo began walking towards the presence. Several minutes later, he spotted the Shinigami in question, though he was hard to recognize without his pink haori and straw hat. "Kyōraku-taicho."

"Kurosaki-san," Kyōraku greeted warmly, before his voice lowered. "I apologize for interrupting what must be a busy schedule, but this is rather urgent. Is there someplace we can sit and talk privately? I expect our conversation may take some time."

"Ah." Ichigo thought quickly, momentarily lamenting how his teacher was going to kill him for skipping school again. _Then again… _"Follow me."

Ichigo led the Shinigami taicho back to his home and asked him to wait momentarily. Quickly going up to his room and opening the closet, Ichigo was entirely unsurprised to see a sleeping lion plush atop Rukia's mattress. He poked him in the eye.

"Ow! Ichigo, what the…!" Kon shut up immediately upon seeing how serious Ichigo was.

"Kon, I need you to go to school for me today. No crazy antics this time," he warned.

"Fine, but I expect to see Rukia soon!"

Ichigo gently pressed his Shinigami badge against the plush, popping out the green pill form of the Mod-Soul, and then quickly tossed it into his own mouth. A moment later, he emerged from his body in his soul form, with Kon in control of his body.

Before the Substitute could open his mouth to threaten Kon with what he would do if the Mod-Soul misbehaved, Kon merely sighed and waved his hand. "I know, I know. If I do something that gets you in trouble, I get the Bostov treatment again. See ya, Ichigo!" With that, the Mod-Soul leapt out the window, closely followed by Ichigo himself.

"Sorry about the wait," Ichigo apologized to Kyōraku as Kon ran to school. "I don't normally have much use for my gikongan, so I don't bother to keep him around."

"It's no problem," Kyōraku waved away easily. "I understand entirely."

"I'm afraid I don't have a private office or anything like that, but my home and Inoue's home have become the traditional meeting places for when we need to work with Soul Society," Ichigo explained as he opened the door to his home again. "We should have enough privacy here." _Not to mention, I am NOT showing him the Vizard warehouse, and I think he might have a problem with Urahara's shop. _

As fortune would have it, Yuzu and Karin had left for school before Ichigo and Kyōraku had arrived, and Isshin was already busy in the clinic, leaving the Vizard and Shinigami to meet in private. Ichigo moved into the kitchen to heat the kettle for some tea, and then sat across from Kyōraku at the table. "So, why are you here?" Ichigo asked directly, hoping to get to the point. "If something happened, Soul Society normally sends Renji or Rukia. The way I understand it, you're one of the most respected and senior taicho, so why are you here in person?"

Kyōraku was taken aback by Ichigo's abrupt directness, but took it as an opportunity to speak candidly. "The reason I'm the one here, rather than Abarai Renji or Kuchiki Rukia, is due to the situation at hand. There is what many would consider a problem, and unfortunately for all sides concerned, the many are Soul Society's government. That problem, is you."

The Vizard narrowed his eyes. "And just how is that?"

Kyōraku coughed politely, hiding his discomfort about Ichigo's suddenly intimidating expression. "Ah, what do you know about Soul Society's government?"

"There is the Gotei 13, made up 13 Divisions, all of which have taicho, and they all answer to the sōtaicho. There's a Kidō Corps, and the Onmitsukidō, which I don't know anything about. I know that everyone obeys a group of people called the Central 46, who supposedly got their authority directly from the Spirit King according to Aizen. The Central 46 attempted to kill the Vizard one hundred years ago when they accidentally gained Hollow powers, and were killed by Aizen so he could try to execute Rukia by Sōkyoku," Ichigo summarized.

The acting sōtaicho nodded. "As you've probably surmised by now, the previous Central 46 was a group of xenophobes who had grown secure in their power and could not move with the times. In all honesty, Aizen probably did us a favor when he killed them, but don't tell anyone I said that."

Ichigo snorted in amusement and nodded. Just then, the kettle rang, and Ichigo rose to pour them some tea. When he'd sat down again, he resumed where they'd left off. "You were saying, about the Central 46?"

"Yes." Kyōraku sipped his tea, thinking how to best describe the situation. "While Aizen was a threat, the Gotei 13 took over control of Soul Society. But now that Aizen is dead, we have to put our affairs in order and give control back to the new Central 46. But, given the history of the Central 46…"

"You're worried they'll overreact to hearing about me," Ichigo stated bluntly, setting down his own tea. "Shinigami with Hollow powers, strong enough to kill Aizen when none of the rest of you could. If they're even close to as xenophobic or power-hungry as their predecessors, then they would order you to execute me by any means necessary, wouldn't they?"

"Sadly, yes," Kyōraku agreed. "Kurosaki-san, you have many supporters in Soul Society, amongst nobles and taicho and officers alike. The Vizard are your allies, and you have friends in Hueco Mundo as well as your group of empowered humans. To put it bluntly, politically it looks like you're gathering an army, and that scares a lot of people. You're simply too strong, and it's unreasonable and frankly impossible for us to seal your power away, since you've transcended our understanding."

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't have some solution," Ichigo observed with narrowed eyes.

"We need a way for you to appear as though you're loyal to Soul Society," Kyōraku explained. "It increases the chances of the Central 46 being lenient as they'll see your supporters as to their benefit."

"Get to the point."

"As you wish." Kyōraku set down his tea and looked his companion directly in the eyes. "I want you to become taicho of the 5th Division."

Ichigo stared at the taicho disbelievingly. "You can't be serious."

"I am very serious, Kurosaki-san. If the Central 46 gives the order to have you killed, many of the Gotei 13 will rebel. Others will not and would stop at nothing to have you killed. Soul Society and Karakura would become a battlefield. Having just fought a war, Kurosaki-san, are you really so eager to enter another?"

"I should be asking you the same question," Ichigo said dangerously. "Is Soul Society really so eager as to challenge someone whose power is beyond their comprehension, with an army at his back? I will not tolerate a threat to my home!"

"Of course not, and no one expects you to," Kyōraku denied quickly, carefully watching Ichigo's eyes. Black tendrils were beginning to creep along his left eye, overtaking the normal white. _He's angry, and defensive. But I have to make him understand! _"But we answer to the Central 46, and they do not understand the horror of war, nor do I think they will understand that you do not pose a threat to _our _home."

Closing his eyes, Ichigo took a deep, calming breath and forced himself to relax in his chair. After another few moments, he decided what his next question should be. He opened his eyes, and Kyōraku was relieved that they were back to normal. "Why not just abolish the Central 46? You've been doing fine without them, right?"

"It's a question I've considered myself," the acting sōtaicho concurred, glad that the topic had strayed away from war. He took another sip of tea before continuing. "The problem is that we have to be legal about it if we want to maintain our benevolent image, which is necessary for us to continually gain new recruits through the Rukongai. I have Ukitake-taicho looking into it right now, but I do not expect much."

They sat in silence for a minute, drinking their tea pensively.

"Are there really no other options?" Ichigo finally questioned.

"None that I could think of," Kyōraku admitted. "Not outside you attending the Shinigami Academy, and quite frankly, that would be rather pointless. If a noble family adopted you, that would be something, but I have no influence with them." He set his tea down again. "Kurosaki-san, you seem very opposed to my offer. May I ask why that is?"

Now it was Ichigo's turn to delay for time as he took another sip. "I disagree with Soul Society's policies," he finally said. "In the short year that I've been involved in spiritual events, I've learned the fate of any being who doesn't subscribe to Soul Society's definition of normal. The Vizard were to be executed but were instead exiled thanks to Urahara and Yoruichi. The Quincy were massacred to almost the last man because their leaders were much the same as your Central 46's: stubborn and foolish, according to Ishida. The Bount and Mod-Souls were sentient beings created by Soul Society, but they too were killed without mercy for no fault of their own. I was given power by Rukia to protect my family, and in return I am cut down by Byakuya and left to die." Ichigo shook his head. "I don't want to be chained to the will of people who are unwilling to see things from another perspective.

"Another problem is that I have no guarantee that what happened to the Vizard won't also happen to me," Ichigo continued. "If I work in Soul Society, it becomes that much easier to end my life. Here in Karakura, there are very few Shinigami and I am familiar with every one of them.

"But if I had to sum it up in one phrase, it would be 'I don't trust you.'"

"I see," Kyōraku murmured. And he truly did. _I don't really trust the Central 46 either. _But then, he got a wicked idea from what Ichigo had said. He began to smile. "Then let's cheat."

"Huh?" Ichigo blurted, confused.

"If there is anything my Zanpakutō has taught me, it is that there is always a chance to cheat, to play the loopholes," Kyōraku stated with a smirk. "The Central 46 will find out one way or another that you have Hollow powers. We can't avoid that. We also can't choose who will be in the Central 46, nor can we unduly influence their positions. But right now, the Gotei 13 still has control of Soul Society. It's our move. So instead of trying to pacify them, let's silence them."

"What? How do you plan to do that?" Despite himself, Ichigo was interested.

Kyōraku's smirk just grew bigger. _This is going to be fun. _"We change the rules."

* * *

Hitsugaya was hard at work with more paperwork when he heard a knock on the door. Looking up and privately glad for the distraction, he set the papers he was working on aside. "Come in."

Soifon stepped in quickly and confidently. "I just felt you should know that I have performed my inspection; none of my Onmitsukidō is unaccounted for. I am continuing the investigation, but as you were first on the scene, do you have any information that could be of use?"

Hitsugaya shook his head, his face stony. "The only information I have that you may not know is that the perpetrator did not carry his Zanpakutō. I'm sure you are already aware that Gin held the assassin back at great harm to himself."

The assassin nodded; she was well aware. "My sources reported that to me as well. I will consult Kurotsuchi-taicho to determine who else has access to high-level suicide pills." She swept out the door before Hitsugaya could say anything more.

The ice-user sighed and looked at his paperwork. Soifon's visit had reawakened the emotions of the previous night to a lesser degree, but Hitsugaya knew he couldn't continue his work. _I won't be able to focus. I should see Hinamori… See how she is. And tell Unohana-taicho what happened last night, in any case. _

He stood and quietly left, taking his time on his walk to the 4th Division so he could cool his head a little. _I'll drop by the 12__th__ Division later so I can get my seal and gigai to go talk to Kurosaki… _

Several minutes later, Hitsugaya entered the 4th Division barracks, and immediately spotted one of the people he wanted to speak with. "Unohana-taicho!"

The head healer turned towards him and Hitsugaya found himself in a private room almost before he could blink. "What happened last night?" she asked quickly.

"The assassin committed suicide before I could reach him, using a pill that dissolved his body entirely," Hitsugaya informed. "Soifon is interrogating Kurotsuchi to determine who all has access to them. How's Gin?"

Unohana sighed heavily. "He'll pull through, but I had to put him in an induced healing coma, and it's too risky to wake him for more details."

"Does Hinamori know what happened?"

Unohana shook her head negatively. "No, I felt the knowledge would only hinder her recovery process, especially as she fears Kurosaki-san coming to claim her."

"Right," Hitsugaya murmured, but now his thoughts were taking a different turn. _Would Kurosaki have an idea of who would be doing this? _It was a strange idea, but Kurosaki had a variety of friends in strange places. _Vizard, Arrancar, Urahara and Yoruichi… Perhaps he's heard something, or one of his friends has a useful ability that could help. _S_omething else to ask him when I talk to him today. _

"Hitsugaya-taicho?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry," the diminutive taicho apologized. "Just had a thought that I should look into later. Is it possible for me to see Hinamori now?"

Unohana gave him a sympathetic look. _He looks entirely too young to be shouldering such burdens. But he's proven himself up to the challenge quite admirably. _"Yes, follow me." As they were walking towards Hinamori's room, she spoke quietly to her comrade. "Remember, Hitsugaya-taicho… try to avoid the sensitive topics, and make sure she knows you're her friend and still support her."

Hitsugaya nodded, his throat dry as they approached the guards in front of Hinamori's room. Passing through and entering the room itself, Hitsugaya was unsurprised to see a Mirror Door set up.

"Shiro-chan!" Hinamori cried in pleasant surprise, seeing her old friend and standing up.

"It's Hitsugaya-taicho," Hitsugaya grumbled good-naturedly.

"I'll leave you two alone," Unohana suggested, and left a moment later.

Hitsugaya sat down in the chair available to him. "Momo… are you ok?" It was the first time he'd used her given name in a long time, but he had really worried about her.

Hinamori smiled. "I'm fine, Shiro-chan. I'm all better, see?" She stretched exaggeratedly, popping a few joints. "Unohana-taicho told me you'd tried to see me a couple of times. Sorry I wasn't awake."

"It's alright," the white-haired taicho reassured his best friend. "You needed to heal."

"Shiro-chan? Do you know why Unohana-taicho put up a Mirror Door?" Hinamori asked concernedly. "Did something happen?"

"She told me that you were afraid that Kurosaki was going to come get you," Hitsugaya related. "The Mirror Door is probably for your benefit – Kurosaki has almost no experience in Kidō, and the amount of power he'd need to break it would be easy to detect and intercept, so it's the perfect defense." Nothing he'd said was a lie – the Mirror Door _was _for her benefit, and it was a good defense against Kurosaki. But he still felt a twinge of guilt for omitting the attempt on her life last night.

"Ah, that does make me feel better," Hinamori admitted. "So, what's new?"

"Well, Matsumoto actually did all of her paperwork for a change the other night…"

Hinamori gasped aloud. "Really?"

"I was pretty surprised too…" Hitsugaya agreed, drawing her into the intrigue and away from troubling topics. "… I've been thinking about it but I can't come up with any good ideas on what changed. I really need to know so I know whether it was a one-time thing or if she's finally being a little responsible. Can you think of anything that it could be?"

"Well…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Soifon was talking to Kurotsuchi-taicho, who seemed rather disinterested. "I need to know who has access to those suicide pills!"

"Which suicide pills?" Mayuri asked dispassionately, still staring at his computer screen.

"The body-disintegrating type."

"You'll need to be a little more specific…"

Soifon couldn't believe the man was being so unhelpful. And when she thought about it, she felt a wave of disgust for the scientist – he'd created more than one type of body-disintegrating suicide pills?

"Well, I don't have any more specifics," Soifon snapped. "All I know is that the man's body was completely disintegrated, with his clothes left in a river…"

"Ah, the clothes were left untouched? One of the earlier versions, then," Mayuri decided. "Nemu!"

"Hai?" the quiet girl responded emotionlessly.

"Fetch the records for who has access to our suicide pills, types 1076 to 1312."

"Hai, taicho." She left the room immediately.

_Two hundred and thirty-seven types of body-disintegrating suicide pills? _Soifon thought in disbelief. _ And he knows them well enough to simply spout the numbers? _

"Now then, Soifon-taicho… I do believe I have information you would be interested in hearing," Mayuri brought up with a smile, finally turning from his monitor. "It appears that Kurosaki Ichigo left the living world for a few hours last night by way of Garganta."

"Hardly surprising. He was probably visiting the Arrancar who worked with us against Aizen," Soifon replied, completely uninterested. She'd anticipated that happening sooner or later.

"There is more, however. In the aftermath of the fight with Aizen, there is a great deal of leftover reiryoku in the air of Karakura. Accordingly, there had been a few Gillian appearances in Karakura, which were promptly taken care of. However, not _one _Menos-class Hollow has appeared since Kurosaki left."

_That _caught Soifon's interest. "Do you think perhaps he went on a hunting mission?"

"It's possible. Probable, even," Mayuri assessed. "I'm curious what happens if a Vizard eats Hollows like they do… I also want to know whether he prefers eating them or simply purifying them like any other Shinigami. Next time you spy on him, let me know and I'll give you a monitoring device for you to subtly plant."

"Very well." Inwardly, Soifon was quite pleasantly surprised. "You've found something that works even if his reiatsu is in its transcended state?"

"I won't know for certain until it is tested, but I have my confidence that it will work," Mayuri said confidently, turning back to the monitor. "In the meantime, there is something very interesting going on that I really must attend to. Nemu! Where are those records?"

"Right here, sir."

Soifon almost jumped – Nemu might very well have been an assassin herself, the way she'd snuck up on them. _Then again, _she mused, _that was probably the intent. Kurotsuchi wanted an assistant who would blend into the background when he didn't want her, and would be able to take care of whatever he needed done without complaint. _

"Give them to Soifon-taicho, and then go have a look at our experiments, see if there are any unplanned changes. I am going to be quite busy for some time."

"Hai." Nemu quietly gave Soifon-taicho the records before walking off, just as silently as before.

"Just what exactly is so terribly interesting?" Soifon couldn't help but ask, seeing Mayuri's devoted expression.

"Oh, nothing you'd be concerned about. It appears that Hell is moving closer to the living world and Hueco Mundo, which is unusual enough to be interesting. That doesn't happen unless there has been a large influx of Hell-bound souls… I'm busy calculating the possible effects on the other known dimensions."

"Could the residents of Hell make their way into the living world?" Soifon asked.

"While I imagine there must be a way, there's been no recorded case of that ever happening, so the chances are slim," Mayuri answered in a bored voice. "I suppose a Shinigami could enter Hell and return with one of them, but not only is it forbidden to enter Hell, all the records on how to do so have been destroyed to prevent the attempt. Only the sōtaicho knows how, just in case, and I have yet to convince him to share the secret. A shame, too, I would so like to run some experiments on them…" His eyes lit up. "Oh, perhaps this latest development will help persuade him! I will need more data…." Mayuri never noticed that Soifon had already left.

_That's interesting indeed, Kurotsuchi… _Soifon thought to herself. _That's an option I didn't know existed earlier… If Kurosaki threatens Soul Society, then perhaps I can persuade Yamamoto-sōtaicho to reveal how to open the gates of Hell, and simply trap Kurosaki in there. That would be far simpler, and probably less risky, than using his mother as blackmail for any length of time._

"_I swear I will come at you with all of my power!" _

Soifon shivered at the haunting memory of Kurosaki's pledge. _Of course, it would still be far better to have Kurosaki working for Soul Society… If only I can get Hinamori out of the way… _She stopped cold in her tracks, narrowing her eyes. _Hinamori doesn't need to die… just be rendered powerless until she's ready to work with the rest of Soul Society again. The Maggot's Nest would work well, but she's well-known and of high rank, and the Nest isn't meant to be common knowledge. In the next meeting I'll suggest binding her powers until such time as she can work with Kurosaki. _

She decided that would be her primary plan for the time being, though she would not neglect her backup plans, just in case.

* * *

Hitsugaya stood, feeling much better about the day – Hinamori had brightened his spirits considerably. And, much to his surprise, she hadn't once mentioned Aizen or Kurosaki after the initial question. "I'm sorry to go, Momo, but…"

"Yeah, I know," Hinamori agreed. "Duty calls?"

"It always does. I'll try to come by tonight after dinner, if that's alright?"

"Sure! I'm always glad to see you, Shiro-chan!"

Hitsugaya gave her an exasperated look. "How many times do I have to tell you, it's Hitsugaya-taicho!"

"You'll always be my Shiro-chan, Hitsugaya-kun," Hinamori said quietly.

The icy taicho melted a little. "Yeah, I know, Momo… I'll always be your 'Shiro-chan' just like you'll always be my first and best friend." They shared a quiet smile, remembering their days as children, before the Shinigami Academy. "Alright. I'll see you tonight, Hinamori-fukutaicho."

"I look forward to it, Hitsugaya-taicho," Hinamori chirped.

As soon as Hitsugaya closed the door, Hinamori slumped onto her bed, her smile fading. She'd really enjoyed her time with her childhood friend, but as soon as he was gone, the ache was back. _Aizen-taicho… Why did you have to die? _

The door opened unexpectedly, and Hinamori was unable to hide her emotions by the time Unohana stepped inside. "Good morning, Hinamori-chan," she greeted warmly. Seeing the expression on her patient's face, her smile wavered a little. "Did you not enjoy your time with Hitsugaya-taicho? I can keep him out if you'd prefer."

"No!" Hinamori blurted, then shrunk in on herself. "No, please. I like talking with him."

"Then what's wrong?" Unohana pressed gently.

"I'm… just missing Aizen-taicho," Hinamori admitted. "Why did he have to die, Unohana-taicho? Why couldn't we have just found a way to make peace? Why did Soul Society let Kurosaki kill him?"

Unohana hadn't expected to come across this question for some time, so it was a bit of a surprise to hear it so soon. "There are a few reasons for it," she began as gently as she could. "You will not like what I have to say, but I promise you that I speak only the truth as I know it."

"I know, Unohana-taicho," Hinamori acknowledged. "You're one of the most truthful people I know."

"Then trust me, and hear me out before speaking, alright?" Hinamori nodded. "Thank you. Aizen died because he made some very poor choices, and because he attempted to sacrifice the people Kurosaki Ichigo had sworn to protect. I understand Aizen even kidnapped and threatened to kill Kurosaki-san's mother in front of him."

Hinamori gasped, but said nothing yet. _That… that can't be! No way would Aizen-taicho do that! _

"Every report, from every taicho and fukutaicho available at the time, confirm this," Unohana went on quietly. "That was a very poor decision of Aizen's part; if he had not done that, then I feel it could have just as easily ended with him being taken capture, rather than killed. But Aizen made it extremely personal to Kurosaki-san. Can you say that if someone had threatened your family, you would not do the same? Do you not feel the same way towards Kurosaki-san right now? If you had had the opportunity last night, would you not have struck him down as surely as he did Aizen?"

Hinamori could say nothing, but the silence spoke volumes. Unohana nodded, seeing she understood. "If Aizen had targeted another town, another group of people, someone else, I'm not sure if Kurosaki-san would have killed Aizen. We may never know.

"Why did Soul Society let Kurosaki-san kill Aizen? The reason for that lies in the deeds Aizen performed before his public betrayal. Aizen admitted to you, and you have told me, that he killed a great many people when trying to finalize his Hōgyoku, and even more when experimenting with Hollowification. He also killed the Central 46, and attempted to murder Kuchiki Rukia. Such things are expressly forbidden, and so Aizen committed treason. If it had been anyone else, say, Kurotsuchi-taicho who had done such things, would you have argued against killing him for treason?"

Hinamori swallowed hard. "No… but Aizen had a higher purpose in mind!" Hinamori argued.

"Perhaps, but do the ends justify the means? Where is the limit, Hinamori-chan? Thousands of people? Millions? Billions? How many until it becomes not worth it?"

"I… I don't know," Hinamori whispered.

"Everyone has a different idea of what is worth it, and what isn't," Unohana told the fukutaicho quietly. "Aizen believed that replacing the Spirit King was worth sacrificing hundreds of thousands of unwilling souls. Kurosaki-san believed that saving those hundreds of thousands of souls was worth sacrificing the one soul threatening it. I believe that the only life a person has a right to sacrifice, is their own, and only then in defense of others.

"There are no right answers that everyone can agree upon, Hinamori-chan. You must find your own answers, and stay true to them. It is the journey of finding those answers that help us grow as people." Unohana would have reached out to hold Hinamori's hand, if it were not for the Mirror Door in the way. As it was, she merely pressed her hand against the glass, and was gladdened when Hinamori pressed her own hand in the same place, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "But I offer my condolences for your loss, Hinamori-chan. Aizen was very special, to you especially. Death is a terrible thing, but you should take comfort that he will be reincarnated someday, and perhaps you will be with him again in your next life. For now, make him proud by growing into a person that both you and he can be proud of."

Hinamori burst into tears, loudly sobbing. Without warning, the Mirror Door shattered and Unohana found herself holding Hinamori to her shoulder, rubbing her back soothingly as the fukutaicho's hands clenched around her taicho haori.

* * *

And that's it for the chapter! Wow, there is a lot of story there, focused around only a few characters.

Kyoraku and Ichigo test the waters and begin to work together, and Kyoraku has an idea and shows his mischievous side.

Soifon FINALLY grows another brain cell and realizes that Hinamori doesn't have to die, just be fixed or out of the way, and not only would those other methods maybe work better, but they're also perfectly legal.

Kurotsuchi reveals the opening plot point of the Hell Arc. Heh heh heh. I'm really evil, I know.

And Unohana makes a breakthrough with Hinamori. I know this would not occur nearly so quickly in real life, but in my head Hinamori just wrote herself like this. She's not fully recovered, as she now needs time to fully grieve, and she won't become all buddy-buddy with Ichigo, but Unohana's gotten through to her a little.

I think that's because Unohana has a very motherly aura and personality, and damn it she's quite good at what she does. I have no idea how the hell I wrote her for this chapter. While I do admit to some late-night philosophical thoughts, I have no skill in psychologically healing in person. She must have written herself, I just hope it wasn't too cliche.

ARGH! No Bleach this week, so I can't do my spoiler rant. See you next time!


	37. Favors

This one cranked itself out pretty quick... But I've come across a new concern. I'm finding it difficult to find the time to devote towards what will hopefully be my book. So, from here on out, I will be updating this story every other week instead of every week, with exceptions as needed.

Next, review replies:

Yikari - Ichigo was able to drink the tea in his Shinigami form. It's never fully explained why, but since he can interact with other physical world objects (chairs, tables, buildings, etc) why wouldn't he able to drink a cup of tea?

Yami-no-Tamashii - Unohana has been Soul Society's de facto psychiatrist for who knows how long, so she knew that the best way to get through to Hinamori was to point out exactly where Aizen went wrong and then put Hinamori in Ichigo's shoes.

I actually did consider having Ichigo be adopted by a noble family - the Kuchiki, or possibly the Shiba (I know they're not a noble family anymore, but I DARE Soul Society to deny them noble status when one of their members could reshape the landscape with a swing of his sword). Oddly enough, the Shihoin never came to mind. Nice thought, though.

No new terms this week.

* * *

Chapter 37: Favors

Per Kyōraku's plan, Ichigo accompanied the taicho to Soul Society; in order for this to work, the pair of them would need to be seen as much as possible, taking shameless advantage of Ichigo's popularity.

"Is that Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"It is! Look, that orange hair, the cleaver-shaped Zanpakutō as big as he is… it must be!"

Ichigo did his best to ignore the not-so-quiet onlookers and followers as he followed Kyōraku through the Seireitei. He was very tempted to use his new ability to seal Zangetsu, but as Kyōraku had said, he would need to be highly visible for the next part.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kyōraku asked, just loud enough for the Shinigami following them to hear.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Ichigo responded resolutely, just as loud. "Soul Society needs to know how Aizen came to be, and his motivations. Otherwise, we'll just have another one in a few centuries, and maybe that one will succeed where this one failed."

"But surely you could give that in private…"

"No! This is the way it has to be, Kyōraku-taicho. Every Shinigami needs to know this, just in case another one is already in the works… they have to know that I will not tolerate anything happening to my town."

"Of course, of course. I understand, and I'll spread the word. At one o'clock, in front of the Senkaimon, you will have your chance to speak. We owe you that much," Kyōraku admitted.

Both of them noticed how the Shinigami following them – they weren't close enough for Ichigo to see what division they were a part of – dispersed quickly, apparently to spread the news. Of course, none of them knew that that entire conversation had been scripted.

"Alright, Kurosaki-san… thanks for this."

"No problem. If it gets everyone off my back, then I should be thanking you," Ichigo replied. "To be honest, I've been worrying for a while now what Soul Society was going to do… it's nice to be able to actually do something about it."

"Well, we have a few hours… would you care for a drink?" Kyōraku offered.

Ichigo was going to deny the friendly taicho, reminding him about being underage, but as he was opening his mouth, he thought about the idea. _Adults drink socially, and to relieve tension, _he remembered. _And tension has been my biggest problem lately… _"I suppose a small drink couldn't hurt," he finally conceded.

Kyōraku smiled and led Ichigo back to a grassy area near division's barracks. Several minutes later, the pair of them were sitting in the grass, drinking. Ichigo was merely sipping his sake, being unused to the taste, while Kyōraku was drinking somewhat faster, but the silence was comfortable between them.

"What's it like, being a taicho?" Ichigo questioned suddenly.

Kyōraku took another drink as he considered the question. "It really depends on the person… but in general, being a taicho means being responsible for your division and the duties of that division. There isn't much call for our combat abilities outside the 11th Division, as Menos-class Hollows don't usually visit the living world, and most others can be purified by our subordinates." He looked up to the azure sky pensively. "The respect is nice, and the responsibilities do come with perks… Excellent pay, and as long as there aren't any problems you can do pretty much whatever you want. Most of the taicho really only have to do paperwork, and even that can be delegated somewhat…"

"Sounds like a pretty cushy job," the Vizard commented.

Kyōraku laughed. "It really is, usually. But there's a reason for that; we do have to maintain our fighting skills, in case we're ever needed."

"How often does that happen?"

"Not very frequently," the taicho admitted. "Perhaps two or three times per century…" He shrugged. "We're the military of Soul Society, so we have to stay strong, just in case. That's just the way it is."

"Hmm."

"Why do you ask?" Kyōraku followed up. "Thinking about changin' your mind?"

"Maybe. If your plan works today, I'll think about it." After that answer, the pair sat in comfortable silence, slowly drinking their way through a bottle. Finally, Ichigo got up and stretched. "I think I'll go see some of the others. Thanks for the drink, Kyōraku-taicho."

"You're welcome anytime, Kurosaki-san."

* * *

Every single Vizard in their warehouse was silent, sitting quietly around Shinji, who was absolutely motionless in a meditative position. He'd had the idea to use Jinzen to try to talk to his Inner Hollow, and just in case he had the fight then and there, had Hachi set up a barrier around him, with the other Vizard on standby.

Shinji looked around in his Inner World, standing in an oasis in the middle of the desert. Above him, he could see himself on a mirrored image of the island. It had been some time since he had performed Jinzen, but Shinji knew where to look to see his Zanpakutō spirit, Sakanade.

He dove underneath the water and flipped himself upside down, swimming back to the shore, which appeared as a completely backwards form of the above-ground oasis, and approached the lone palm tree, where a figure was looking out into the desert.

"Sakanade," Shinji greeted the figure. Sakanade took the form of a heavily tanned young man with pitch black hair, with almost all of his body covered in soft white clothing. On the clothing lay reversed words that flowed and changed at seemingly random intervals.

"Shinji. It's been a while." 

"It has," the Vizard agreed.

"I had begun to wonder if you would ever accept your own reversed self." Sakanade looked out into the desert again, where a mirage briefly formed into an enormous version of Shinji's mask. "You buried your Hollow far beneath the desert sands, but he still lives, Shinji."

"How do I get him out?"

Sakanade laughed. "All things in this world are reversed, Shinji, you know that! If he is to your left, look right. If he is in front, look behind. If he is beneath…" 

"Look above." And when he did, Shinji was taken aback at how his bleached-white Hollow self was looking back at him with anger and resentment from within another reflection of the oasis in the sky.

In an instant, the Hollow form of Shinji leapt up and landed feet first in front of the Vizard. **"Hi, Shinji," **the Inner Hollow spat. **"Come to gloat your victory over me after a hundred years of prison?" **

"No."

"**Of course not. You're just here because you want something from me. Why should I help you?"**

Shinji's expression didn't change. "Because I want to offer you a deal, and rectify a mistake I never knew I made until some kid proved me wrong."

"**Hmph. I don't care."**

"Not even if it means I give you control of my body?"

That got the Hollow's attention. **"Alright, I'm listening."**

* * *

Ichigo walked into the 10th Division Barracks, briefly focusing on his reiatsu sense to detect where Hitsugaya was, and walking in that direction, eventually coming across a closed door. He knocked.

"Come in."

Ichigo stepped inside and was greeted with a rare surprised expression on the young taicho's face. "Kurosaki!" he exclaimed before getting his facial muscles under control and reassuming his business expression. "It's fortunate you're here, I needed to talk to you anyway."

Ichigo frowned pensively. _Wonder what it is? _"What is it, Tōshirō?"

The taicho didn't even bother correcting him this time; he was apparently in quite a rush. "Firstly, Hinamori-fukutaicho was attacked last night by an assassin of some sort, but he or she committed suicide via body-dissolving suicide pill before we could find out who it was. We've already ruled out Soifon's forces. Do you know anyone who would know or could find out who it was, discreetly?"

The Vizard blinked in surprise. "Wait, Hinamori was attacked?"

"Yes, she was. Do you know anyone in the living world who could help figure out who it was?" Hitsugaya asked impatiently.

Ichigo quickly ran through the people he knew there. _Body's completely dissolved, so I don't think Inoue could help by restoring him. Chad's power is more physical than detective. I don't know much about the rest of the Vizard's powers… _He shook his head negatively. "Only Urahara and Yoruichi, and I don't see how they could help much if you already have Kurotsuchi and Soifon looking into it."

"Oh." Hitsugaya sighed, shrinking a little for a moment before fixing Ichigo with another piercing look. "The Gotei 13 is considering asking you to be taicho of the 5th Division."

"I know. Kyōraku-taicho told me," Ichigo admitted.

Hitsugaya stiffened. "Did you agree?"

"No. Why?"

"Thank goodness…" the ice taicho breathed in relief.

"Is something wrong with me becoming a taicho?" Ichigo asked, confused.

"Hinamori is the 5th Division fukutaicho," Hitsugaya explained briefly. "And since she was hit with Aizen's illusion and thinks that you're evil…"

Ichigo blanched. "Yeah, that could have posed a problem."

"More than you know. Worst came to worst, it's pretty likely she would be executed or quietly 'retired' to a prison. I need you to deny any requests of that nature until she's well enough to work with you," Hitsugaya elaborated. "Consider it a personal favor."

"No problem," the Substitute Shinigami agreed easily, not wanting anyone to be executed or imprisoned for being one of Aizen's victims.

"Thank you," Hitsugaya said sincerely, looking Ichigo in the eyes.

"Is something else wrong?" Ichigo queried slowly. "You seem to be in quite a rush…"

Hitsugaya took a deep breath and fixed Ichigo with a piercing stare. "I'm trying to finish my paperwork early, so I can take Hinamori-fukutaicho to hear yours and Aizen's story at one o'clock. I think it will help her, in more ways than one."

"Oh." Ichigo was startled that even the other taicho had heard of it – it hadn't been that long since they'd spoken their plan aloud in front of Shinigami who would pass it along, surely? I'll leave you to it, then."

Hitsugaya merely nodded and began furiously working through the paperwork once more, leaving a slightly disturbed Ichigo to find his way out. _How many people are going to want to hear this?_

Ichigo stepped out of the barracks and had to blink – he was surrounded by hopeful-looking and awed Shinigami of nearly every Division.

_**I suppose that answers your question, huh? **_Cazador remarked.

"It's him!"

"This… this is Kurosaki Ichigo!"

"Is that the famed Zangetsu? It's more impressive than I imagined!"

"Do you think he's single?"

Ichigo felt his face heating up at the last question, and he began looking around desperately for a way out. Flickering into a Shunpo, he reappeared on top of a nearby building before Shunpo-ing again as far away as he could. _…Yeah, I'm definitely not becoming a taicho until I absolutely have to. _

_**I don't know, if some of those women are offering… **_

_Shut up. _

Cazador laughed in Ichigo's head. _**I'm your instinct, Ichigo! You can't hide how much you secretly like that idea from me! **_

Ichigo scowled, but said nothing more. Even if what Cazador said was true, he wasn't going to act on that impulse – he wasn't that kind of man, to take advantage of women like that. _Besides, it'll just lead to more trouble than it's worth. Let's go check on Rukia, and then maybe Renji can point me out to a decent place to eat lunch. _

But before he could even begin to head towards what he guessed was the 13th Division's barracks, a nearby voice gave him chills. "Ichigo!" Zaraki greeted with a bloodthirsty grin. "Are you here for a rematch?"

Ichigo looked around, and realized where he was: the 11th Division training grounds. When he'd Shunpo-ed away in a random direction, he must have accidentally reached them. _Eh, why not? It'll be a good measure of how far I've come. _Shrugging, he turned to Zaraki and gave a cocky grin. "Think you can cut me?"

Zaraki gave a boisterous, maniacal laugh. "You're on!" He drew his sword, and instantly, every single member of the division still on the training grounds began to run away to a hopefully safe distance.

Ichigo reached up and grabbed Zangetsu, the cloth unwrapping itself as he brought it to a ready position, also wielding with one hand. Zaraki lunged forward, eyes gleaming as he brought his sword forward for an initial horizontal slice, only to be deflected upwards by Zangetsu, leaving the taicho wide open for a kick that knocked him back into a wall, collapsing it on top of Zaraki. "You'll have to try harder than that," Ichigo taunted.

A sinister, bloodthirsty yellow aura erupted from where Zaraki was buried, sending the rubble flying everywhere. Zaraki's eye patch had been sheared off by a rock, and he looked positively eager as his reiatsu twisted and swirled, forming the image of a skull for a brief moment. "C'mon then, Ichigo!"

The two rushed at each other and their blades clashed together, Shikai against Shikai, with a burst of reiatsu that send dust and debris flying in all directions. As one, they both leapt backwards before reentering close combat. Ichigo jumped over Zaraki's opening slash and the taicho's head, landing behind him before twisting and lashing out with Zangetsu.

Zaraki evaded by jumping forward and twisting himself so he could see his opponent, but was caught off-guard when Ichigo released his hold on Zangetsu, instead wielding the Zanpakutō by the cloth, giving Ichigo extra range and landing a cut to Zaraki's left arm. The taicho ignored the cut and instead took advantage of Ichigo's opening to dash in with inhuman speed.

Ichigo realized his mistake not a moment too soon and yanked on Zangetsu's cloth, but he knew it would take a moment for his sword to return to him. In that moment, he would have to rely on his hand-to-hand skills. He allowed himself to fall backwards, letting Zaraki's unnamed Zanpakutō pass over him harmlessly, lashed out with a brutal kick to Zaraki's left side.

But Zaraki wasn't a taicho for no reason – he was an absolute master of the sword, and of Hakuda. He caught Ichigo's ankle before it could reach him, and for the barest of instants, Ichigo's and Zaraki's eyes met, both looking downright devious.

Zaraki suddenly remembered something and ducked just in time for Zangetsu to fly over his head. Ichigo reached up and snagged it with his right hand, immediately using it to block Zaraki's downward stab towards Ichigo's chest. As the two were deadlocked for a few moments, Ichigo smirked. "You've forgotten something, Kenpachi."

"And what's that, Ichigo?" Zaraki was grinning madly, having the time of his life.

"There's more to my sword than the blade." Without warning, the cloth trailing for Zangetsu's hilt lashed out, wrapping around Zaraki's right ankle tightly. Ichigo pulled, hard, and Zaraki was suddenly falling backwards as his foot gave out from under him. Instinctively letting go of Ichigo's ankle so he could put some distance between them, Zaraki immediately swiped at the cloth and cut the connection between them.

The pressure off Ichigo, he rolled backwards and jumped up to a ready position. Zaraki was up almost as quickly. "You've learned some new tricks, Ichigo!"

"I couldn't just stay a naïve kid, Kenpachi!" Ichigo retorted with a tight grin. "Last time I beat you, I was only just learning how to use my Zanpakutō."

"Let me see that famed Getsuga Tenshō of yours," Zaraki demanded. "Let's test your power against mine! One more attack for each of us, to see who's stronger!"

Ichigo smirked and raised Zangetsu above his head, charging enough energy to make the blade glow a bright azure blue. "Don't blame me if you wind up in the 4th Division's care!" he cautioned.

"Enough!" Both fighters turned to the newcomer, surprised to see Unohana-taicho stalking towards them. Ichigo's Getsuga faded as his concentration failed to maintain it. "Zaraki-taicho, you know perfectly well that Kurosaki-san could kill you quite easily!"

"Well, yeah, but that's why we kept things in Shikai," Zaraki explained. "Just a casual no-holds barred spar, right Ichigo?"

"Right," Ichigo agreed nervously, looking at Unohana's creepy smile and shivering subtly. Somehow, that smile scared him far more than Aizen ever had. Aizen had cut him almost in half, driven him temporarily insane, pushed him to despair, but there was a level of scariness in Unohana's smile that still put all those experiences to shame.

The fear just rose as Unohana turned her attention to the Substitute Shinigami. "Please explain how this was just a 'casual no-holds barred spar,'" she requested calmly with that smile.

"I was just seeing how much stronger I'd become since the last time I fought Kenpachi, Unohana-taicho," Ichigo said quickly, almost tripping over his words in his hurry to excuse himself. "I didn't have Bankai or my Hollow powers back then, and it's not like we were really trying to kill each other," he reasoned. He steadfastly ignored Kenpachi's answering "Keh" of derision, knowing perfectly well that Kenpachi probably _was _aiming to kill, as always.

Unohana looked around at the blatant destruction of the barracks and nearby areas and mentally sighed. _We JUST had this fixed yesterday… And I suppose it is good to know the extent of Kurosaki-san's skills… _"I must request that your spar come to an early end, then," she stated clearly. "My division is overworked as it is tending to the wounded and the other general chores; unless you want your barracks to be repaired sometime next month, I would suggest you stop."

Zaraki let out a sigh and lowered his sword, Ichigo doing the same. "Fine, fine… Thanks for the fight, Ichigo. Come by anytime."

"Thanks, Kenpachi. Oh, Unohana-taicho? Could you point me in the direction of the 13th Division?"

Unohana pointed in the appropriate direction. "The 13th Division is that way, just a few blocks away."

"Thanks." Ichigo flickered away in Shunpo, leaving Unohana to her thoughts.

_That was far too close, _she thought privately to herself. She'd had to hurry to stop them after she'd sensed their battling reiatsu. _If Kurosaki-san had won that 'spar', or worse, killed Zaraki-taicho with his Getsuga, then he would have had the 200 witnesses from Zaraki's division right there! He would have been made taicho, despite everything! _

She took a deep, steadying breath. _Hinamori-chan is getting better, but she must work through far more before she can work with Kurosaki-san even on a professional basis. I just hope Hitsugaya-taicho knows what he's doing, taking Hinamori-chan to hear Kurosaki-san's story…_

* * *

Ishida, Chad and Inoue watched Kon closely during class; the Mod-Soul had a bad history of perverted actions that reflected badly on Ichigo. But it seemed the Vizard had finally found an effective threat; while Kon seemed impatient and unhappy with being forced to sit in class for Ichigo, and occasionally took a few seconds to leer at some of the young women in their class, he seemed to be largely behaving himself.

Ishida stiffened, suddenly sensing a Hollow in the area. He was about to get up and excuse himself, but remembered his oath. Settling back down in his seat reluctantly, he gave Chad a significant look. Chad nodded in acknowledgment and stood up himself. "Please excuse me; something important has just come up. I will be back shortly."

Before the teacher, Ochi Misato, could reply, Chad had already run out the door. Ochi sighed; she'd grown used to these unexplained, unexpected absences. But strangely, for some reason, she thought she faintly heard a strange sound just before Chad had rushed out. It was almost like a roar, but not one she'd ever heard before. Ochi was about to dismiss it as part of her imagination, but then she saw Mizuiro, Keigo, and Tatsuki give each other significant looks. _Did they hear it too? _

After another moment's thought, she shrugged. _It was probably some idiot gang member yelling downstairs to fight Ichigo and Chad. _With that, she resumed the lesson. When Chad returned a few minutes later without a scratch on him, she shook her head – _Those idiots never learn; Chad is inhumanly hard to hurt. _Ochi knew the rumors that spread, though she had trouble believing some of them herself. _Chad's a good kid. Maybe one day they'll leave him alone. _

Finally, it was time for lunch, and immediately all of Ichigo's friends cornered Kon. "Kon, why are you in Ichigo's body?" Ishida started the interrogation, his glasses glinting intimidatingly.

"I don't know!" Kon replied quickly. "I was sleeping, and then he just wakes me up, puts me in his body, tells me to go to school and behave or else he'll give me to Yuzu for another Bostov treatment!"

"Was Ichigo with another Shinigami?" Inoue asked.

"I didn't see any," Kon denied. "There could've been some in the house, though, as I just jumped out the window."

"Um, could you guys let us in on what's going on?" Keigo inquired tentatively.

Ishida sighed. "Kon here is an artificial soul developed by Soul Society. His natural form is that of a small round green pill, but when Kurosaki swallows him, Kon takes Kurosaki's body, allowing Kurosaki to emerge in his soul form as a Shinigami."

"Kon is here, while Ichigo is not. We are curious why," Chad summarized.

"This… explains a lot," Tatsuki muttered under her breath. "So, Kon, what _do_ you know?"

Kon thought about it for a few seconds. "Sorry, but I don't know anything. Ichigo was serious as always, didn't see any Shinigami or hear any Hollows…"

"I suggest we visit Ichigo after school then, and find out what's going on," Mizuiro offered. "Besides, I know I have a lot of questions for him. Not everything got explained…" Keigo and Tatsuki nodded as well, feeling the same way.

Ishida sighed and straightened, pushing his glasses up his nose with his middle finger. "As we can't get anything useful out of Kon, we have some time. What do you want to know?"

* * *

In the meantime, Ichigo was enjoying a nice, blessedly quiet lunch with Ukitake and Rukia, amiably chatting. Ichigo had been curious what Soul Society had been up to since Aizen's death, and was grimly unsurprised that it had largely revolved around him. Rukia, however, was more concerned about their mutual friends, and Ichigo had related Ishida's resolution to not use his Quincy powers unless a life depended on them.

Rukia stared in blatant shock. "Ishida was so very proud of his Quincy heritage! Why would he…?"

"He said that it was an oath he made to his father in order to get the training he needed to be helpful during the Winter War," Ichigo elaborated.

"I have to say that is somewhat of a relief," Ukitake admitted. Seeing both younger Shinigami turn to look at him questioningly, he quickly expanded on his statement. "He is a very strong Quincy, and while his aid was needed, there is no denying that he destroys souls, rather than purifying them. So, having that sort of oath puts him in a very good light; it prevents unnecessary soul destruction."

Ichigo reluctantly conceded the point with a nod of acknowledgment. "Why do I suddenly have fans?" he asked bluntly.

"Well…" Ukitake chuckled embarrassedly. "Let's just say that fukutaicho aren't known for their discretion… Word got out that you were the one to take out Aizen, and somehow or other a joke Kyōraku-taicho made about what you were got brought up and now the phrase 'Hell's Nightmare' is being bandied about like it's your official title…"

"Wait, what?" Ichigo deadpanned. While privately he had to admit it was a badass title, and one he would have rubbed in Renji's face months ago, all Ichigo really wanted right now was to be left alone and live a quiet life for a while.

"Well, you have to have expected at least some public goodwill," Rukia reminded her friend. "I mean, it's publicly known that you're a Substitute Shinigami, you invaded Soul Society with your companions to save me and succeeded, and won against Aizen, and you haven't even reached half a century in age! I imagine most of them are waiting to see what you'll do next, and want to be nearby so they can witness it firsthand."

Ichigo was starting to feel very sick to his stomach and his face began paling. "Just… how many people are going to be there to hear my story?"

"I imagine a good part of the Gotei 13," Ukitake answered easily. "Most if not all the taicho and fukutaicho, and I'd say about three-quarters of the unseated officers? I hear even the Shinigami Academy has decided to make it a field trip."

_Oh no… _Ichigo had no problems speaking in public with small groups of people… but in front of almost an entire society? _That's just a bit overwhelming…_

_**Why didn't you have problems in Hueco Mundo, then? When you got named King and all? **_Cazador demanded, confused.

_I was too tired to care, and I knew what to expect. They respected strength – no real speeches needed, _Ichigo explained quickly.

_Abandon your fear, Ichigo, _Zangetsu reminded him softly. _Accept that it exists, and move past it. Keep moving forward._

Ichigo took a deep breath and nodded. "Are you ok, Ichigo?" Rukia asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine," he replied, still feeling a bit queasy. "Just not used to being on the spot in front of so many at a time."

"Why did you decide to do this, then?" Ukitake questioned, curious. He set down his tea and looked at Ichigo directly, waiting for the young man's answer.

"Everyone needs to know the truth of what happened…" Ichigo trailed off for a moment, before sighing. "You'll understand when I tell the whole story."

"Speaking of, it's almost one o'clock now," Rukia announced. "We should go."

Ichigo nodded and rose from his sitting position. His two companions got up as well, and the three of them began walking to the Senkaimon.

A podium and hundreds of seats had been set up on short notice, and Ichigo could see several 12th Division members working feverishly to set up what looked to be sound equipment so everyone could hear. Everywhere he looked, he saw Shinigami sitting or standing nearby, and Ichigo swallowed hard. A nearby clock struck one.

Ichigo took a deep breath. _It's time. _"I've come here today to set the record straight, to tell everyone in the Seireitei the truth of what happened, and to warn you." His voice echoed out from the speakers the 12th Division had set up, and he could see the crowd shifting at his last words, so he continued. "My story begins hundreds years ago, long before I was born, while Aizen was still merely a cadet in the Shinigami Academy."

Utter silence met Ichigo's opening, and he could see that every soul in sight was listening. He then continued to explain what he knew of Aizen's past: how he had decided the Central 46 was corrupt, and how he'd come to realize that the Spirit King would have to be replaced. Ichigo went on, repeating what Aizen had told him and Hinamori about his ambition to replace Yamamoto, only to be foiled by Kyōraku having seniority. On and on Ichigo spoke, relating Aizen's struggles to achieve the strength he so desperately needed for his goal. The Hōgyoku, the Hollowification of Soul Society's forces, and the beginning of his plan to steal Urahara's Hōgyoku, Ichigo left nothing out.

"Urahara, with the help of the then-taicho of the Kidō Corps, stabilized the infected Shinigami, who had involuntarily been infected with Hollow powers. They would become known as the Vizard. But Aizen had covered his tracks well, and the Central 46 deemed Urahara to be the one who had performed the Hollowification experiments, and demanded the Vizard be treated as Hollows and immediately killed."

Ichigo paused as the entire crowd began murmuring and muttering at this. "Urahara, with the help of Shihoin Yoruichi, managed to smuggle the Vizard out to the real world, where the Shinigami-Hollow hybrids sweat and bled to maintain their sanity, burying their Hollows deep within their souls, and gaining their powers.

"At some point, my father, Kurosaki Isshin, was a taicho here in the Gotei 13. He lost his powers and came to the living world, falling in love with my mother, a human named Kurosaki Masaki. And that is where I finally come in," Ichigo continued. "I was born 15 years ago, and for as long as I can remember, I've been able to see ghosts. Nine years after that…" Ichigo's voice choked, but he swallowed and soldiered on. "Nine years after that, Aizen ordered a hit on my mother, and she was devoured in front of me by the Hollow known as Grand Fisher, in a successful attempt to give me the motivation I needed to grow as strong as possible so I could reach Aizen's level."

Ichigo was forced to wait a minute as he heard a mix of very loud, very vehement reactions. Finally, when it quieted a bit more, he continued on. "I was fifteen when a Shinigami jumped in through my window, looking for a Hollow that had appeared nearby. Her name was Kuchiki Rukia, and despite her efforts, she was defeated and my family was about to be eaten by the Hollow."

Ichigo closed his eyes. He could still hear that fated conversation as clearly as though it were happening right now.

"_Do you want the power to save your family?"_

Ichigo's eyes snapped open. "There was no other way. Rukia gave me her Shinigami powers. With them, I slew that Hollow, and entered a world I had never known existed."

The Vizard skipped ahead a bit, not wanting to go into detail about his fight with the Grand Fisher, and then described how Rukia had been retrieved by her brother and Renji, and then sentenced to death by Aizen, who had killed the Central 46 and was acting in their stead. He related his experience in the Shattered Shaft to regain his powers, and mentioned the side effect of developing his Inner Hollow.

"As you all know what happened when my friends and I invaded Soul Society, I'm going to skip directly to the end," Ichigo said bluntly. "I mastered my Hollow powers because without them I didn't stand a chance against Aizen. And I killed him in the end. But this is not a story of good and evil, this is a story of tragedy.

"Aizen was a very lonely soul. I know this because every time we fought, I felt the heavy solitude echoing in his Zanpakutō, and it only grew over time. Since the beginning, he was always better, stronger, smarter, more ambitious than everyone else around him. But while he faked it well, Aizen didn't know how to truly connect with people, he couldn't understand emotional motivations. That never changed, even when he became a taicho. In our last fight, Aizen held immortality in the palm of his hand, and gave it up at the last moment because he chose death over eternal solitude. That should tell you something about his character. In the end, when you look at everything he did, Aizen did what he thought was right. And I killed him because I thought I was right. And that is what makes it a tragedy.

"If Aizen had used more peaceful methods, he could have been a revolutionary, universally hailed as a harbinger of better times in Soul Society. Peace to the more violent Rukongai districts, equality of all souls, careful research of traditionally forbidden ideas to find useful, safe ways to help people…" Ichigo threw his hands up in the air exasperatedly. "I don't know what it sounds like to you, but to me, those don't sound bad.

"And that brings me to my warning. I guarantee you Aizen was not the only one who saw these things and thought to do something about it. Unless something changes, another Aizen will appear one day. And he will study what Aizen did, see where he made mistakes, and create a better plan. So I implore you, find ways to improve the quality of living not just the Seireitei, but in all Soul Society. After all, I'm sure many of you have friends and family members somewhere out there. I know I do."

Ichigo stepped down from the podium. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hitsugaya holding a sobbing Hinamori and he felt a wave of pity wash over him. _Poor girl. _

Kyōraku stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat. "Thank you, Kurosaki Ichigo. You may be pleased to know that Soul Society has just passed an edict that to prevent another such tragedy, the Central 46 must design and implement a working local justice system into each district of the Rukongai before they can address any new issues. In the meantime, the Council of Taicho will address any issues deemed critical by the Central 46. It is our hope that in doing so, many of the injustices noted by Aizen may be avoided in the future."

Ichigo barely withheld a grin; there were 80 districts in each compass direction of the Rukongai. Designing and implementing justice systems for 320 districts would take time, a lot of time. Years, decades, perhaps even centuries! By the time the Central 46 finished, Ichigo and his friends would probably be long dead, making the point moot.

Kyōraku could not have done this without Ichigo using his fame to publicly humanize Aizen, thereby giving the new edict the background of being a necessary measure, enough for the Central 46 to not be able to simply reject the edict. Now, if they did, the Gotei 13 would have ample reason to abolish the Central 46 on the grounds of them being unwilling to resolve an ongoing critical issue, and they'd have the public support to do it, too.

_Two men just hogtied a government, _Kyōraku mentally chortled. _If this is what it's like to be sōtaicho, I could definitely get used to it. There's a certain satisfaction to legally sticking it to the Central 46._

* * *

And that's the end of that chapter! How's that for cheating? "Oh no, we've just been alerted to the cause of the Aizen problem, and we have no idea how many others are thinking about rebelling for the same reason! This is a job for the Central 46! After all, we're just the military, we wouldn't know aaaaaaaaaaanything about judicial matters..." Yeah, that's Kyoraku all right. Heh heh heh. I'm so evil sometimes.

Ichigo finds out about his new badass title, and gets the unpleasant realization that now he's -gasp- popular and famous. Not exactly what he wanted. He also gets his first taste of alcohol. If anyone's wondering why he went ahead and fought Kenpachi, blame the alcohol. It succeeded in loosening him up a bit, made him a bit more amenable to a spar.

I wasn't sure how much detail I should put into Ichigo's story, but I found a nice compromise there.

Hinamori's crying again. Next chapter is some self-reflection for her, and facing some hard facts.

I devised Shinji's Inner World based on a few things. The whole desert theme I figured worked well based on the combination of his Zanpakuto's optical illusions (mirages), and his Hollow pharaoh-like mask. But where else to find his Zanpakuto but underneath the waters of an oasis?

I don't really have anything new regarding the spoiler rant this week... last week it said we would find out a new evolution to Ichigo's Fullbring, but this week it was mostly just talk. So maybe next week.

NeoRyu777 signing off!


	38. Reconciliation

OK, let me make this abundantly clear. I am well aware that this is a shorter chapter. I've been fighting this thing for a week and a half, and for some reason it just wants to stop where it does. I've had this mostly written for the last week!

Next up, review replies:

I sincerely apologize to any reader who got a headache when trying to imagine Shinji's Inner World. I purposely designed it to be an incomprehensible maze of reflections and backwards images.

I also got several comments about how Aizen has been made into a far more sympathetic character. Aizen was still a heartless bastard, but he did what he thought was right. And let's face it, if he'd been ANY better at relating to people, then he could have handled everything without ever betraying Soul Society.

Yikari - Yes, Shinji's Inner Hollow is the bleached version of himself, like Cazador originally was to Ichigo. I'll get around to explaining that in this fic, but not for a while.

Smirking Menace - You read this, from beginning to end, while recovering from an eye surgery? Are you nuts? Thanks for the compliment though.

marc - Kurotsuchi won against Szayel in a similar but different fashion. Because he didn't have the data needed to flaunt his immunity to Szayel's technique, he just went straight to Bankai and handled it from there.

kitsunelover300 - I'm afraid I won't ever be taking over the Bleach business... if I did, I'd totally remake the whole thing from the beginning.

No new terms this week. Let's get on with the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 38: Reconciliation

Hitsugaya and Hinamori walked slowly back to the 4th Division infirmary in silence. Though all around them were Shinigami of all ages and ranks discussing Kurosaki's speech, the two childhood friends were alone with each other, each not sure how to broach the subject, but each knowing that if they wanted any sort of privacy it would have to wait until they reached Hinamori's room.

Several minutes later, they sat opposite each other: Hinamori on her bed, Hitsugaya on the visitor's chair. They sat quietly for a moment, before both opened their mouths.

"Momo, I…"

"Shiro-chan, I…"

"You first," they said together, realizing they'd spoken at the same time. "You go first, Momo," Hitsugaya quickly reiterated.

Hinamori hesitantly nodded. "I… I don't know what to think anymore, Shiro-chan. I knew Aizen-taicho for years… he helped me reach fukutaicho, and I was faithful. Why does Kurosaki think he knows Aizen-taicho better?"

Hitsugaya knew what Hinamori was asking. "You mean, why does he think Aizen was lonely," he clarified.

Hinamori nodded miserably. "If he was lonely, how come no one ever saw it? How can Kurosaki be so sure?"

"Momo…" Hitsugaya decided to give her a quick lesson through firsthand experience. "Draw Tobiume."

"What?"

"Draw your Zanpakutō," the taicho insisted, reaching for his own Hyōrinmaru, "and touch Tobiume to Hyōrinmaru."

Confused, the fukutaicho did as Hitsugaya asked, and when the Zanpakutō touched, Hinamori gasped. "Is this…?"

Hitsugaya nodded. "I've asked Hyōrinmaru to amplify it a little so you can feel it better. You can feel my emotions, right?"

"I feel… pride? Concern?" Hinamori whispered. It was a wholly new experience for her.

"And in your Zanpakutō I feel fear, confusion, doubt, and now wonder and awe," Hitsugaya answered easily. "Those who are skilled enough and powerful enough, can interpret the emotions and resolve of their opponents from just a single instance of their blades meeting. Kurosaki Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu met Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu far more than just once, Momo. Aizen's strongest emotions were laid bare to him, as bare as mine are to you now. That is how Kurosaki knows, and he has no reason to lie. In a sense, he knows Aizen now far better than anyone ever has, or ever will."

Hinamori chuckled weakly, bitterly. "Aizen-taicho was so lonely, then… and I never noticed…" She shrunk in on herself, trembling as she released her grip on her sword to hug her knees to her chest.

"Momo, it's not your fault," Hitsugaya murmured, standing up and moving to sit next to his best friend.

"It is, Tōshirō!" she argued fiercely, turning bloodshot eyes in the icy taicho's direction. "If I had just _seen _it, then Aizen-taicho wouldn't have been lonely and he would still be alive _now!_"

"Even if you had seen it, what could you have done?" Hitsugaya contended, his voice becoming stern in his attempt to make Hinamori see reason. "Singlehandedly fixed everything that Aizen saw was wrong about Soul Society? If it could have been done so easily, Aizen would have done it himself!"

"What do you think Aizen-taicho was doing? He was trying to fix it, and Kurosaki killed him!" Hinamori yelled.

"Yes, Kurosaki killed him," Hitsugaya agreed. "And Kurosaki himself called it a tragedy, because there were no right answers. Aizen wanted to fix Soul Society, and Kurosaki wanted to protect his town. They both were doing what they thought was right, and Kurosaki won."

"Kurosaki didn't have to kill him!" Hinamori screeched.

"And Aizen didn't have to give up immortality!" Hitsugaya answered loudly, putting both hands on his friend's shoulders, desperate to make her see. "You heard Kurosaki! Aizen was IMMORTAL with the Hōgyoku! I watched him regenerate completely from having his chest blown open, and his head disintegrated! He could not be killed, Momo, not unless he WANTED to die!"

SMACK! Hitsugaya's head twisted, a red mark on his left cheek blooming from where Hinamori had slapped him. The fukutaicho trembled, and tears trailed their way down her face as she looked regretfully at what she had just done. "You… you watched Kurosaki kill him?" she uttered in horror.

The master of ice and snow returned his eyes to those of Hinamori. "Yes," he said quietly, his expression stony, and Hinamori knew she'd crossed a line. "I did."

"How could you?" she begged to know. "How could you just let Aizen-taicho die?" She couldn't understand it; Hitsugaya was her best friend, why couldn't he have given Aizen-taicho a chance to explain…?

"It is unbecoming of me as a taicho, but… my reason for letting Kurosaki kill Aizen was vengeance for almost killing you, and for tearing your heart out and trampling on it. And I would happily have done the deed myself given half a chance." Hitsugaya rose from the bed, and Hinamori could only watch, unmoving as he began walking to the door, picking up and sheathing Hyōrinmaru. He paused as he reached for the handle. "You've always been more important to me, Momo. But you need to see that Aizen died because he chose to, and very few will grieve his death because of his actions. I will not be one of them."

"And Kurosaki?" Hinamori asked quietly.

"I have come to know Kurosaki Ichigo well during my time spent in the living world, so I say this with all confidence. He grieves for being forced to take a life, and you heard him wish that Aizen had gone about things differently, and call his death a tragedy. But Kurosaki will not regret saving his people." Hitsugaya opened the door then, and quietly left Hinamori sitting there staring where he'd been.

Unohana walked in a few moments later, seeing Hinamori quietly crying. _I knew taking her to hear Kurosaki's speech was a bad idea, _she thought to herself as she sat down. "What's wrong, Hinamori-chan?"

Hinamori just cried harder. It was too much to bear – she'd just slapped her best friend, who insisted that Aizen-taicho wanted to die, who'd in fact watched him die, who'd said in a perfectly calm voice that he'd have killed Aizen-taicho himself if the opportunity had presented itself. Kurosaki, who had been so monstrous in the living world, had taken the time to tell all of Soul Society that Aizen-taicho was a good person, so was he really a monster? But Kurosaki had also said that Aizen-taicho had been immortal, so for Aizen-taicho to die, then Aizen-taicho had had to want to die like Shiro-chan had said, but that meant that Aizen-taicho had _left _her and that hurt so terribly much. And then Hinamori truly realized that she'd just slapped her best friend and suddenly an inkling of fear wriggled into her head that maybe Shiro-chan didn't want to be her best friend anymore…

Hinamori clutched her head, shivering from head to toe. "I don't know what's real anymore…" she breathed. "Is Kurosaki a monster or is he not? He threatened to, to _rape _me in the living world, but then he turns around and tells everyone that Aizen-taicho was a good person? And then I think that maybe Aizen-taicho put an illusion on me, and it's so painful for me to think that might be true. And it hurts, it hurts so bad to think that Aizen-taicho wanted to die, that he could have chosen to live but didn't. And I'm afraid, Unohana-taicho."

"Afraid of what?" Unohana gently pressed.

"I slapped Hitsugaya-taicho when he was just trying to make a point." Hinamori looked up with vision blurred by tears. "I _slapped _him. What's wrong with me? Do I drive away everyone important to me?"

"Of course not, Hinamori-chan."

"But Aizen-taicho left me, and I didn't slap him!" Hinamori wailed. "Hitsugaya-taicho couldn't even stand to look at me after that! He went all frigid and left!"

"Do you want to apologize to him?" Unohana asked quietly.

"What sort of question is that? Of course I want to apologize to him!" Hinamori answered, her voice watery. "I didn't mean to do it, and he's my best friend, and I think I hurt him and I didn't mean to, and…" She trailed off when she saw Hitsugaya reenter the room. "H-H-Hitsugaya-taicho?"

"I saw the mark on his cheek and guessed what happened," Unohana admitted. "I asked him to stand outside the door and listen for a few minutes before he left. I'll give you two some privacy," Unohana left the room before anyone could protest.

"Tōshirō, I'm…"

"I know, Momo," Hitsugaya interrupted softly. "I should have expected it, now that I think about it. You've been loyal to Aizen for a long time… for anyone to suggest that Aizen was suicidal would trigger an emotional response. But don't worry…" He offered a half-smile. "You'll have to try a lot harder than that to get rid of me. You're my best friend too, Momo."

"Do you… do you really think that Aizen-taicho wanted to die?"

Hitsugaya nodded. "Yes. I don't see how else Kurosaki could have finished him, to be honest – the Hōgyoku's regenerative powers were amazing… Aizen would have had to purposely stop them to die."

Hinamori swallowed hard. "Was there anything I could have done differently?" she questioned quietly.

"No, I don't think so, Momo." Hitsugaya sat down on the bed next to his best friend again. "Now I have a question for you."

"Yes?"

"Do you feel up to seeing Kurosaki and talking to him, with me here to monitor? He's outside and wants to speak with you."

Hinamori stiffened. Fear coursed through her veins, but she managed to slowly nod her head.

"Are you sure?" the taicho queried gently. "I can deny him if you wish."

"N-n-no," Hinamori stammered. "I…" She took a breath to steady herself. "I need to know for sure. Let him in."

And so it was that a few moments later, Kurosaki Ichigo stood in the same room as Hinamori, leaving Zangetsu outside the room. He was glad to have thought of that, as Hinamori looked rather relieved to see Ichigo unarmed. "I…" Everything that Ichigo had planned to say to Aizen's old fukutaicho seemed to have vanished from his brain. He sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm no good at this. I just wanted to apologize, and give you my condolences."

"Apologize?" Hinamori echoed.

"Yeah. For what you heard in the living world. I mean, I know I didn't do it, but you heard it anyway, thanks to Aizen's illusions, and well, I know my reiatsu with my mask can be frightening…" Ichigo's voice had started off strong, but he ended it almost mumbling.

"Aizen's illusions?"

Ichigo blinked, then realized that Hinamori probably didn't know yet. "I'm sorry, let me try to start over. Aizen put an illusion on you in the living world when you appeared so I wouldn't fight him, because he knew I wouldn't hurt an innocent. The illusion he put on you was designed to make you see me as the enemy, and Aizen told me that the illusion me threatened you…" He glanced at Hitsugaya out of the corner of his eye, before deciding to just end the sentence there. "So, I wanted to apologize."

There wasn't a single note of deception in Kurosaki's voice, and his body language said the same. Even his reiatsu exuded remorse. But Hinamori still wasn't sure. Out of the corner of her eye, Tobiume glinted at her.

_Use what you just learned… see into his innermost emotions, _Tobiume suggested in a voice that Hinamori could only just hear.

_Good idea. _"Kurosaki-san… I have a request."

"Name it."

"Please bring in your Zanpakutō, and lay the blade on my own."

Ichigo nodded wordlessly, and stepped outside for a moment to retrieve Zangetsu. After coming back inside, he carefully set down the sword of his soul upon Tobiume. _What's she trying to do?_

_Focus, Ichigo. What happens when two Zanpakutō meet? _

_Ah. _Ichigo understood now, and mentally tried to push his emotions into Zangetsu.

Hinamori barely kept from gasping – Kurosaki was far more powerful than Tōshirō, and she was getting very strong feelings that seemed to almost reverberate into her being. She felt sorrow, she felt pity, and confidence, and determination that could shatter dimensions. She felt worry, and weariness, but nowhere did she feel a hint of falsehood. Kurosaki was telling the truth.

She couldn't bear it anymore, and withdrew Tobiume, her hands shaking slightly. Kurosaki had such powerful emotions! Hinamori felt ashamed of herself, not only for thinking Kurosaki a monster just earlier that day, but for once again feeling wetness gathering in her eyes. She'd never cried so much in a single day, and it was scarcely half over. But Hinamori could not help it; if Kurosaki was telling the truth, then Aizen-taicho had truly put her under an illusion, and betrayed her once again. She didn't know what to feel anymore. _Should I feel relieved that Kurosaki isn't out to get me? Or hurt that Aizen-taicho put me under an illusion and made me fear Kurosaki so? Should I feel ashamed that I've put so many people through so much, or happy that I have such good friends? _In the end, she just felt… drained.

"Why are you apologizing to me?" Hinamori found herself asking. "I should be the one apologizing to you. I disobeyed orders, was swayed by Aizen-taicho…. I attacked you!"

Ichigo wasn't really sure what to say to that. "It was nothing" sounded like an insult to Hinamori's skills, which was not what he wanted to say, despite how ineffectual her attacks had been to him in the living world. But Ichigo couldn't just let Hinamori apologize to him, either, or he'd feel like a huge jerk. He finally settled with "You attacked me because you were threatened, and Aizen had just proven himself in your eyes. No apologies needed."

Hinamori had no idea what to say either; she was so emotionally tired, and needed time to deal with the revelations. She settled with "Thank you."

"I also wanted to offer my condolences about Aizen," Ichigo murmured. "I heard he was your taicho and rather important to you. I'll try to stay out of your way in the future… I imagine looking at me is hard, given what happened. I hope you get better soon." He picked up Zangetsu and began to make his way out.

The fukutaicho suddenly realized that she had one more question she was dying to ask. "Kurosaki-san…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Aizen-taicho would be satisfied with the way things turned out?" Hinamori asked. "Now that the Central 46, who he had the most problems with, is going to spend a very long time fixing the rest of Soul Society?"

"Yeah… I think he would be." Ichigo gave her a tiny assuring smile. "It might not be the way he had envisioned everything getting fixed, but I think he'd be happy that it's being worked on."

Hinamori returned the smile gratefully. "Thank you, Kurosaki-san." _If Kurosaki, who Shiro-chan said would know him best now, thinks Aizen-taicho would be happy with the results, then I think I can be too. I'm going to miss you terribly, Aizen-taicho… but I think now I can start to move on. _

Ichigo stepped out quietly, followed by Hitsugaya, and encountered Unohana listening quietly at the door. "Thank you, Kurosaki-san," the healer said, the corners of her lips upturned. "You've helped far more than you know."

"Eh?"

"Don't you see, Kurosaki?" Hitsugaya queried exasperatedly. "You convinced her that you were telling the truth, and she doesn't seem to fear you anymore."

"Oh. Well, glad to help." Ichigo kept walking towards the door.

"I believe she could work with you now," Hitsugaya told him pointedly, keeping pace.

"I'll be glad of that if she gets stationed to the living world, but I understand she's needed for her division, since it has no taicho," the Substitute replied, purposely ignoring Hitsugaya's blatant hints.

"Kurosaki! You are not unintelligent, why are you avoiding the question of whether you are interested in the 5th Division taicho position? You must be aware by now that you are being considered for it!" Hitsugaya bluntly pointed out.

"Because I am not sure I want to become a taicho of Soul Society," Ichigo answered steadily. "I still have a life to live, Tōshirō."

"It's…!" Hitsugaya sighed, cutting himself off. He'd never get through to Kurosaki, so why even bother? "I suppose I can see your point."

They reached the door and opened it. Ichigo blanched and quickly closed it again upon seeing and hearing what he swore must have the majority of the female Shinigami population. "Not to mention… I don't think I could deal with the fangirls."

Hitsugaya looked at him unsympathetically, but privately amused. "That's an occupational hazard of being out of the ordinary," he stated matter-of-factly. "Best to learn how to deal with them now; they'll only get worse if you disappear for too long."

Ichigo would have scowled at the short taicho, but was too busy trying to figure out another way to leave. Luckily for him, Unohana took pity on the young man and cleared her throat to get his attention. "We do have another exit just that way," she commented lightly, and her smile broadened when she saw the Vizard dashing in that direction. "Now then… Hitsugaya-taicho, I do believe we need to have words with Kyōraku-taicho."

"Yes, we do," Hitsugaya agreed. He was not looking forward to how large the paperwork would grow from taking on some of the Central 46's work.

* * *

A half hour and a trip through the Senkaimon later, Ichigo once more stood in Karakura. He sighed and began making his way to school so he could retake his body. _Assuming Kyōraku's plan works, then I won't need to worry about Soul Society coming to kill me. Then I just need to… focus on living, I guess. But what do I want out of life?_ The answer to that was simple, yet profound. _I want to live a life with happiness, and to die with no regrets. _

Ichigo remembered something his father had said immediately after the Vizard's fight with the Grand Fisher, shortly after gaining Rukia's Shinigami powers. "Live well, age well and go bald well… and die after me. And if you can, die smiling. If I can't, I won't be able to face Masaki." It was one of the times that Ichigo acknowledged that his father was a wise man, despite his usual overenthusiastic actions. But at the time, he hadn't fully understood all the implications of Isshin's words.

"'Live well, age well, and go bald well,' huh?" Ichigo muttered softly.

It felt strange, thinking about the future as he was; Ichigo was used to living in the moment, occasionally making plans for days and weeks ahead, but not years. That was the way he'd been before he'd become a Shinigami, before he'd gotten caught up in the war. During the war, he'd had to start planning and thinking about the future, judging the pros and cons of each decision. _The war changed me, _the Vizard realized somberly, unsure if he liked this change.

_You are simply more aware of cause and effect, _Zangetsu murmured. _It is a natural effect of growing more mature. _

Ichigo sighed again as the school came into sight. _I can't wait for that vacation. It'll be nice to just relax… Right now though, I need to see how school went with… Kon… _His eyes shot wide open as he suddenly remembered that Kon was in his body. Flickering into Shunpo, he materialized right by his body inside his classroom, startling his friends. Ignoring that, Ichigo quickly gave his body a brief once-over; no bruises, no cuts or anything. His body appeared unharmed.

"I've been good!" Kon swore quietly, looking at the true owner of the body he was in defiantly.

Ichigo sighed in relief. "Thanks, Kon. Sorry, I don't have your lion body with me, but I really do need to get back in my body so I can handle the rest of school."

"Fine, fine."

Pushing his Shinigami badge against Kon's head, Kon's natural green pill came out. Catching it before it could hit the floor, Ichigo slid into his body easily and subtly shifted Kon into his pocket. Then he began trying to catch up on what he'd missed, using Kon's notes. _Wait, Kon took notes? _Ichigo looked again. To his astonishment, the constantly-irritating Mod-Soul had indeed taken notes for Ichigo, and they made sense! Then he noticed Kon had also left a message written down at the top of the paper.

_Ichigo, I'm taking these notes for you just so you aren't stuck inside all day trying to make sense of it. It's not healthy, I tell you! You need to get yourself a girl and have some fun! And in return for this, I want to come along on that vacation of yours so I can see Rukia-nee. _

Ichigo smirked. _No wonder he didn't get into trouble today. Alright, Kon. You've earned it. _

His better mood was ruined, however, as soon as school ended for the day. He was immediately cornered by his friends, including Keigo, Tatsuki and Mizuiro. Though he hadn't been asked any questions yet, Ichigo sighed and began explaining. "I was asked to join Soul Society today as one of their taicho, to replace Aizen."

Ishida scowled and began to turn away. "Did you accept?" Chad asked simply.

"No."

The Quincy blinked and looked at Ichigo questioningly. "Why not?"

"Why is everyone asking me that?" Ichigo demanded, losing his temper. "Does everyone expect me to just turn my back on everyone here? Karakura is far more important to me than Soul Society!"

Ishida looked at him evenly. "Because it might have been the only way for you to protect us."

The Vizard deflated, seeing the archer's point. "I didn't become a taicho because it's smarter for me to stay here."

"So why'd you go to Soul Society, then?" Inoue queried innocently.

"The biggest problem for us was the Central 46," Ichigo began. "They're the ones in charge in peacetime, and they're the ones who ordered the Vizard executed. Between the Gotei 13 and the Central 46, the 46 are the more xenophobic. Kyōraku asked me to come with him to help him disable their ability to order the Gotei 13 to kill us."

"Why would they kill us?" Inoue gasped. "They're friends!"

Ichigo groaned. _Damn it, I forgot she didn't know. _"It's all politics, Inoue… We're friends with the enforcers, not the guys who make the rules, the Central 46. To the Central 46, we're too powerful to let live unless we work for them. You reject reality. I'm a Vizard. Ishida's a Quincy and verbally declares Shinigami to be his enemy. Chad has Hollow-like powers. We're as far from them as we can be. They don't have any reason to like us, and we have the potential to cripple them militarily."

"Simply put, they fear us," Ishida put it succinctly, pushing his glasses up his nose and making them flash. "And as we've learned in history, humans have a tendency of killing that which they fear and don't understand."

"But… But…!" Inoue looked at the pair of rivals in shock and disbelief. "No! I can't believe that our friends would try to kill us!"

"Just like Byakuya didn't try to kill Rukia despite her being his sister?" Ichigo reminded her darkly.

"Allies in Soul Society would likely defend us, yes," Ishida admitted. "But that in turn would spark a civil war, because not everyone would agree."

"Exactly," the Vizard concurred. "So it was better to cut off the Central 46 entirely so our friends would be the ones in charge."

"How'd you do that?" Keigo asked curiously. "I mean, if the Central 46 is the government, what could you have done?"

Ichigo looked rather sheepish, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, apparently I'm sorta famous?"

"How famous?" Ishida questioned mercilessly, not noticing Inoue start paying very close attention. "What exactly did you do, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo sighed and looked at the Quincy resignedly. "I told Aizen's life story. All of what I knew and all that I suspected. To what looked like just about everyone in the Seireitei."

"Huh?" everyone asked together.

"E-E-Everyone in the Seireitei?" Inoue whispered in a stammer. _But, but…! No! _

"How do you know so much about Aizen?" Tatsuki inquired, confused. "You two were enemies, right? Is it some Shinigami power or something?"

"Something like that for some of it. Other parts I've picked up here and there," the Vizard admitted. "Anyway, Kyōraku took advantage of my speech and passed a law that forces the Central 46 to take care of the problems that led Aizen to rebel before they can address other issues. It'll take them, say, until we're all dead and gone to finish."

Ichigo thoroughly enjoyed the looks of shocked silence for a few seconds before turning and walking away with a smirk on his face. "I'm getting some ice cream. You all coming?"

* * *

And that's a wrap. Yes, this was a far shorter chapter than usual. I'm aware. But there's going to be a mild time-skip from that day to the day where his vacation starts.

Looks like Kyoraku's in trouble - the taicho aren't gonna like having more paperwork. Especially poor Nanao, who has to do a lot of Kyoraku's!

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OK, this last chapter was epic and awesome. Ichigo appears in his Shinigami garb, with a black energy sword resembling when he used Mugetsu. And of course this is an evolution of his Fullbring by remembering all his fights and recovering his experience. But GAH! Make me hungry for more why don't you, Kubo!

Anyway, I now have questions. 1) Is Ichigo in soul form, or did the Fullbring physically transform his body? 2) WTF happened to Inoue then, since Book of the End just cuts through everything. Wait. Everything. Could it cut through emotions?

Man I can't wait for Wednesday!


	39. Start of a Vacation

Hey all! Thanks for being so understanding about my new writing schedule - one week on my novel, one week on my fic, so I post a new update every two weeks. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

This chapter really fought me - I'm not too good at writing filler, even if the filler DOES have plot nestled in it.

So, time for review replies:

Several people were confused about Inoue's reaction. Allow me to clarify. Inoue, in canon and in my fic, is hopelessly in love with Ichigo. She's worried that with the introduction of fangirls, Ichigo won't notice her affections because she's a lot more conservative about expressing them.

Writing Bunny - Nah, I get the feeling that Tsukishima told the truth, but that he didn't say EVERYTHING about it.

To those asking about the Hell Arc, I found an awesome collection of clips from the movie that tell the story nicely enough for me to mostly use. Right now we're setting the scene.

Concerning Kenpachi and his whole "Shikai against Shikai", allow me to reiterate canon for a minute. Kenpachi has a huge amount of reiatsu. Just like Ichigo, his Zanpakuto is permanently in Shikai state. He is simply unique in that he doesn't know his Zanpakuto's name, so can't USE any of the Shikai power, but his sword is in Shikai state.

mist shadow - I would imagine that, based off recent canon events, when a Fullbringer uses his power, that anyone can see it spiritual or not. Consider that Ichigo until he unleashed his Fullbring power was still able to see and experience other's Fullbrings... Also, Ichigo's mask limit. I haven't set a time on that, have I? And I'm not saying just yet. Largely because no one really knows. It changed again with Ichigo's Resurreccion and he hasn't pushed it to the limit since.

Lalaith Quetzalli - My fic has now breached with canon since the death of Aizen. Some events from canon will still occur in due time, but not yet. Movie plots and anime arcs are still on the "maybe" side of things. For instance, I do like DiamondDust Rebellion and may implement that one, but I'm on a roll for a different movie at the moment... Hell Arc.

Ichigo doesn't plan on telling anyone that he's the King of Hueco Mundo. Too much trouble. He wants to keep it a secret until necessary. Call it a trump card.

rusty32539 - Ichigo may or may not learn Fullbring. I haven't really decided. It depends a lot on what happens in my Hell Arc, which I have a vague plan for. Masaki will not be becoming a Shinigami just yet. Ichigo will learn more Kido, but not for a while since he's on vacation and he doesn't see the need for it just yet. Same thing for his Hollow powers.

Thomas - Inoue's rejection abilities aren't going to be really utilized for a while. For one thing, no one's thought about it. I mean, how does Ukitake's illness get brought up in casual conversation? Or Kukaku for that matter? "Oh, Inoue, remember that time we invaded Soul Society in a giant spiritual canonball?

algebraiya - Ichigo hasn't used the second sword because he's more comfortable using only one at a time. He needs more training to use the second one more effectively, and really, no one wants Ichigo to get MORE power.

Replies done! No new terms this week. Let the chapter begin!

* * *

Chapter 39: Start of a Vacation

The remaining days until Ichigo's vacation passed quickly, which the Substitute Shinigami was very glad for. The knowledge that he would soon be able to relax comfortably on a nice, warm beach, with his closest friends and confidants, made him decidedly eager for the day to arrive. Much to his relief, Soul Society had not initiated any other form of contact with him, and the Hollows that made their way to Karakura were weak enough for even that Kurumadani Zennosuke, the Shinigami that Soul Society had officially stationed in Karakura, to finish off with some effort.

To be honest, Ichigo had anticipated stronger Hollows. He'd only forbidden Menos-class Hollows from entering Karakura, and there were plenty of very strong Hollows that had not reached the level of Gillian. The Grand Fisher was an excellent example; he'd killed humans and Shinigami for half a century prior to his death, and had never reached Gillian.

Ichigo wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Even so, he couldn't help but feel uneasy, as if it were simply the calm before the storm. _No matter. Urahara and Yoruichi can take care of anything that happens here. _He paused from his packing, took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting tension drain from his muscles. _Yeah. Everything'll be fine. It's ok. I mean, who would attack Karakura while I'm gone? Aizen's dead, and every Hollow strong enough to be a threat to Urahara and Yoruichi are being kept in line by Ulquiorra, Nel and the others. _He nodded to himself, slightly reassured, and resumed packing.

Ichigo done the majority of the packing the night before, and was simply double-checking everything. Finishing, he nodded again, satisfied, and picked up his luggage. "Finally!" Kon exclaimed, jumping up from the floor in his lion plush body and landing on Ichigo's bed. "So, what's the plan, Ichigo?"

The Vizard blinked. He'd forgotten to tell Kon exactly what the vacation consisted of. "We meet everyone at the airport in a couple of hours. Urahara's arranged a flight for us to a popular beachside hotel, with three rooms reserved until next Monday," Ichigo summarized. "I'm probably going to be with Renji in one room, with Chad and Ishida in the next room and the girls in the last."

"What about me?" Kon demanded.

"Don't worry, you're coming too," Ichigo reassured the Mod-Soul. "As for what room… Well, I gotta admit, you've been helpful for me in school, and haven't gotten my body beat up in a while," Ichigo conceded. "So, as a thank you, if you can convince Rukia and Inoue, you can stay with them. If you can't, you'll stay in my room. And as an added bonus, as long as you don't do any perverted stunts in front of me, or that in any way can be linked to me, I won't do anything to stop you."

Kon looked at him with comically large, teary grateful eyes. "You're a good person…" he whispered, just before leaping forward and latching onto Ichigo's chest in an unmistakable attempt to hug him.

"Oi, oi!" Ichigo protested. "Off! I'm still using this shirt!"

Meanwhile, Ishida was thinking along similar lines to his Vizard rival. He was double-checking everything one last time, but he too had something more to consider. He'd been thinking about a way to help protect Karakura without his Quincy abilities for days now, and the teenager wanted to tell the others, and hopefully acquire their support.

Ishida could tell that Inoue would want to use her unique restorative abilities to heal those who could not be healed with modern medicine… she had a healer's disposition. Likewise, Kurosaki seemed unable to not help those who needed it. Chad seemed as though he could return to living normally if he so chose, but Ishida thought it unlikely he ever would… he would use his arms, and his powers, to protect someone if they were ever needed.

Ishida had spent his spare time working on the details for his idea, and he was fairly confident that it could work. And if it did, it would provide his comrades the ability to protect Karakura spiritually without inevitably losing their jobs to save someone's life, as well as giving them the ability to quietly use their powers to help.

Ishida's idea was simply this: found a new business that focused on using their abilities in productive ways. Chad and Kurosaki could be used as bodyguards, for example, or as teachers in self-defense – Ishida privately thought that Chad would probably enjoy the latter job. In such a position, Kurosaki could just ingest his Mod-Soul to take his place as bodyguard while out slaying Hollows should the need arise. Inoue's Sōten Kisshun was incredibly versatile, and could theoretically be used for anything from restoring a priceless painting to healing the terminally ill. As for Ishida himself, he would be the one advertising and doing much of the administrative work… while perhaps putting his tailoring talents to good use. He had been complimented many times about the quality of his work…

All said and told, Ishida was certain that if it worked, they would all be content with their lives. The problem was communicating his vision to the others. He'd realized during his time figuring it all out that he didn't really know what the others wanted to do with their lives just yet. For all he knew, Kurosaki might want to put his fighting past behind him and take over his father's clinic. Chad perhaps would choose to be an engineer of some sort. Inoue… _Maybe a bakery? _Ishida paused to shudder at the thought; Inoue's tastes were extremely strange and anything she cooked was hard for anyone save Inoue herself to swallow.

The ex-Quincy sighed. He'd already resolved to tell the others by the end of the vacation. He just couldn't help but hope that things worked out. Noticing the time, he picked up his luggage, stepped outside, and vanished in a burst of Hirenkyaku. Smirking to himself as he streaked across the sky, Ishida couldn't help but think. _Just maintaining my skills, Tou-san… Need to practice, after all. _

Several minutes later, Ishida landed in a quiet, secluded place very near the airport, and began walking purposefully towards the entrance when he felt a very familiar presence land just where he'd been a moment ago.

"I see I'm not the only one using their power to get around," Kurosaki observed with a smirk that could be heard quite clearly. "Certainly saves us the cost of gas or a taxi."

"Agreed," Ishida concurred, pausing until Kurosaki reached him before he began making his way towards the airport again. Kurosaki fell in step with him easily. "Of course, we won't be able to do it forever. Society will become suspicious if we are able to travel quickly without a recognized method of doing so."

Kurosaki sighed in lament. "Yeah, that sucks. But at least it's good for emergencies."

"True." They continued walking. After another minute or two, Ishida decided that it was probably best to simply ask the question that was on his mind. "What are your plans for the future, Kurosaki? Aizen's gone, you seem to have handled Soul Society so they won't be bothering us much."

Kurosaki's tilted his head to the sky searchingly, as if asking Kami for the answers. "I haven't decided. I want to finish school, of course. Find a job I can enjoy, have a family. Same as any other guy, I guess."

"Don't you have a job lined up with your father's clinic?" Ishida prodded coolly, keeping his tone carefully neutral.

Kurosaki snorted amusedly. "Could you honestly see me as a doctor or healer or anything?"

"Honestly? Perhaps," Ishida answered truthfully.

"Hmm, well, maybe. What about you?" the Substitute replied. "Your father is the director of the Karakura Hospital, right? You're good at sewing things up quickly, would you want to be a surgeon or something? You're definitely smart enough to get through medical school."

Ishida blinked. He'd never thought about that possibility… Considering it for a few moments, he shook his head negatively. "I don't believe I'd enjoy that kind of work. My abilities with a needle are more crafted towards tailoring."

"Are you thinking about opening a clothing shop then? Custom work?"

"It has crossed my mind," Ishida admitted. "But I have, shall we say, a slightly higher ambition."

The Vizard turned to look at the Quincy quizzically. "Higher than opening and owning your own shop?"

"Yes."

Kurosaki paused for a few moments, waiting for Ishida to continue. When Ishida said nothing more, he pressed on. "Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"Not yet."

"Figures." There was no rancor behind the words, merely acceptance, with a hint of amusement.

The two reached the doors to the airport and quietly walked in, seeing everyone already there. "Ishida-kun! Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue greeted enthusiastically, waving. She had donned a sundress for the day, this one an orange-red color, matching her hair nicely.

Chad merely nodded acknowledgment. He had decided on a black sleeveless shirt, and jeans for his trip there, Ichigo observed as he nodded back.

"Hey, Ichigo," Renji commented, raising a hand in hello. He was dressed in a tropical-themed shirt, with palm trees decorating it, and tan shorts. As a result, his tattoos stood out quite prominently, and he was getting a lot of attention from those around him, not all of it good.

Rukia, like Inoue, had chosen a sundress, though hers was a bright yellow. "Ichigo, Ishida," she welcomed with a smile. "Looking forward to the beach?"

"You have no idea," Ichigo agreed.

"Maa, I see everyone's arrived!" Urahara greeted, walking in the doors. "Alright then. Here are your tickets." After passing out the tickets, he passed Ichigo a phone. "Just in case something drastic happens that you'd want to know about, or if you just feel like talking to your family again," he assured the Substitute. "We definitely won't give out your number to anyone."

Ichigo nodded – it was an appreciated gift. "Thanks, Urahara."

Urahara smiled and tipped his head, his hat casting a shadow on the rest of his face. "See you when you get back. Have a safe flight, and do try not to attract any more trouble?"

"Not exactly my fault, you know," the Vizard retorted, but he nodded anyway.

"My work here is done. Ja ne." Urahara turned on his heel and began walking away.

Ishida looked up at the flight boards and coughed lightly, getting everyone's attention. "We don't have much time," he noted. "We should get going."

* * *

"Yama-jii!" Kyōraku exclaimed as he walked into the sōtaicho's room. "You're awake!"

Yamamoto turned and looked at him with slightly open, very serious eyes. "Kyōraku-taicho. Report."

"Hai. While you've been incapacitated, there have been a number of events. Gin Ichimaru has been reinstated as taicho, with several restrictions to serve as punishment. Similarly, Tōsen Kaname has also been reinstated."

"What are the restrictions you've implemented?"

"Due to the motives behind his betrayal, it was decided that Gin be given some leniency as he had been working to find Aizen's weakness and kill him. Gin has been placed under house arrest during all times that he is not performing his duties as taicho for the next year. He will be working without pay for the next five years, and his reiatsu will be bound for three years by the 12th Division so that 50% of his power is sealed. Kira will be submitting weekly reports on Gin's actions, to be verified through the Onmitsukidō.

"Tōsen has been vouched for by Komamura-taicho, but as his betrayal did not serve a more noble cause, his restrictions are stricter. He has been placed under house arrest and will be working without pay for the next five years. After that, his pay will resume at a reduced rate. His reiatsu will be bound by 80% for the next decade. All of his decisions will need to be approved by another taicho and Hisagi. Neither Tōsen nor Gin will have the right to vote at the taicho meetings without approval from their fukutaicho as well."

Yamamoto made a noncommittal grunt as acknowledgment. "What of Hinamori-fukutaicho?"

"She has recovered fully, and has resumed her duties as leader of the 5th Division."

"And Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Kyōraku glanced at a nearby clock. "By now… I'd say he's on his way to his vacation."

Yamamoto blinked, before narrowing his eyes to slits. "Explain. In detail, Shunsui."

Kyōraku sighed. "At my request, Kurosaki made an appearance in Soul Society and made a speech concerning Aizen and the causes of his deception and eventual betrayal. I used the opportunity as acting sōtaicho to assign Central 46 the task of creating functional justice systems for each of the Rukongai districts to eliminate the problems that created Aizen to begin with. The Gotei 13 will handle any other critical issues until they have finished, thereby largely eliminating the possibility of conflict between the Central 46 and Kurosaki Ichigo. That completed, Kurosaki decided to take the opportunity to go on a vacation. He invited Abarai Renji and Kuchiki Rukia to go with him, and both of them accepted."

"I see…" Yamamoto murmured as he considered what he'd heard. He truly didn't like the idea of essentially usurping the power from the established government, but he also couldn't fault Kyōraku on attempting to keep the peace… the Central 46 had a history of anti-Vizard tendencies. Simultaneously fixing some of the issues that had caused the problems to begin with was simply icing on the cake.

However, it also meant that Kurosaki remained in political limbo, which was not a position that Yamamoto desired. _Still, better that than outright enemies… _Mentally nodding to himself, Yamamoto decided that Kyōraku had performed adequately, especially as he had regained Gin and Tōsen as taicho. They would serve as extra power in the event that Kurosaki turned on them, which was entirely possible with the number of strong allies he had thus far acquired.

"Very well," he finally said. "When is Kurosaki Ichigo due to return?"

"Reports indicate one week."

"Have you scouted for candidates for taicho of the 5th Division?"

"Hai," Kyōraku confirmed. "Two fukutaicho have Bankai that we know of: Abarai Renji and Madarame Ikkaku. Madarame refuses to leave Zaraki-taicho's Division. Abarai has expressed no opinion one way or another, but has continued training despite Aizen's recent defeat, so I believe he would be willing. However, Kuchiki-taicho has requested that he not be promoted just yet, claiming that Abarai is not yet ready to handle the full responsibility of a Division.

"I and a few other taicho have approached Kurosaki Ichigo, but he declined in favor of living his human life," the easy-going taicho finished.

Yamamoto nodded, pleased at his student's thoroughness. "Has anything else of note occurred?"

"Kurotsuchi-taicho wants to see you soon, something regarding a rare event and some classified information that he wants you to divulge. Soifon-taicho has had her Onmitsukidō quietly scouring Karakura but they are unable to determine where the Vizard are located. And one other thing that might be interesting… since the day after Aizen's defeat, no Menos of any rank have arrived in Karakura. Kurotsuchi-taicho detected that Kurosaki entered a Garganta to Hueco Mundo that day, and Soifon-taicho believes that Kurosaki went hunting to drastically reduce the Gillian population."

Yamamoto turned the latest piece of news over in his head before deciding he would need to think it over in more detail later. "Good. Now, tell me the details. How did Kurosaki Ichigo defeat Aizen after I was incapacitated?"

_Oh boy. _Kyōraku knew instantly that he was not going to like this conversation.

* * *

Ichigo stepped outside the cab that he and his friends had taken from the airport – which Urahara had thoughtfully paid for – and laid eyes on where they would be staying for the next week. It was an enormous, sandy-white painted hotel with cheerful decorations. The beach and ocean were mere minutes away, and he could see dozens of people there having a good time.

Despite himself, Ichigo felt a smile tugging on his lips – it was a beautiful sight, and best of all, he couldn't sense a single reiatsu signature outside of his group. He could feel himself relaxing by the second. _Just what the doctor ordered, _he thought happily, allowing his customary scowl to fade into a tiny smile.

Ishida, who was walking beside the Substitute Shinigami and could therefore see his face, was surprised by Kurosaki's uncharacteristically almost-cheerful expression, but said nothing. He couldn't claim to know everything about Kurosaki; perhaps this was a facet Ishida merely hadn't had a chance to view before. It wasn't as though he knew what Kurosaki liked to do in his free time; the Vizard had had precious little time to spend enjoying himself recently.

The six of them approached the front counter inside the hotel, with Ichigo and Ishida at the front; it seemed safest. Chad was too quiet and intimidating, Inoue was too random and tended to drift off into a daydream given a strange thought, and Renji had poor social skills and too many openly-visible tattoos. Rukia would have been a good choice to talk to the attendant, being of a noble house and having lived in the living world for quite some time with Ichigo, but she was too busy being in awe of the beautiful scenery and was sketching in her drawing pad.

"Can I help you?" the attendant, an attractive woman with long blond hair asked politely.

"We should have a reservation here under the name of Urahara," Ishida replied.

The attendant looked at her computer screen and scanned through the list of the day's arrivals. "Ah, yes. Three rooms have been reserved. Have you decided the rooming arrangements?"

Inoue and Rukia were by each other's side in an instant, being the obvious pair as they were the only girls. The males glanced at each other, before Ishida made a swift decision and stood next to Chad, leaving Renji and Ichigo to room together. All in all, it was exactly as Ichigo had predicted earlier that day to Kon.

"Yes," Ishida answered.

The attendant nodded in acceptance. "Very well. In your rooms are guides for the activities that we host on a day to day basis. Urahara-san has also paid for all food and drink while you are here, including unlimited room service. There are menus in your rooms detailing what we have available at any given time, and how to order it. While Urahara-san has additionally purchased unlimited alcoholic drinks, remember that the legal drinking age is 20, and we reserve the right to ask for proof of age. Do you have any questions?" Receiving a round of negative headshakes in return, she nodded. "Should you have questions later, feel free to talk to Information Service over there." She pointed across the hallway, where the desk was clearly labeled, and then turned around. Selecting three keys, she passed them out to the pairs of roomies before another, this time male, attendant walked up to them with a smile.

"I will escort you to your rooms. If you'll follow me?"

Several minutes later… "I call the bed by the window!" Ichigo claimed the instant the attendant had left, jumping over to it and setting his luggage atop the bed before Renji could say anything. He wanted to be able to see the stars as he fell asleep.

"Damn!" Renji cursed; he'd wanted that one.

A room over, Chad and Ishida glanced at each other. "Do you have a preference?" the Quincy asked politely, not much caring which bed he used.

"Not particularly." After a moment's consideration, the gentle giant set his things on the bed closer to the door and began searching for his swim trunks. Shrugging, Ishida did the same.

Across the hall, Inoue had chosen the bed by the window, appreciating the scenery. Rukia didn't mind; it was rather comforting to have the bed closer to the exit; it reminded her fondly of living in Ichigo's closet, as she was just near enough to feel his reiatsu without effort. _He's gotten better at controlling it, _she thought to herself with a mixture of pride, relief, and a bit of wistfulness. She half-missed the days where his reiatsu washed over her like a protective blanket. "Ichigo's gotten pretty strong, hasn't he?"

Inoue stopped looking through her clothes for the swimsuit she wanted, instead turning to look at Rukia with a smile. "Yes, he has."

"I'm glad things turned out the way they did," the petite Shinigami said earnestly, facing Inoue. "Ichigo's strong enough to protect everyone now, the way he always wanted. And now that Aizen's dead, he can focus on other things." She smirked knowingly. "Like romance."

Inoue's eyes grew wide as saucers, a slight blush staining her cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about," she denied, shoving her face into her clothes as she resumed the search for her swimsuit.

"Right," Rukia acknowledged disbelievingly. "So you don't mind at all that Ichigo has fangirls in Soul Society."

Inoue's efforts grew a touch more aggressive as she began throwing her clothes all over the place. "Ha! Found it!" she crowed.

Rukia took one look and raised an eyebrow. "Right… You're totally not trying to get a man."

* * *

Kurosaki Masaki was at her home in the West 1st District, where Urahara had dropped her off after taking her from her still-living family. The nice man had explained all about the varying levels of law and chaos in the Districts, before asking her to stay there.

**Flashback**

"_This is one of the houses I own under a false name," Urahara explained sheepishly. "But I want you to have it. It's the least I can do for having you and your family caught in this situation… I'm partly at fault."_

"_Thank you," Masaki told him sincerely. _

"_I'll admit, I have ulterior motives. Living here means you'll be very close to the Seireitei, so it won't be hard for you to get ahold of a Shinigami if you need help. It also means it's unlikely you'll get hurt or killed, since Shinigami patrol here frequently, and that means Ichigo won't kill ME," Urahara admitted with a smirk. _

_Masaki picked up a hint of actual nervousness, but decided not to say anything; Urahara was doing her a favor, after all. _

_**_End Flashback**

The house was actually quite nice, and was already furnished. It was about the size of her home in Karakura, so sometimes Masaki felt as though it was too large for just her, but she knew that when it came time for her children to pass on, it meant they'd always have a place to stay.

Masaki had spent the last few days going around the neighborhood, meeting the people and getting a feel for how life worked after death. Not much had changed, it seemed. People still ate if they felt hungry – which was apparently somewhat uncommon for most – and there were dojos, shrines, blacksmiths… everything Masaki could think of.

She'd had a couple of visitors, mostly other women welcoming her into the community, but she'd kept to herself a lot. Masaki simply wasn't sure what to do with her afterlife. She knew that she couldn't enter the Seireitei and join the Shinigami Academy unless she had spiritual power, and Masaki hadn't felt hungry since she arrived. Thirsty, yes, but not hungry.

In the meantime, Masaki was reading an interesting novel that she'd found in the house, when a knock on the door interrupted her. "I'm coming!" she called out, rising from the couch and moving towards the door.

Opening it, she was greeted by an unfamiliar face. The visitor was male, tall, and well-shaven with short but styled hair. His clothes were somewhat more elegant than most she'd seen, and he carried a sword at his hip. "Kurosaki-san?"

"Yes?"

The man smiled. "My name is Paon Miro. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've been sent by the Berean family to discuss a proposition."

"The Berean family?" Masaki questioned. "I'm sorry, I haven't been in Soul Society very long…"

Paon nodded n understanding. "The Berean family is what is known as a noble house. They play a part in the government and society in general. Sometimes, they can have special roles. For instance, the Kuchiki are charged with maintaining the history of Soul Society, and the Shihoin are responsible for protecting some ancient artifacts, as well as heading a special military unit. The Kasumiōji are masters at forging weapons. You get the idea."

"What does the Berean family do?"

Paon chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I can't really tell you, as I don't know myself. I've asked, but I'm told that it's a secret that only the heads of the family know."

"Is that common?"

"For many noble families, yes," Paon confirmed. "Only the really big-name families have well known duties, as they get called on it frequently enough that it's common knowledge."

"I see… So, you came here with a proposition?" Masaki asked curiously.

"Ah, yes. The Berean family has requested your presence. They need some information from you concerning your son, Kurosaki Ichigo. It has something to do with their role as a noble house, so I wasn't allowed to ask what they want."

"Surely you have some idea," Masaki prodded.

Paon looked both ways and leaned in conspiratorially. "I think it has something to do with how he became so powerful since he started out human. My working theory is that the Berean family is responsible for recording knowledge of new hybrids, so they know what can happen. I've been with them for decades and this is the first thing they've done to fulfill their role that I know of. Your guess is as good as mine."

"Hmm."

"Oh!" Paon exclaimed. "I almost forgot to mention. In exchange for your information, they are offering unlimited access to the Seireitei as well as a list of names and addresses of your son's known contacts, so you can have easier access to your family's lives."

Masaki's eyes widened and focused on Paon intently. "Are you serious?" she asked quietly.

"Perfectly. Between you and me, I'd take it," Paon advised. "It's one hell of an offer."

Ichigo's mother had to agree. Turning over the idea one more time in her head, she couldn't find a reason not to. So she smiled and nodded. "Alright."

Paon smiled back. "Great. Are you busy now? I can come back later…"

"No, now's a good time."

"Then let's be off."

* * *

Let there be OCs! Alright, yes, I completely made up the Berean family and Paon. I really hope I haven't made it obvious what they do. And yes, Masaki is going to be a recurring character in the story. How could she not be, after Aizen forcibly brought her back to a major plot point?

The legal drinking age in Japan is 20. I did some research on that before I wrote that part, and found widely varying opinions... some say that while that is the official law, it was also permissible for people under that age to buy alcohol for their parents, and that the only time the law gets implemented is if someone is behaving disorderly. Others say that in recent years they've really cracked down on the law. So I chose a middle path.

Anyway, moving on to the canon rant!

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Wow, ok. Chad's observation really makes sense. Ichigo's true form is when he's garbed in power, eh? I like it, it's a nice connection to his Bankai and his Final Getsuga form. I also like how they didn't give Ichigo too much power all at once... his Fullbring is still maturing.

Also, Ichigo's evolved again in what, the span of 10 minutes? 15 maybe? Jeez, man! Then again, he IS just recovering his power, rather than doing it for the first time... I swear he'll be off flinging Getsugas again in the next five chapters.


	40. Preparatory Decisions

ARGH! You would not believe how hard this chapter fought me! I really despise writing filler, even when it leads up to something more. And then my coworkers challenged me into writing that Star Wars Ewok fic, "The Eyes in the Forest". Plus I'm incredibly busy in real life right now... So, sorry this is so late.

Anyway, review replies:

Kira Kyuuketsuki - The Fullbringers will be introduced later in the story, much later.

qqwqq - Yes, I'm aware of story degradation. It's why books usually end shortly after the climax. However, I have a plan in mind. Consider everything post-Aizen as a second "book" in the series, and it might make it easier.

Majin Hentai X - If Kubo were to use some of my ideas, I would be flattered. And then I'd be wondering forever if he took them from me or if he had had them in mind for a while.

Yami-no-Tamashii - My intentions with romance are largely not to create a pairing. However, romantic feelings and their development DO influence a character's growth. So my story will never focus on a pairing, but there will be elements of characters thinking about it. Case in point: Renji's conflicted feelings about asking Rukia out.

Albo215 - The characters do write the plot, largely, but as I've stated before, I don't have plans to get anyone together yet. So, that would be a "maybe" bordering on "no." As for the number of chapters in the vacation, I haven't really decided, but it won't be many.

Writing Bunny - That sort of political move is still not completely discarded, but the problem is that most of the nobles are unaware of Masaki's location, and on top of that, they have no idea how she would respond to arranged marriages.

Twistedmind365 - The taicho couldn't just circle around Aizen and fire all their Bankai at once because let's face it, they'd annihilate everything, including themselves. Soifon's ALONE would critically injure everyone in the vicinity. Hitsugaya's would freeze everyone to death. I don't even want to think about what Yamamoto aka "Old Man Genocide" has as his Bankai.

Anyway, on with the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 40: Preparatory Decisions

Yamamoto's eyes were… not wide, but certainly far more open than Kyōraku had seen them in centuries. "You are telling me that Kurosaki's reiatsu grew even stronger? That his strength now transcends our understanding and he can no longer be sensed reliably?"

"Yes," Kyōraku confirmed. "Though he does not seem to keep it in its 'transcended' state regularly – during my visit to the living world, he could be sensed easily the entire time. Maybe he can only do it when he's in Bankai."

"Hmm…" Yamamoto mulled it over. "Would you call him a match for yourself?"

"Depends on the game Katen Kyōkotsu decides on, and how quickly Kurosaki Ichigo catches on," Kyōraku stated bluntly.

"And myself?"

"Sir, I believe that is one of the questions that are on every taicho's mind."

"And Kurosaki is on vacation?" Yamamoto repeated to clarify.

"Yes. For another week."

"What sort of leverage do we have?"

Kyōraku looked troubled by the question, but answered regardless. "We don't."

Yamamoto looked at Kyōraku, his eyes narrow but still opened, conveying his seriousness. "Explain."

The normally perpetually-cheerful taicho looked back just as seriously. "Kurosaki has a number of friends here in the Gotei 13 as you know. But targeting even one of them will put the rest up in arms and lead to open rebellion. His mother is the only one that you could possibly target and make disappear discreetly, but I warn you that if you do and Kurosaki finds out, we will find out who is stronger between you and Kurosaki, because he will come at us with everything he's got."

The old man's reiatsu rose slightly. "Soul Society will not bow to one mortal's whim," he mandated sternly. "One man cannot outweigh the whole of the afterlife!"

"I don't know about you, Yama-jii, but I'm getting very tired of that argument," Kyōraku stated calmly, weathering his sensei's spiritual presence with ease, being accustomed to it. "Can't we just live and let live? Kurosaki Ichigo has done nothing wrong, and I'm telling you, a preemptive strike will only create a war that I'm not certain we can win. Besides, Kurosaki doesn't seem like he wants to rule everything. He even said so to Aizen in his fight. 'I already am a Kami of world… myself, and that is all I wish to rule.'"

"Hmph!" Yamamoto scoffed disbelievingly. "Power corrupts astonishingly quickly, Shunsui, and he is only human."

"I don't think you can say 'only' anything about Kurosaki Ichigo, Yama-jii."

"I have seen far too many examples of too much power making its wielder go mad, Shunsui, to be able to ignore the warning signs. Soul Society will prepare for the eventuality of Kurosaki Ichigo becoming an enemy."

"For the record, I think you're making a mistake."

"Off the record, I dearly hope you are right, Shunsui. I truly do."

* * *

Dressed in sky-blue swim trunks and white button-up t-shirt which he left open, Ichigo breathed in deeply, savoring the salty scent of ocean air and the feeling of sunlight warming his body. _This is what it means to live, _he thought to himself serenely, looking out at the ocean and watching the waves. He'd let Kon out of the baggage, and Ichigo really didn't want to know what Kon was doing, though he suspected the Mod-Soul was simply spying on all the scantily clad women on the beach.

"Oi! Ichigo! Get your head out of the clouds! We need you over here!" Renji called out. He had chosen to wear simply some red swim trunks, exposing the large set of tattoos across his chest and back.

Ichigo shook his head, bringing himself back to the present. "What's going on?"

"Volleyball game, three on three," Renji summarized quickly. "You, Chad and Inoue against Ishida, Rukia and me. You game?"

"Sure, why not?" Jogging over, Ichigo was slightly surprised when he saw Inoue's outfit. Normally, the quiet young woman leaned towards somewhat conservative two-piece bikinis, but it seemed she'd branched out today. Instead of a top that was almost immune from accidents, where the wide straps reached both over Inoue's shoulder and around to her back from both cups, this one was held merely by strings reaching behind her and tied manually into a knot. _Huh. Wonder what changed?_

_**Who cares? She looks niiiiiice.**_

Taking a quick glance around, Ichigo noted that Inoue was getting some appreciative looks, but thankfully no one was pulling a Chizuru and molesting her. Deciding not to draw unnecessary attention to Inoue's change of swimwear, and figuring it was none of his business anyway, Ichigo approached his friend on their side of the volleyball net. "You ready, Inoue?"

"Yep!" she responded cheerfully.

"Chad?"

The gentle giant merely nodded.

Ishida adjusted his glasses with a smirk. He'd chosen tan shorts and a white button-up t-shirt as well, which he kept closed. "Sheer power won't win the day here, Kurosaki. This is a game that requires finesse and precision, which you sorely lack."

"We'll see about that," Ichigo retorted amiably, getting ready.

"Our serve!" Rukia called, snatching the ball and moving in position, her ocean blue one-piece swimsuit serving as a nice contrast to the bright colors of the beach. Throwing the ball high into the air, she leapt up and spiked it between Ichigo and Inoue.

"I got it!" Inoue claimed, moving to intercept and catching it on her forearms, bouncing it a much smaller height to set her teammates up for their move.

The volleyball was tapped by Ichigo next, sending it near the net. Chad moved forward and powered the ball down, but Ishida had apparently anticipated this, as he managed to bounce the ball back to the side towards Renji.

"Heh, you're done. Rukia!"

"On it!" the ice-user leapt high in the air, above Renji and heading towards the net. The tattooed Shinigami sent the ball flying up towards her at high speed, where it was promptly spiked at an unguarded corner. Inoue lunged for it and failed, and Rukia's team scored their first point.

Rukia and Renji high-fived before whirling on Ichigo smugly. "You can't beat our teamwork," the tattooed redhead boasted.

Ichigo grinned in a manner reminiscent of his Inner Hollow, fiercely enjoying the friendly competition. "Be ready to eat your words when we win!"

Half an hour later, Renji clapped the Vizard on the back, having won solidly by six points. "Good game, Ichigo."

"Yeah, yeah, you win this time," Ichigo grumbled good-naturedly as the six of them meandered to a nice spot on the beach that as yet was untaken. Inoue and Rukia set down their towels there and lay on them, content to take the opportunity to work on their tans. Ishida had brought along a rather large book and a portable parasol, which he promptly set up before sitting down in the shade and flipping through the book to where he'd left off.

Deciding to go for a swim, Ichigo stripped off his shirt and set it on his own towel nearby. But as he began to make his way down to the water, Renji stopped him with an amused look. "Got a tattoo, Ichigo?"

The Substitute Shinigami blinked confusedly as suddenly all of his friends' attention was on him. "Huh?"

"That tattoo there, above your heart. Did you think we wouldn't see it?" Renji mocked.

Ichigo glanced down, and he immediately understood. The twin crescent moons that kept a large portion of his reiatsu sealed away, one black, one white, forming a circle. He rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly. "Ah, yeah."

"Well, what is it supposed to be?" Rukia asked, intrigued as she got up and inspected Ichigo's chest. She'd never pegged Ichigo as the type to get such a permanent body marking, unlike Renji who took pride in them. After a few seconds, she suddenly recognized the symbols. "Crescent moons? But why one black and one white?"

"One for Zangetsu. One for Cazador de la Luna," Ichigo muttered, looking away. "I'm going for a swim. See you in a bit." He stalked off, in a decidedly less happy mood than he had been a few minutes ago. He hadn't wanted to be reminded of the seal, because that led to thoughts about why he needed it, and the knowledge that if he wasn't careful he could accidentally disintegrate someone, or even himself, was hardly a cheerful thought.

"Huh? What was that about?" Renji questioned, bewildered.

Rukia bit her lip hesitantly. "Do you think… do you think maybe it's his way of grieving?"

"Grieving?" Renji echoed. "For what? Aizen's death?"

"No. The loss of his innocence," Ishida intoned grimly. "For having to kill someone. A circle, made up of two Getsuga, one white, one black. Hollow and Shinigami. Vizard. That tattoo may very well be Kurosaki's way of self-punishment; every time he looks in the mirror bare-chested, the tattoo will always remind him of who and what he is underneath his human skin: Kurosaki Ichigo, Vizard, Slayer of Aizen, Substitute Shinigami… A penance, never allowing himself to forget." The Quincy turned his eyes towards the retreating figure of his rival. "If that is the case, then I have gravely underestimated his intelligence and understanding of the symbolic."

"So that's why Kurosaki-kun didn't like us talking about it," Inoue whispered sadly. "He was having fun, and then we reminded him of what he was trying to take a vacation from."

"We should go apologize," Chad suggested, and received a round of nods all around.

Ichigo dove into the waves, fully submerging himself and kicking powerfully. His eyes stung from the salt water, but he kept them open as he swam further from the shore. The cool water was refreshing as it streamed past him to the beach, and after a few more strokes, he turned back around. Ichigo knew he couldn't go too far from the shore in his human body; the ocean's pull was too strong.

Swimming back to shore and exulting in the rush of cold water offsetting the heat of the sun's rays, Ichigo stood in water that reached his waist and ran a hand through his hair as he continued walking back to the beach, shifting his soaked hair away from his eyes so he could actually see. He felt a lot better now. _I suppose I should apologize to the others for just taking off like that. _

He made his way back to his friends, not noticing how much attention he was getting from some of the women, and a couple of the men. But Ichigo was surprised that before he could say anything, Renji approached him, looking slightly away, down to his left, with his right hand behind his neck embarrassedly. "Listen, Ichigo… sorry about that. Didn't know it was a sensitive topic."

"Don't worry about it," Ichigo replied, shrugging as he sat down on his towel, leaning back and enjoying the feel of the sun. "Hey, Renji, Rukia. How's the Gotei treating you? You didn't get in trouble for helping us back in Hueco Mundo, did you?"

"Nah," Renji answered easily, relaxing when it seemed apparent that Ichigo was alright. He was still a little worried, given Ishida's guess about the reasons for Ichigo's tattoo, but he was willing to let it go for the time being – Renji had hardly any room to talk, considering his own heavily-tattooed upper body. "Kuchiki-taicho vouched for us, saying that we technically hadn't broken any orders. It was decided that it turned out for the best since we all got back before the invasion began."

"Especially since Orihime took down the number two Espada when a team of Shinigami and Arrancar couldn't do it together," Rukia added.

"What?" Ichigo turned to stare incredulously at Inoue. "You did that?"

Inoue looked distinctly unhappy with the reminder. "Yes… yes I did."

"Impressive," Ishida commented.

"What he said," Ichigo agreed. "You've gotten a lot stronger!"

Her eyes began to tear up, much to the Vizard's confusion. "Why? Why are you happy about this?"

"Orihime," Rukia, who obviously knew what Inoue was upset about, tried to console. "They don't know."

"Know what?" Ichigo asked, confused.

Ishida apparently got it a second later, though, as he sighed. "Kurosaki, Inoue must have used her power to reject the Espada. His soul is gone, as though he'd been pierced by one of my arrows." Not waiting for his rival to respond, he got up and crouched next to Inoue, looking into her teary eyes and holding her hands in his own. "Inoue… listen to me. You did nothing wrong."

"But I…!"

"No," Ishida interrupted. "You did nothing wrong. You were fighting for not just your life, but everyone else's, right? And you only stepped in when nothing else would stop him, right?"

"R-R-R-right…" Inoue stuttered.

"Then you did nothing wrong. It's sad that you had to do what you did, but do not back down from it. You had little other choice, or else you wouldn't have even considered it. I know that because I know you. The only way you would use your power that way is if you couldn't think of any other way to stop him," the Quincy stated firmly. "So grieve if you must. Be sad, angry, anything you want. But you did nothing wrong."

Inoue hiccupped. But eventually, she nodded slowly. Satisfied, Ishida got up and moved back to his towel.

Ichigo looked at the Quincy in poorly-concealed shock – first his father, then Ishida. Did _everyone_ know how to handle crying women but him?

* * *

Masaki was led by Paon to a very large, elegant-looking building. Admiring the scenery, she was guided through long halls and into an enormous room. Already inside were perhaps a dozen or so figures, all shrouded in black cloaks. There were three garbed in what appeared to be high-class garments, who stood in prominent position at the end of the room: an old woman, looking perhaps 60 or so, with a wrinkling face and short shock white hair; a black-haired middle-aged man with a beard but no mustache; and a young man who appeared in his late teens, with similar features to the middle-aged one, but with no facial hair.

"Allow me to introduce, Kurosaki Masaki," Paon stated with a deep bow. Taking the hint, Masaki did the same, bowing politely.

"Leave us." It was impossible to tell who ordered that, as the voice echoed in the chamber. It could have been any of them, but its authoritative voice could not be denied.

"Hai." Still bowing, Paon retreated and closed the door.

"Kurosaki Masaki. Do you know why we requested your presence?" the old woman asked plainly.

"I'm afraid not. I was told that it had to do with your duties as a noble family, and that was all."

"That is as it should be; the Berean family is to remain in shadow. Very few are ever to know what it is we were assigned," the male adult, continued calmly. "However, due to the unique situation, in order for us to fulfill our duty you must be made aware so you may help us."

"The duty of the Berean family is to accumulate and safeguard all forbidden and dangerous knowledge," the old woman spoke once more. "We are the specialists within the government; when situations arise involving such knowledge, we are called on in secret to provide informed advice without compromising the actual material of the forbidden knowledge. When Shinigami gained Hollow powers one hundred years ago, it was our advice that was called upon in secret."

"As you have no doubt surmised, this meeting is about your son, Kurosaki Ichigo," the man stated. "In exchange for your information, we are offering unlimited access to the Seireitei and information of your son's contacts. This was the offer made to you through Paon Miro, correct?"

"Yes."

"And do you accept?"

Masaki nodded firmly. "Yes."

"Very well." The man looked towards the others in the room, who had not moved. "Begin."

And so the interrogation began.

"Kurosaki Ichigo is the son of a human and a Shinigami, correct?"

"We are aware of the incident in which Kurosaki Ichigo acquired the powers of Kuchiki Rukia. When did Kurosaki Ichigo acquire his own Shinigami powers, and through what process did he do so?"

"Describe the events relating to Kurosaki Ichigo's struggles with his Inner Hollow up to the resolution."

"How did Kurosaki Ichigo avoid being consumed by his Inner Hollow while the Hollow was in control for an extended period of time?"

"Why did Kurosaki Ichigo's mask change?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo's Zanpakutō is not a dual-sword type. How did he gain a second one?"

"If your son were to classify himself, would he be a Shinigami with Hollow powers, or a Hollow with Shinigami powers?"

"Does Kurosaki Ichigo have the Hōgyoku, and if so, does he plan to use it?"

"Were you able to feel your son's spiritual presence when he arrived to fight Aizen in Karakura?"

"How did Kurosaki Ichigo achieve Resurrección?"

"Which, if any, Hollow powers does Kurosaki know and with what skill can he use them?"

Question after question, Masaki answered to the best of her ability. Finally, the onslaught of queries ended, and after a minute of silence, the middle-aged man who still had not identified himself nodded. "Very well. It seems we are done here. Thank you for your cooperation, Kurosaki Masaki. Now for us to uphold our end of the agreement."

He snapped his fingers. Immediately, one of the faceless black-hooded figures approached and withdrew an amethyst attached to a necklace, and some paper from some fold or pocket, passing them wordlessly to Masaki. "Thank you." The figure merely bowed and returned to his place with the others.

"The necklace serves as proof of our agreement – it is a symbol of our family. Any who wear it will be let in by the gatekeepers outside the Seireitei without issue. The paper, as promised, details your son's known associates and how to find them. That concludes our transaction. Paon Miro will escort you back to your estate," the still unnamed apparent head of the family stated dismissively.

At his words, the two men guarding the doorway opened it once more. "Thank you, Berean-sama," Masaki said gracefully with a bow, before turning back and leaving the room.

"So, looks like it went well?" Paon asked curiously.

"I think so," Masaki agreed, looking at the necklace she still held in her hand for another moment before putting it on. "They had a lot of questions for me."

"No doubt. Your son is rather famous," Paon told her matter-of-factly. "There is talk of little else in the Seireitei. Starting off as a spiritually aware human, being given power by a noble and becoming as powerful as he has in such a short time… it's impossible but true."

"I see… Could you help me find these people?" Masaki asked, showing him the list she'd received from the elders.

The servant peered at it for a few moments. "Hmm, I should be able to get you to this one, but I would have to leave immediately after."

"That's fine."

"Alright. Then let's go see Kuchiki Byakuya." Twenty or so minutes later, Masaki stood in front of a very large mansion. "This is the Kuchiki Mansion," Paon told her quietly. "Remember, the Kuchiki are another family of nobles, so be as polite and deferential as you can."

"What can you tell me about my son's relationship with this…" Masaki looked down at the paper again. "Kuchiki Byakuya? My son told me that he fought him to a draw once while trying to save Kuchiki Rukia…"

"Then you know almost as much as I do," Paon admitted. "Kuchiki Byakuya-sama is taicho of the 6th Division, and Head of the Kuchiki family. I think that Kurosaki Ichigo may have gained Kuchiki-sama's respect for saving his sister, but I would not imply such without him stating it first," he warned. "This may not have been the best starting point."

"No, it's fine," Masaki assured her friend and escort. "I have some questions for him anyway."

"If you're sure…" Paon shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I must go back now."

"If you have some spare time, you're welcome at my home at any time," Masaki invited him, grateful for Paon's help thus far.

"Thank you," the servant said with a smile. "I appreciate that. I'll see if I can see you later this week." With that, he began briskly walking back.

Masaki looked at the mansion again. She was about to meet one of the most powerful beings in Soul Society, if she understood everything correctly. Urahara had told her that the taicho of the Gotei 13 were the most powerful Shinigami in Soul Society, both in strength and in political power. Kuchiki Byakuya was also the head of a noble family, which made things more complicated, but Masaki would not give up when she was this close…!

"Who are you?" a cold voice asked quietly from right behind her.

Masaki spun around, startled. The man standing there looked at her coolly without expression, his slate gray eyes almost completely devoid of emotion. He was wearing what she'd come to recognize as the standard Shinigami uniform, but there was a white haori on top of that, as well as an expensive-looking scarf and an ornamental hairpiece. Urahara had told her that was the easiest way to recognize a taicho was by the white haori, so she took a chance and figured that this was probably who she was here to see.

Bowing shortly, she introduced herself. "I am Kurosaki Masaki. I presume you are Kuchiki Byakuya?" _Ah! _There it was – though the man's face did not twitch from the news, she could see in his eyes that he was surprised.

He recovered quickly, however. "I am," Byakuya acknowledged. "What business do you have with me?"

"I was told that you and your sister, Kuchiki Rukia, were two of the Shinigami that my son, Ichigo, associates with regularly."

"Your information is lacking," Byakuya stated bluntly. "The only association that Kurosaki Ichigo has with me is through my adopted sister, Rukia. Why have you come?"

Taken aback by the noble's directness, Masaki took a moment to respond. "I wish to remain a part of my son's life. As I am not a Shinigami myself, the only method I have is to contact Ichigo's friends and ask him to see me."

"I see. I would allow you to see Rukia, however she is currently on vacation with Kurosaki Ichigo in the living world. I have no way to contact her. Similarly, Abarai Renji is with them as well."

Disappointed, Masaki bowed. "Thank you for your time."

"Kurosaki Masaki," Byakuya interrupted her before she could turn to leave. "Please come inside; it would be remiss of me to fail to offer you tea during your visit, and I find myself curious on a few matters regarding your son that perhaps you could aid me in understanding."

Masaki smiled. "Thank you." She followed him into the mansion. A few minute later, they sat seiza-style at the traditional table as a servant poured them some tea. After they each took a polite sip, Masaki set her tea down. "You said you had questions?"

"I do." Taking another moment to sip at his tea, Byakuya carefully formulated how he was going to ask what he had in mind. "Are you aware that Kurosaki Ichigo once invaded Soul Society?"

"Yes, in order to save your sister," Masaki confirmed.

"He had known Rukia for mere months prior to that event. I do not understand why he would risk his life for her. I am grateful for it, but I do not understand his motives."

Masaki frowned pensively. "Ichigo told me that he did it because she was a friend, and that he owed her a debt that would not allow him to simply let her die. She had saved my family from being killed and eaten by a Hollow as I was. Ichigo felt it was a matter of honor that he save her in turn."

"I see. So he was not attempting to pursue a relationship with her?"

Masaki nearly spat out her tea. Instead giving a polite cough, she swallowed and answered as steadily as she could. "Not that I know of. Why do you ask?"

"I have been carefully observing Rukia since then. What I have observed, in conjunction to the reports given to me by the Shinigami stationed in Karakura, seem to indicate that she is interested in him," Byakuya explained clearly, his voice matter-of-fact. "There is, of course, the chance that I am wrong. I am hardly an expert at understanding my sister's point of view, or relationships in general."

Now Ichigo's mother could hardly help herself; she had to know what sort of woman wanted to date her son. "What have you seen that makes you think that she is interested in Ichigo?"

"There are many subtle signs, such as her being more active and energetic when in his presence, but the key was reported to me by Hitsugaya-taicho during his assignment in the living world. It seems that Rukia prefers to sleep in your son's closet and indeed insisted on it while on assignment in the living world."

Masaki's eyes widened. That was a detail that Ichigo had carefully left out. "I was… unaware of that," she finally said, slightly in a daze. "I see your point."

"I do not believe you fully do, Kurosaki-san," Byakuya stated calmly. "Allow me to elaborate. Your son is terrible at controlling his spiritual power; until quite recently, it emitted from him constantly. Rukia was comfortable sleeping in that presence, which is rather unusual. For that to occur, she must trust him absolutely, without hesitation. The fact that she insists on it implies far more."

Masaki's mouth went dry; she could think of nothing to say to that.

The Head of the Kuchiki nodded. "I see you comprehend the gravity of the situation. It is my duty both as her elder brother to do what is best for her, just as it is your duty as Kuroaski Ichigo's mother to do what is best for him. I ask that you provide me with any information that may be pertinent to such, and in return I will do the same for you."

Masaki nodded in agreement.

"Excellent. If it is permissible, I would have Rukia visit you for a time after she returns; there may be things she would reveal to you that she would be… uncomfortable… repeating to me. Additionally, it provides another point of view as to her current emotional state."

"That's fine," Masaki assented. "Should you see my son before I do, please let him know to find me in the West First District."

"Very well." They both took a sip of tea before Byakuya turned a deadly serious expression towards Masaki. "Out of respect for Kurosaki Ichigo, I give you this warning: Kurosaki-san, your son is extremely powerful, and would be a valuable asset to those he supports. You must take extreme care; you represent leverage over him, and have little protection, political or otherwise. Trust no one. If you can, persuade your son to stay with you until he is no longer needed." They reached the doors to the mansion, and the noble taicho locked eyes with his companion. "Kurosaki Ichigo's strength is a direct threat to the status quo."

"What do you mean?"

"Yamamoto-sōtaicho, the leader of the Gotei 13, has been the strongest being in Soul Society for centuries, no, millennia. This has never been challenged, until now. A human, a teenager no less, may be stronger than him," Byakuya explained succinctly. "History dictates that when a being gains too much power, too quickly, the most common scenario is that the being will go mad and become a threat to everyone around it. When considered with the observation that Kurosaki Ichigo embraces his Hollow powers, it is plain to see what Yamamoto-sōtaicho is likely thinking."

Masaki's grip threatened to shatter the teacup she was holding. _"He plans to kill my son?"_ she hissed. "Ichigo's done nothing wrong!"

"I concur," Byakuya agreed with a regal nod of his head. "There are other factors at work, however. According to all reports, Kurosaki Ichigo has amassed a considerable following, both within and without the Gotei 13. Should overt action be taken against him, it is increasingly likely that a civil war will begin. As a result, I suspect that you will be used against your son. Souls without power, such as you, are very rarely tracked, and accidents happen in every district. To circumvent this, I repeat my suggestion that Kurosaki Ichigo stay by your side until the possibility of hostility has waned."

Masaki didn't doubt that Ichigo would do just that if she asked it of him. But she didn't want to be a burden on her son! "I see. You have given me much to consider, Kuchiki Byakuya. Thank you for your time and consideration. I shall be returning to my residence now."

"As you wish. I shall have a servant escort you."

* * *

That evening, Ichigo looked out towards the sunset. It was hard to believe that he was really, truly, getting the vacation he wanted. It felt like a dream. Glancing at the phone that Urahara had gave him, he smiled when he realized that it wasn't ringing. Nothing terribly important had come up, and that meant that Ichigo had plenty of time to relax.

"Then why do I feel like I should be preparing for something?" the Substitute murmured aloud. "Aizen's dead, the Central 46 is crippled, I'm on good terms with most of the taicho, Ulquiorra would warn me if something happened in Hueco Mundo…" Ichigo shook his head, trying to clear his head. "It's probably just a side effect from the war; I'm not used to not having enemies yet."

Deciding to take a shower to get his mind off things, as well as rinse off all the salt and sand that had clung to his body from the excursion to the beach, Ichigo stepped into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. One steaming hot shower later, Ichigo dried himself off with the towel and glanced briefly at the mirror to make sure he hadn't left any shampoo in his hair.

He yelped with surprise when instead of his normal reflection, he saw his Resurreccion self – horned mask and all. Jumping back and hitting the wall painfully, Ichigo tried to slow his suddenly-racing heart. Looking into the mirror again, he once again saw something aside from his own reflection.

Or rather, he did see his mirror image, but not in the usual sense. **"Heya, Ichigo," **Ichigo's Hollow reflection greeted with a smirk.

"Aside from nearly giving me a heart attack, what's up?"

"**I want to renegotiate our deal." **

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with the way it is now?"

"**There's no point in our deal anymore. You've gotten all the Hollow powers I know of, and you've got Resurrección. You're not afraid to fight, and you've acknowledged that you like fighting. You have the instinct, and the experience to use it. Vasto Lorde is the last upgrade in your Hollow evolution line, and you don't want that just yet because you're having difficulty controlling your power as it is. Until that time, I have literally nothing left I can teach you that I know of."**

"That doesn't explain why you want to change our biweekly fights," Ichigo pointed out.

"**I can't win against you anymore if you go all out," **Cazador admitted reluctantly. **"I can't stop you from entering Bankai, or Resurrección; Zangetsu and I were borne of your soul, and now that you have accepted that you are the source of your own power, we have only as much control over your power as you allow us."**

"So you want me to impose a restriction on myself during our fights?" Ichigo guessed.

"**Nah; it's not as much fun knowing that you're holding back," **Cazador denied easily.** "It'd be kinda insulting, really. I only ever want to win if I've earned it, Ichigo. Same as you."**

"So, what do you want, then?" Ichigo was baffled; if Cazador didn't want him to hold back so they could fight on equal footing, then Ichigo had no idea how to make their fight fair.

"**What I want, Ichigo, is to sleep until I'm needed. I blame you for this change, by the way," **the Hollow avatar of Ichigo's powers remarked casually. **"Your heart, our heart, yearns for rest, to take a break from fighting. That leaves me, the embodiment of your instinct, to sleep until you call me forth again."**

"Um, sorry?" the Vizard tried to apologize, unsure if Cazador was upset about the change or not.

Cazador smirked in response. **"I'll always be here in your soul, Ichigo. You ain't getting rid of me that easily. The next time your blood sings with the thrill of combat, I'll be there. In the meantime… G'night, King. See ya later." **

_Only my Hollow could make a pleasant farewell sound dark and creepy,_ Ichigo thought to himself as he felt Cazador de la Luna settle and fade into silence inside his Inner World. Shaking his head and noting that the mirror now gave his true reflection, Ichigo threw on some casual clothes and looked out once more at the sky – dusk had fallen and the first of the stars could be seen.

Ichigo let a tiny smile cross his face. "Things are finally beginning to look up," he murmured.

The door opened suddenly, and Renji entered the room carrying a familiar lion plushie. "Hey Ichigo, Rukia just threw this at me and wants an explanation. She'll be by in a minute, so I think you should get your story ready."

"Ichigo!" Kon cried out pitifully. "I begged and I pleaded to be allowed to stay with them, but Rukia-nee kicked me out!"

Ichigo couldn't say he was surprised. "That's too bad. She probably didn't want to run the risk of accidentally waking up with you cuddled next to her or Inoue. You don't exactly have the best track record, you know."

Kon sighed as Renji set him down on the table. "Ichigo, why is he here?" Renji questioned again.

"He did me a favor," the Substitute Shinigami said simply. "In return, he wanted to come along. Didn't really think it'd be a problem."

Renji shrugged. "I've got no problem with him; it's Rukia you have to worry about."

Ichigo sighed, hearing the sound of stomping footsteps coming closer. _And 3… 2… 1…_

Rukia slammed the door open, looking absolutely murderous. "ICHIGO!"

"Yes, Rukia?" Ichigo asked tiredly.

"Why is hehere?" she demanded.

"Apparently Kon did him a favor," Renji reported, saving Ichigo the trouble of repeating himself.

"Kon is a person too," Ichigo reminded Rukia. "He wanted to come along and actually spend some time with you before you went back to Soul Society since we don't know when you'll be back. I can sympathize."

Rukia began to deflate on hearing that. "But he doesn't have to sleep in my and Orihime's bedroom! You know how he is!"

"I know that Kon is usually a perv," Ichigo admitted. "But it's his right to ask, you know." He turned to Kon. "And it's her right to decide whether you can stay there. She's said no, so that means you're staying with me for the time being."

Kon nodded, a little put out. "If that's how it is, then I guess it's fine." He looked up at the diminutive Shinigami. "Can I come over to talk sometimes, at least, Nee-san? After vacation's over, you'll be going back to Soul Society again for Kami knows how long."

Rukia crossed her arms and sighed in defeat. "That's fine. You can come over after dinner for a short while."

The Mod-Soul immediately brightened up. "Thanks, Rukia-nee!"

* * *

Yoruichi flashed into Urahara's vision, touching down lightly on the ground. "I was too late, Kisuke. But I have to agree, the reiatsu was most assuredly not Shinigami, and not Hollow, though it was similar enough to a Hollow's to be mistaken as one at first glance."

"I see," Urahara mused. "That doesn't leave many other options. Still, it's not enough data to determine with any precision whether it's a unique being, or simply one difficult to catalogue. We will have to wait until it appears again."

Yoruichi nodded, with a slight smirk. "For once, something interesting happened without Ichigo-kun here. He'll be pissed."

"Eh, I did promise we'd take care of any issues while he was gone. Let him have his vacation," Urahara advised, waving a paper fan in front of his face. "By the way…"

"Yes, yes, I know, another Hollow just appeared." Yoruichi groaned. "Back in a few." She Shunpo-ed away to take care of the interloper.

Urahara narrowed his eyes in thought, looking at a map he'd pulled up. This was the second time the pseudo-Hollow had appeared before vanishing. Carefully marking the map with a red marker where the enemy had been, he nodded to himself as he confirmed that both events were relatively close in location. Was there something attracting the foe, or was it simply an area it liked? More research would be required. But why was the reiatsu so terribly familiar…?

* * *

And that's that for the chapter. I'll say it again, this one fought back hard.

So now Yamamoto's aware of Ichigo's strength, and Cazador de la Luna is hibernating. Byakuya warns Ichigo's mother, who must find a way to protect herself and Ichigo. And Urahara has found new things to research.

Anyway, next up, my spoiler rant!

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So, Inoue has a new technique, the Shiten Kōshun. Combining defense with attack - interesting choice. I wonder if she has any others up her sleeve.

Ichigo apparently has gotten his ass kicked and hard. Not really a surprise, there. But given how quickly his powers are evolving, that can't happen much more. But what's up with that Fast Forward button? I swear, if Yukio's Fullbring allows him to manipulate time currents for Ichigo to get three months of training in an hour, I will be most displeased.

Now, who the hell is with Isshin and Urahara? Based on what little of him/her we can see, I will guess that it's Renji. But what are they doing?

Anyway, that's it for now.


	41. Vacation Interrupted

I know it's been a while since my last update, and I apologize. Life has gone even busier than usual - I'm tutoring so much at my old college my wife thinks I should just buckle down and get a Master's degree so I can teach there.

Work is picking up at my actual job too... But thankfully, I have vacation time coming up!

Anyway, first up are review responses, as usual.

To all those who complained that I was making Ichigo seem weaker than he is...

Ichigo has no idea what the senior taicho are capable of - none of them dared to use their Bankai. So he's uncertain of whether he could beat them. Especially since his powers are so well known. That's using caution, not feeling inadequate or weak.

James D Fawkes - I'm glad that my Bankai formula helped out! Rukia seems to be a popular choice for granting a Bankai, but between you and me, your idea is very similar to my own. She truly is a yuki-onna.

Majin Hentai X - Hell arc is on its way. :) Read this chapter and you'll find out.

Writing Bunny - the assassination attempt on Hinamori, at this point, is being treated as a solitary event. Since the perp is dead, not much they can go on.

wind daffodil kyuuketsuki-san - Ichigo is definitely hopeless. But you can't really blame him. He has ongoing interpersonal issues because his social education was severely stunted. He couldn't ask his father anything, and he was ostracized due to his hair. His mother was dead, and who could he ask? The guys he beat up?

Lalaith Quetzalli - No worries, this will definitely not go for 10 more years.

mist shadow - I am completely ignoring the current anime. It's an ok plot idea, and it's interesting considering that it was an available idea ever since Nemu was introduced, being an original artificial soul in an original artificial body. But it has no place in my fic.

* * *

Chapter 41: Vacation Interrupted

Byakuya was relaxing, practicing his calligraphy when a loud, panting voice interrupted from directly outside the door. "Kuchiki-sama! There is urgent news!"

Sighing to himself, the Head of the Kuchiki raised his head and looked at the door solemnly. "Enter."

The door flew open and Byakuya's internal alarms went off when he saw that it was the escort he'd sent with Kurosaki Masaki. The escort was injured, with his clothing ripped and torn, but his blood flowed slowly from his wounds. He had obviously been attacked, but the wounds were shallow, non-critical. It wouldn't have been urgent unless he'd been defeated, and judging by the rate of blood flow, it was a short time ago. Byakuya would have narrowed his eyes were he a lesser man who displayed his emotions and thoughts for all to see. "You have been attacked, and defeated, no more than 10 minutes ago. Your charge was taken from you. Take me to where you were."

Startled at his master's succinct and accurate summation of the news, the escort took a moment to react, then nodded sharply and turned around, running back the way he'd come, using Shunpo as soon as he hit open space.

Following easily, Byakuya mentally nodded to himself and made a note to show some form of appreciation for his trainers; they'd obviously taught the Kuchiki servants well. The escort's Shunpo was mediocre compared to the average Shinigami, but rarely was more skill required. His servant's voice interrupted his musings a moment later. "Here, my lord!"

Byakuya looked around the area. Begrudgingly, he had to admit that whoever the kidnappers had been, their spot was well-chosen. It was outside the grounds of any noble family, and relatively close to the West Gate. The suspect list was maximized: it could have been anyone in the Seireitei.

"Tell me what you can about your assailant," he ordered calmly, but sternly.

"He was quick," the escort reported. "Very fast. Completely covered in dark clothes, except his eyes. Didn't say anything at all, just appeared out of nowhere, knocked Kurosaki-san out with the handle of his sword, and then attacked me. He vanished with her as soon as I was knocked down."

"Vanished? Did he use Shunpo?" Byakuya asked to clarify.

"I, I think so, sir."

"Hmm." _That narrows the suspect list down to those trained in Shunpo. Hardly an improvement, but it is one nonetheless. _"Is there anything else?"

A nod was his response. "He left this where he disappeared," the servant explained, passing him a piece of paper.

Byakuya scrutinized it with suspicious eyes.

_Kurosaki Ichigo,_

_We have your mother. Come alone to Sōkyoku Hill by noon tomorrow. Failure to do so will result in her soul being summarily banished to Hell. _

The 6th Division taicho looked up from the paper, unable to keep his eyes from narrowing. He knew that handwriting – it was that of Soifon, taicho of the 2nd Division. _Has she truly gone mad? And surely she does not have the capacity to do such a thing… Then again, the Onmitsukidō is known for information gathering and spying… It may be possible for her to find how to do such a thing, and I know no others with the resources to find out independently. _

_Alternatively, _Byakuya thought critically, _Yamamoto-sōtaicho could be aiding her. He would certainly know how to open the Gates of Hell. Neither of them holds any affection for Kurosaki Ichigo. This would fall under his modus operandi to get rid of a threat subtly, as well as test my own loyalties simultaneously. My recent actions, aiding Rukia and Abarai to escape and aid Kurosaki Ichigo, would certainly warrant that. _

Eyes dark, Byakuya came to a decision. "Return to the estate. I will handle the situation personally."

"Hai!" The Kuchiki servant, who still remained nameless, acknowledged with a salute and vanished in a burst of Shunpo.

A moment later, Byakuya was gone from the clearing as well. Materializing just outside the 1st Division HQ, he stepped inside. "I require a meeting with Yamamoto-sōtaicho."

Nodding sharply, Sasakibe-fukutaicho led the way. A few moments later, Byakuya stood in front of the sōtaicho. He explained briefly what had happened. "Sir, this appears to be Soifon-taicho's handwriting, and the description my servant gave me seems indicative of an assassin. What are your orders?"

Yamamoto's change in expression was subtle, but the way the temperature rose in the room was enough indication for Byakuya to conclude that Yamamoto was furious. "Arrest Soifon-taicho, and bring her to me immediately!"

_So it was not a test, _the 6th Division taicho mused. "Hai." Once more, the Head of the Kuchiki flickered away, this time to the 2nd Division HQ. Stepping into the taicho's office, he instead found Soifon to be absent. Focusing his senses outward, Byakuya realized that neither Soifon nor her rotund fukutaicho were nearby. _This does not bode well. _

With a nod to himself, Byakuya made a decision. He would spend the night scouring Soul Society for Soifon in an attempt to follow Yamamoto-sōtaicho's orders without unduly involving Kurosaki Ichigo. However, should he fail, very few people were capable of catching Soifon should she be located, and Byakuya would contact Urahara to acquire Yoruichi's and Kurosaki's services.

* * *

Ichigo woke to the sound of the phone that Urahara had given him ringing. It was early in the morning, the Substitute noted sleepily as he shielded his eyes from the sun coming in from the window. "Mmph?" He groaned, picking up the phone. "Kuro… saki Ichigo speaking," he greeted, his family name interrupted by a yawn.

"It's Kisuke. We've got serious trouble. Ichigo, it's your mother."

Ichigo was fully awake in a heartbeat. "What happened?"

"Ichigo?" Renji muttered, waking up as he felt his roommate's increase in reiatsu. As soon as he saw Ichigo's too-serious face, he sobered up and waited for Ichigo to get off the phone.

The Vizard's eyes narrowed. "I'll be there as quickly as I can." He hung up the phone. "Kon."

"Y-Y-Yes?" the Mod-Soul stuttered, looking nervously at Ichigo's humorless expression.

"Take care of my body while I'm gone."

Renji looked at his comrade grimly. "Ichigo, what happened?"

"My mother's been kidnapped by someone in Soul Society. Soifon is the prime suspect. Tell me how to open the Senkaimon."

Renji winced. _Oh, this can't end well. _"Try not to fight the entire Gotei 13?" he offered weakly.

"No promises." Ichigo reached into his pack and dug out his Shinigami Representative badge, smacking it against his chest and emerging from his body in his Shinigami form. He drew Zangetsu and looked at Renji expectantly.

The tattooed redhead nodded. "Envision Soul Society as best you can. Then, holding that image, envision where we are right now and compartmentalize them into two separate things. I find it easier to think of them as dimensional bubbles. Let me know when you've got it."

A moment later, Ichigo nodded. "What's next?"

"Remember the Dangai, and place it between your images of Soul Society and the living world. When you have it, focus your intent to cross the barrier between the dimensions and thrust Zangetsu forward," Renji taught. "If part of Zangetsu seems to disappear through an invisible curtain, then just twist and the Senkaimon appears."

Zangetsu began to glow a light blue before Ichigo's eyes, and he slowly pushed his Zanpakutō forward through the air. Just like Renji had said, Zangetsu could still be felt, but the latter half of the sword was invisible. Ichigo gave a sharp twist and withdrew his trusty blade.

The air in front of the Vizard twisted and distorted before materializing the sliding doors of the Senkaimon that would lead Ichigo into the Dangai, and from there to Soul Society. Before he could step through, Renji gripped his friend by the arm. "Ichigo… Are you sure you don't want us there?"

Ichigo looked at Renji. "Yes, I'm sure. I don't want any of my friends to see what I'm going to do."

"And what are you going to do?"

"Whatever it takes." Ichigo broke Renji's grip and entered the dimensional gateway.

"Ichigo!" Rukia's voice cried out as she burst into the room, just in time to see the Senkaimon close behind her friend. "Renji, what the hell is going on? Why is Ichigo going to Soul Society?"

Renji looked at his old friend, fists clenched. "Rukia, you didn't see what I saw, when Ichigo and Aizen continued their fight in Soul Society. He… he…" He shook his head. "Rukia, we need to seriously consider that the Gotei 13 might not exist tomorrow."

"What?" Rukia gasped. "No… he wouldn't…!"

"Ichigo's mother was kidnapped by Soifon-taicho," Renji explained hollowly.

"Oh. Oh no," Rukia breathed, casting her eyes on where Ichigo had disappeared into the Senkaimon. _Ichigo… _

* * *

Ichigo stepped into Soul Society without incident. Not trusting himself not to verbally eviscerate the first Shinigami he talked to, the Vizard focused for a moment on his spiritual sense. The largest concentration of spiritual power, which likely belonged to Yamamoto or a group of taicho, was… _This way. _Ichigo began walking purposefully, even as he seethed with barely-contained rage. _My mother… How dare she? HOW DARE SHE? _

Ichigo hardly noticed that every step he took left blackened scorch marks on the pavement; his reiatsu had slipped into its evolved state and his power seethed invisibly around him. It was perhaps for the best that he didn't hear the several Shinigami recognize him and whisper excitedly about him, following at a distance to see why he was in Soul Society.

It was not long before Ichigo reached his destination: the 1st Division Barracks. Entering swiftly, he ignored everyone else and walked with a purpose straight into Yamamoto's office. Byakuya and Yamamoto looked at him as he entered, but stayed silent.

_Fine then, I'll break the silence. _"How did this happen?" Ichigo asked quietly, but with frigid tones and narrowed eyes.

"Your mother, Kurosaki Masaki, had joined me for a casual conversation over tea," Byakuya replied calmly, apparently unperturbed by Ichigo's bluntness. "One of my servants was escorting her home when they were attacked. My servant was defeated, and she was taken. Evidently, the attacker also left a note which orders you to meet someone at Sōkyoku Hill at noon today, or else your mother will die. The note was written in Soifon-taicho's handwriting. We have not been able to contact her since."

"Don't you have some sort of locator Kidō?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes. Bakudō 58: Kakushitsuijaku," Yamamoto confirmed. "There are limitations to that spell, however. Firstly, it requires the user to remain in one spot. Secondly, there is a range limit. Thirdly, the user must be familiar with the reiatsu he or she is attempting to track, which is why we have been unable to use it to track your mother. Fourthly, there are ways to avoid detection from this spell in any case, which are well known to Soifon and the Onmitsukidō due to their nature as assassins. As a result, its applicability in this situation is low."

Ichigo scowled. "Do you have any other method to track her?"

"No," the Head of the Kuchiki responded. "Soifon, as leader of the Onmitsukidō, has mastered how to erase her presence entirely."

"So the only choice is to have me go along with the note and wait on Sōkyoku Hill," Ichigo concluded darkly, turning to leave. "Fine then."

"Kurosaki Ichigo," Yamamoto rumbled, halting Ichigo's step. "We would have you visit the 12th Division to have a listening and tracking device planted and concealed upon your person, in the event that an unexpected situation occurs. We will, of course, remove the devices after the issue is resolved."

"Alright."

"On a final note, be warned: whoever has your mother has threatened to send her soul to Hell. That is highly forbidden knowledge; any who know the methods are extremely resourceful. I had thought I had destroyed all the records centuries ago. Do not underestimate them."

Ichigo faced Yamamoto seriously. "Got it. Thanks for the warning." When there were no further comments, the Vizard nodded and turned on his heel. Opening the door, he looked over his shoulder. "Let me leave you one of my own: if my mother is not found and retrieved safely, Soul Society will burn." He was gone before they could reply.

"…That was not entirely unexpected," Byakuya finally remarked a minute later.

"No… it was not," Yamamoto agreed heavily. "Can you see why I believe another war is coming? He would sacrifice the entire afterlife to save one soul."

"I understand your perspective, but I respectfully disagree with your conclusion, sōtaicho," Byakuya demurred.

* * *

"That's all you want?" Mayuri asked, disappointed with the Vizard's request. "Surely you would let me…"

"No," Ichigo replied firmly. "Yamamoto asked me to get listening and tracking devices, not to donate a limb or piece of my reiatsu."

"It's not like you can't regenerate it," Mayuri tried to persuade him with what he obviously thought was a reasonable argument. "Think of the science!"

"No."

"You can't simply expect me to not to at least get a sample of…!" the taicho exclaimed disbelievingly, only to halt when he felt Zangetsu's tip resting against his Adam's apple. Utter silence fell in the room; no one drew a Zanpakutō on the taicho in his lab. No one.

"I am not a test subject," Ichigo whispered harshly. "And I am not in the mood to put up with anything right now. I am only here because Yamamoto asked me to be. If you are unwilling to help, I will be leaving." He replaced Zangetsu on his back, its wrappings automatically sheathing the blade. Then Ichigo did an about-face and began to make his way out.

Mayuri scowled. "Fine then! Have your trinkets!" He scooped up two rather small, seemingly random devices from a nearby table and threw them at Ichigo, who sidestepped and caught one in each hand. "The one in your left hand is the tracker. It's designed to go on a leg, since you're less likely to lose that than an arm. The device in your right hand is the listener. Just stick it somewhere on your uniform and it'll blend in seamlessly. The devices are largely covered in Sekkiseki stone to prevent your evolved reiatsu from harming them. Now if you aren't here to help my research, get out of my sight, you selfish plebian!"

"Gladly." Ichigo walked out briskly, and then quietly equipped the devices as Mayuri had specified. The tracker was reminiscent of living world tracking bracelets; Ichigo found that it fit disturbingly well. The listener was really just a tiny transmitter stuck on a pin, Ichigo saw, and he just put it on his chest. True to Mayuri's word, it flashed for a moment before blending in, changing the color of the Sekkiseki to match Ichigo's black shihakusho. _An illusion? _he wondered vaguely.

Shaking his head to clear it, Ichigo refocused on the issue at hand. His face a mask of determination, he flickered away, appearing where the Sōkyoku had been a few moments later. He sat and closed his eyes, focusing entirely on his reiatsu sense. In his mind's eye, he felt hundreds, thousands of reiatsu signatures at the various barracks. Several of them, he recognized as being taicho or various fukutaicho or officers that he'd met, but Ichigo was focused on finding two in particular, and he was looking throughout Seireitei.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the living world, Ichigo's friends had just been told the bad news by Rukia and Renji in the privacy of Inoue's room. Renji watched as his allies, his friends, transformed visibly from vacationing teenagers to combat-ready warriors almost in an instant.

"I knew we couldn't trust the Gotei 13!" Ishida spat, before whirling on the messengers. "Why aren't you two with him?" he demanded angrily.

"Because Ichigo can take care of himself, and someone needed to be here to tell you what was going on," Rukia replied firmly. "Besides, I know I'm no match for Soifon. She's too fast for me, and Renji too."

"Hmph! Thanks for your vote of confidence," Renji said irately, glaring at his best friend momentarily. "Even so, she's right," he agreed reluctantly, turning back to the others. "Also, consider that Ichigo killed Aizen. Do you really think he won't kill anyone and anything that threatens his mother? He blatantly told me that he doesn't want his friends to see what he's going to do."

Chad stared straight ahead, his mind elsewhere… He was back in Soul Society, trying to save his Abuelo… El Brazo Izquierda del Diablo… the smell of blood and death lingered in the air, corpses littering the ground from La Muerte… talking to his Abuelo afterwards…

**Flashback**

_"This Kurosaki Ichigo… if his family had been taken by Aizen's forces, and tortured to demoralize him, how would he react?" Oscar asked pointedly. _

_Knowing that his Abuelo was trying to teach him once more, Chad thought hard about the scenario. "… I think he would snap," he finally said. "Ichigo would unleash his full power and kill them all in a dark rage, or die trying."_

**End Flashback**

Chad forced himself back to the present, perfect comprehension cruelly making itself known. It killed him not to be by Ichigo's side during this trial, but Chad understood his best friend's intentions. He was trying to spare them the fear they would feel witnessing him at his darkest, the nightmares from wondering if anything else would enrage Ichigo to the point of transforming him into the murderous beast, the horror of realizing that Ichigo was in full control during every horrible thing he deemed necessary to save his mother. "We should remain here," Chad proposed, silencing everyone else in the room. "We should abide by Ichigo's wishes."

"How can you say that?" Inoue asked disbelievingly. "He needs us!"

"He needs us to stay here in order for him to do what he feels has to be done," Chad corrected. "Everyone has something that they cannot tolerate. Even Ichigo. Right now, Ichigo cannot tolerate his mother being held captive by a powerful member of the Gotei 13. There's no way to know whether she did it on orders from her boss. And if that's the case, Ichigo will kill everyone responsible."

"How can you know that?" Rukia questioned quietly.

Chad considered how to answer for a few moments. He could confess that he'd killed his Abuelo's tormentors, but he wasn't comfortable with revealing that. He could simply say that he'd known Ichigo for a long time, but that made it sound like Ichigo was occasionally capable of murder, and he didn't want that. Finally, he decided on an answer, and simply shrugged. "It's his family. Wouldn't you kill to protect those you call family?"

The others took on varying expressions of pensive self-analysis. Inoue nodded quietly, obviously remembering Baraggan. Rukia and Renji glanced at each other, and nodded in sync. Ishida took the longest, but he finally nodded assent as well. "I… I suppose I understand a little why Kurosaki-kun wants us to stay here," Inoue slowly acknowledged. "But if it were me… if my brother were the one captured… I don't know what I'd do, but I'd want my friends with me to help."

"That's because you're a pacifist, Orihime," Ishida pointed out in a gentler tone than normal. "But… we all saw Kurosaki's Resurrección." A pronounced silence fell upon the room as each of them recalled the terrifying form Ichigo had assumed – thick blood-red patterns adorning bone-white skin, wicked curved horns atop a nightmarish mask, claw-like hands and talon-like feet, and a Hollow hole… "All I'm saying is that if Ichigo doesn't want us to come, then I think it's likely he's going to use it again… He doesn't want us to think him a monster."

* * *

Finally, Ichigo was forced to admit that he couldn't find his mother's reiatsu, nor Soifon's, anywhere. Frustratedly scowling, the Vizard opened his eyes and checked the sun: it was approaching noon. Glancing around once more, Ichigo saw someone running towards him. Scowling, he drew Zangetsu. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"I am… Norune Murosuke," the man wheezed. "I was ordered… to deliver this message to Kurosaki Ichigo at noon here…"

Ichigo growled angrily. _Another message? _"That's me. Hand it over." Almost snatching the paper from the hapless messenger's hands, the Vizard's eyes scanned over it:

_Kurosaki Ichigo,_

_Perform the following tasks. As before, failure to comply will result in your mother's immediate banishment to Hell. _

_Leave your Zanpakutō and Hollow mask at Sōkyoku Hill. _

_Remove any tracking or listening devices you may have on you. I will know if you have not._

_Keep your reiatsu undetectable, and make your way to the West 4__th__ District by 1:00 PM. There is a bar there known as "The Hero's Hold"; enter it, and look for a blond man wearing blue. He will give you your next message, and proof that Kurosaki Masaki yet resides in this world. _

Ichigo scowled upon completion of the note. _Zangetsu. How far can I summon you from? _

_I am always with you. Call me, and I will come to you, one way or another. _

Reassured, Ichigo promptly stabbed Zangetsu into the ground, the cloth on the end trailing in the wind. Drawing his Gillian mask, he placed it atop the sword and stepped back. He took off the devices Mayuri had lent him easily, and as he set them down as well, the Vizard realized, _Hold on. If it's Soifon, how would she know whether I kept my tracking or listening devices? Does she have someone in the 12__th__ Division? _Ichigo privately thought that was unlikely – Mayuri would never tolerate it. _Or is there some sort of technology-detecting Kidō or something? _Wishing once again that he had better knowledge of Kidō, Ichigo had no choice but to do as the kidnapper wished.

Completely ignoring the still-recovering messenger, Ichigo Shunpo-ed away. Leaving through the West Gate, he looked to the side and noted Jidanbō, the Keeper of the West Gate, was looking at him curiously. "Hey, Jidanbō."

Recognizing his voice at last, Jidanbō broke into a smile. "Kurosaki Ichigo! It has been a while. I do hope you didn't have to break back in? Somehow I don't think my axes would be much challenge to you anymore."

"No, I didn't have to break in," Ichigo reassured him. "Wish I could stay and chat, but…" he turned a serious look outwards. "There's something I really have to do."

"Ah, a mission?" Jidanbō realized, before nodding. "I get it. Time-sensitive and all that. I won't keep ya."

"Thanks, Jidanbō." Ichigo vanished once more, flickering up into the air and then forward at high speed – now that he was outside the Seireitei, he could walk on air just like in the living world. After a few minutes, he landed softly, though to those nearby it would seem as though he had simply materialized.

Approaching a random shopkeeper – Ichigo did not have the time to be choosy – the Substitute quickly asked, "Sorry, I'm a bit lost. Am I in the 4th District?"

"You're close – this is the 3rd District," the shop owner corrected. "Just a few more minutes' walk though. Anyplace in particular you're looking for?"

"The Hero's Hold. I'm meeting someone there."

"Ah, not a bad bar. That's closer to the 5th District… might take you close to an hour, though, unless you got that fancy Shunpo."

"Just point me in the right direction," Ichigo urged. Obligingly, the shopkeeper pointed in the appropriate direction – further west, of course. "Thanks." Once again, Ichigo disappeared.

"Hmph!" the shopkeeper grumbled, turning around and cleaning up his stall a bit. "Youngsters… always in a hurry. It's not like we're gonna die anytime soon. This is a peaceful district."

Several minutes later, Ichigo stood in front of The Hero's Hold. Stepping inside briskly, Ichigo recalled the instructions and scanned the bar. Sure enough, in the corner there was a young man who appeared in his mid-to-late twenties, with short blond hair and a blue kimono. He was sipping some sake, and met Ichigo's eyes unflinchingly as the Vizard stalked over to him and sat across from the blond.

Glancing at the time, the stranger whistled lowly. "You made good time."

"I don't care about that. Where is my mother?" Ichigo questioned firmly.

"I don't know," the man admitted. "All I know was that I was paid a good amount of money to be here, and give you this package if you arrived before 1:00." He reached down to his side and slid a packet across the table.

Taking it, Ichigo quickly opened it. Inside was a familiar-looking orb, and another paper. He quickly skimmed through the new message:

_Kurosaki Ichigo,_

_The orb is infused with a Kidō that will allow you to view your mother by inserting a small amount of your reiryoku into it. Please note that large amounts may break the device, and if that happens, it will not be replaced. This will serve as your evidence that she is still in this dimension, and that she has been left unharmed. _

_Now that you have received your proof, it is time to get down to business. Simply put, you are a danger to the status quo of Soul Society. So, the solution is to remove you. Your task, Kurosaki Ichigo, is to disappear. Completely. You are to go beyond the bounds of civilization and live alone, never contacting anyone, for the rest of your existence. In return, your mother shall be released, her memory wiped of her time in captivity, and monitored. Should you attempt to contact civilization, your mother will be recaptured and immediately sent to Hell. _

_We will know whether you are adhering to the rules. _

Once again, there was no signature, which was really pissing Ichigo off. It was aggravating enough to be blatantly ordered around, but to not even know who was pulling his strings was simply outrageous.

Worse, Ichigo felt that if he could just get the orb back to the Gotei 13, someone would be able to determine where it came from. He'd never come across an object that could cast specialized Kidō before, outside of the Shiba's cannonball barrier orb. He stiffened. _Wait. _Ichigo looked again at the orb that was included in the package. Now that he thought about it, the artifact _did _heavily resemble the Shiba's barrier orb… It even operated similarly, just inserting reiatsu into it triggered the effect…

_No way, _Ichigo thought in horror. _No way would Kūkaku or Ganju do this to me. Not… not unless they had been trapped or forced into making this… Who could do that to them? They move all the time, and Kūkaku would have raised holy hell if something happened to Ganju. _

_Ichigo, you have no time to sit and contemplate your situation, _Zangetsu warned, breaking Ichigo from his musings. _You must move. _

_Right. _The Vizard stood abruptly, surprising his partner at the table. "I have to go." Dashing out the door, he leapt up into the air and flickered out of sight, heading west.

_Ichigo, Byakuya and Yamamoto are at Sōkyoku Hill and are speculating why you left me there. They are close to the truth. You must move more quickly if you wish to keep to the order not to contact anyone. _

Ichigo snorted bitterly. _I can't imagine that it'd be hard to imagine my situation… Wait. You're there. There's no way anyone has seen your materialized form outside of me and Yoruichi. Is it possible for me to manifest you wherever your sword is? _

_It is possible. What would you have me do, once I am manifested? _

Startled by the question, Ichigo almost stumbled in midair before regaining his balance. It was a good question. After several moments' private consideration, he nodded to himself. _What we need to know is who is behind this. We can't plan any measures to save my mother until we know where she is, and the best way to find that out is to know who planned it. _

_Looking at the clues we have, we know that the notes thus far have been written in Soifon's handwriting, according to Byakuya and Yamamoto. Soifon has suspiciously gone missing. _

_However, the second note revealed knowledge of the tracking devices. Granted, that could have been a lucky or educated guess, but how would the culprit know if I kept one, especially the one wrapped in Sekkiseki stone? Mayuri didn't seem like the kind of person to allow someone else's subordinate to work in his lab… So unless he simply didn't know, that rules out Soifon and instead suggests Mayuri and good planning. It can't be out of his ability to duplicate someone else's handwriting given a sample. _

_But the last note wanted me absolutely gone, and our meeting with Mayuri this morning indicated that he wanted me to stay so he could research and experiment on me. So it can't be him, and I can't imagine that knowledge of how to send someone to Hell would be distributed to non-taicho, _Ichigo reasoned.

_Have you considered that the writer may simply be lying about being able to detect the tracking devices? It is a simple intuitive leap to assume that you would carry them, given that you are allied with the Gotei 13._

_Yeah, but without some way to check, we have to assume everything that was written is true, _Ichigo pointed out. _For all we know, they might not even have the ability to send Mom to Hell. But we can't take the risk… _His eyes were drawn to a forest as he passed overhead in his Shunpo, and he decided to pause for a moment and try to reexamine his situation.

Landing on a rather thick, gnarled branch of one of the trees, Ichigo noted that he was out of sight of any civilians, so he took out the latest note again, rereading it and spotting something of interest. "Whoever is behind this, he's doing this because he wants to maintain 'the status quo of Soul Society'. Not the status quo of the Gotei 13, or of the balance between worlds…" Ichigo thought aloud. "Just of Soul Society. That probably means whoever he is, the bastard was affected by the recent changes to the Central 46. Might even be on the new Central 46 himself. Damn it! As if this wasn't complicated enough already! Now even if I get the bastard, I'll probably have the Gotei 13 gunning for me anyways!" Ichigo rubbed his temples, getting a headache. "I hate politics," he decided.

_Use the artifact, _Zangetsu suggested. _Perhaps you will see other clues. _

Mentally agreeing with the recommendation, Ichigo pulled out the orb and, following the note's words of caution, put in as little reiryoku as he could into it. It immediately shone bright white before displaying a very lifelike 3D image in the air above it, picturing his mother and her surroundings, in full color and apparently in real time. Masaki appeared to be sitting down on a simple bed in a comfortable-looking stone room, reading a book. The room was apparently lit by a light fixture on the ceiling. Strangely, Ichigo could not see a door. _There must be one somewhere… she's got to eat, doesn't… No, _Ichigo cut himself off. _She doesn't need food… not unless she develops power of her own. She could be held indefinitely. Damn it! _

_This also explains why we could not sense her earlier… that stone must be Sekkiseki. _

Ichigo nodded – it was a reasonable conclusion. "But that much Sekkiseki… It has to have come from somewhere, and unless they just tore it from the wall, which I doubt, there has to be a record of it somewhere. That'll be your task: find where someone could acquire enough Sekkiseki to make a room like that. If we find that, we'll have a lead to go on."

_Understood. Be warned: while I am absent, you will be unable to use Bankai, and your power will regenerate extremely slowly. Use wisdom in future use of reiryoku._

"Got it." Ichigo focused hard on manifesting Zangetsu back at Sōkyoku Hill, envisioning it, willing it to happen. Then he felt the perpetually-calm spirit of his blade leave his soul, and Ichigo smiled tightly – it had taken a large chunk of his power to manifest Zangetsu so far away from himself. "Looks like I have my soul to myself for a while," he quipped as he shook his head and jumped out of his tree, ready to move on.

* * *

Zangetsu was slightly disoriented as he materialized on Sōkyoku Hill, but even so he recovered quickly. He'd been given a mission by his wielder, and Ichigo was counting on him.

"Who are you?" a very familiar voice demanded sternly from behind him.

Effortlessly picking up the cleaver that had been driven into the ground, Zangetsu turned around. Affecting an almost-unnoticeable smirk, he turned to face the leader of the Kuchiki. "I am Zangetsu." 

"Why were you left here?" Yamamoto intoned quietly. It seemed impossible, but if Kurosaki had been defeated…

"A messenger delivered the next message from whomever kidnapped Ichigo's mother. One of the commands was to leave my physical form behind. I have come here on Ichigo's command: an object with the ability to project Kurosaki Masaki's current surroundings revealed that she is within a windowless room with no visible method of entry," Zangetsu reported. "We suspect the walls are made of Sekkiseki. However, Ichigo is unable to continue the investigation in person due to the final condition for Masaki's continued safety – he must not come into contact with any civilization. He is currently heading west, looking for an area to reside until a plan is established. He has charged me with finding where large amounts of Sekkiseki may be acquired." 

"How long can he maintain your manifestation?" Byakuya queried calmly.

"Indefinitely. I am not fighting to remain in Ichigo's Inner World, as Bankai has already been achieved, and Ichigo's soul is strong enough to support prolonged separation." Zangetsu narrowed his eyes behind his tinted glasses at the taicho of the 6th Division. "Now that I have answered your questions, perhaps you can answer mine. Where could a noble acquire large amounts of Sekkiseki?"

"Why do you suspect a noble?" Yamamoto countered with a low rumble.

"That is irrelevant, but in the interests of maintaining a working relationship, I shall answer," Zangetsu acquiesced reluctantly. "The notes we were given indicate that the writer or writers were impacted by the abrupt change to the Central 46 that Kyōraku Shunsui implemented recently. Given what is known of Central 46's election procedures, and the artifact delivered to Ichigo, the signs are clear: it is likely that at least one noble family is involved. Now, I repeat: where could a noble acquire large amounts of Sekkiseki?" 

"Sekkiseki can be purchased in small quantities from known dealers in the Seireitei, and from black markets throughout the Rukongai," Byakuya answered, his expression not changing in the slightest. "For larger quantities, a noble family must do business with the Pokire family. The Pokire family was charged by the Spirit King to manufacture Sekkiseki and safeguard the secrets of its development. A law was later implemented that the Pokire must report all such transactions to the Central 46 where the information will be entered into the Daireishokairō."

"I see. Then I require permission to view the Daireishokairō records of recent Sekkiseki transactions," Zangetsu stated flatly, his shaded eyes turning to meet Yamamoto's slits.

"You will need to go through the Central 46 to acquire such permission," Yamamoto replied, opening his eyes slightly to convey his seriousness. "My student's action regarding the Central 46 only impacts their abilities to make critical decisions such as declaring war. Access to the Daireishokairō is not classified as such, and may only be granted by the Central 46."

Zangetsu's face tightened. "If what we suspect is true, I will not receive it. If I find myself without options, I will return to Ichigo, and I believe he will carry out his threat from this morning."

The top of Yamamoto's cane smoldered, throwing off a few stray sparks around his hands as it threatened to burst into flame and reveal the true form of Ryūjin Jakka. "He will find it harder than he thinks to defeat me."

"Ichigo doesn't have to defeat you," Zangetsu replied, tightening his grip on his blade. "Your powers clashing would create a cataclysm that would serve Ichigo's purpose just as well – a vivid demonstration of power, and a statement that he will not tolerate anything happening to his friends and family, even if it means fighting the most powerful Shinigami in the Gotei 13. If you truly wish to prevent a war between the Gotei 13 and Kurosaki Ichigo, you must aid us."

"Why should the afterlife bow to a mere child's desire?" Yamamoto asked dangerously.

"Why should a man not destroy that which continues to do him wrong?" Zangetsu riposted. "Tell me, Yamamoto, what would you do if the situation were reversed? What would you do if some unknown force successfully captured one of your loved ones and threatened to banish him or her to Hell unless you did as ordered for the rest of your days? Would you let that person be destroyed to continue your duty as your position dictates, and eventually catch the villain in the end? Or would you whatever it took, even reduce all creation to ash, to rescue your loved one as your heart commands?" 

"I do not have the luxury of acting on solely my behalf!" Yamamoto growled. "I am sōtaicho of the Gotei 13! Regardless of my feelings, my actions must reflect my duties and responsibilities! If I do not obey the law, what sort of example is that to all those under me? 'If you are strong, the rules do not apply?' I cannot simply abandon everything! The one can never come before the many!"

Zangetsu scoffed. "What kind of example is it to abandon those you care for? Ichigo would tear the very skies asunder to protect those he claims as his. He is unafraid to blacken the night, to make everyone fear that he will hunt and consume them under the pale light of the moon, if it will safeguard those he cares for. And he will do just that if given no other choice." He lifted his Shikai blade, pointing it directly at Yamamoto challengingly. "You have three choices, Yamamoto Genryūsai-Shigekuni. Help us, step aside, or draw your blade and stop me by force, because I will not back down, I will not abandon the ideals that my wielder holds within his heart!"

* * *

Oh dear. Zangetsu vs Yamamoto? I tried really hard to keep Zangetsu consistent with my previous portrayals... Also, I was interested in how Shikai commands and Zanpakuto spirits are created, and I came up with a working theory. The command phrase reflects how far someone is willing to go if it came down to it.

For instance, Yamamoto would reduce all creation to ash. Ichigo would tear the sky asunder. Soifon would sting all enemies to death. It doesn't quite work with all of them though... Ukitake and Shunsui most prominently. Still working on the theory.

But it worked nicely for Zangetsu's speech at the end. And it elaborated on just what it means for Ichigo to blacken the night. :)

Time for the canon rant!

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So... Ichigo has regained his reiatsu sense. And his Fullbring is going to combine with his Shinigami powers and create another form that transcends Shinigami existence. Interesting. I really like the new form though. I wonder if Ichigo will make the connection that it's made up of alternating white and black, to represent both sides of his soul? Or it could just be me assigning symbolism where it doesn't belong.

And, of course, the Fast Forward ended up making it so only a short time passed instead of days, as anticipated. But WHOA! Archenemy in the room! I wonder if he did the sword through Yuzu's heart trick to make her trust him... AND DAMN IT WHAT IS ISSHIN DOING?


	42. Helpless

FINALLY. I have been so busy lately I haven't even had time to write! It's been a month and a half, and I apologize but this is a much shorter chapter than usual.

Truth be told, this chapter fought me, very very hard. It didn't help that life in general has been hectic.

Anyway, first up as usual are the review replies.

I received many comments regarding Zangetsu's speech, and I must say I was not anticipating that it would have such an impact. Thanks for the support!

My Zanpakuto release theory will be discussed in more detail at the end of the chapter.

Bglswrth454 - Zangetsu is the one materialized because Ichigo is not in Bankai. Should Zangetsu use Bankai, he'll become Tensa Zangetsu.

Faroush - Nice guess, it turned out to be very close to the truth.

Shizuka-naru Goketsu - Ichigo did have Hollow powers, yes. Which is why he could do Fullbring to begin with. Originally, Ichigo was human. Then he was human and Shinigami when Rukia gave him her powers. And then he was human, Shinigami, and Hollow when Urahara helped Ichigo develop his own powers via the Shattered Shaft. The Saigo no Getsuga Tensho made Ichigo with human and Hollow powers.

Fullbringers have human and Hollow powers. As a result, Ichigo could learn Fullbring.

10-tailed-sephiroth - Yes, Ichigo still has the white vest, even without the mask. It's worn underneath his normal Shinigami outfit and usually isn't seen, so I don't address it often. It was shown earlier because his Bankai outfit had been largely obliterated prior to that by the combination of his Getsuga Tensho and Aizen's Kurohitsugi.

Impstar - My thought is that when Ichigo FINALLY dies as a human, his soul will remain the same, with Shinigami and Hollow powers as they were prior to his death. But I haven't decided that for sure yet.

empty ink - Thanks for the compliment to my fight scenes. I used to have to work really hard to make them feel right, nowadays they come a bit easier. As for the other things you've mentioned, give it time. I do have things planned.

The-Endless-Hourglass - I'm honored that you find my fic inspirational. I hope to see some quality fiction from you someday. Admittedly, I haven't checked your profile yet, so I'll do that when I have some time.

Next up, definitions. Sorry, I goofed last time and forgot to give those out.

Daireishokairō - Great Spirit Library. Pretty much all Central 46 records are stored there. Ukitake found out about the Hogyoku on one of his visits after the Central 46 was slaughtered by Aizen.

Yare yare - common saying, means something similar to "oh well", and it's frequently used by Urahara.

Togabito - Unforgiven. This is the term for those souls who have been damned to Hell.

* * *

Chapter 42: Helpless

Byakuya stepped between Yamamoto and Zangetsu's standoff, calm and collected as always. "This confrontation is unnecessary. Kurosaki Masaki was captured while being escorted by a Kuchiki representative. This is a severe blow to the Kuchiki credibility, one that must not go unanswered. In light of the current situation, Zangetsu, I wish to hire your wielder to continue the investigation as he sees fit. The amount to be paid may be negotiated at a later date. Is this acceptable?"

Zangetsu's eyes did not leave Yamamoto's. "It is."

Nodding, Byakuya turned to the sōtaicho. "The investigator the Kuchiki has hired has uncovered evidence that implicates one or more noble families. Due to the delicate nature of the relationships between noble families, and the newly discovered possibility of corruption within the Central 46 that would hinder the investigation, the Kuchiki requests aid from the Gotei 13."

Yamamoto's reiatsu lowered significantly. "Very well. Let us go to the Central 46. Should they decline to help, as I have been requested by the Head of one of the Four Noble Families to aid in an ongoing investigation, I shall declare martial law."

Zangetsu lowered his blade and nodded silently.

"I must call for an emergency meeting of the Central 46," Yamamoto continued. "I shall meet you at the entrance to the Central 46 Assembly Hall. Kuchiki-taicho, you will escort Kurosaki's Zanpakutō there."

"Hai," Byakuya accepted. Yamamoto promptly turned on his heel and Shunpo-ed away.

Byakuya began walking down the path away from Sōkyoku Hill. Zangetsu joined him a moment later, his sword vanishing into reishi that were quickly absorbed by the sword spirit. "You have my thanks, and my wielder's," he said quietly to Byakuya as they began walking in the appropriate direction.

The 6th Division taicho looked at him regally. "I am merely doing my duty," he replied coolly. "Part of Kurosaki Ichigo's role as investigator is to keep me informed of all pertinent information to the case. Tell me of the artifact you mentioned."

"As you wish. The artifact is an orb that appears similarly to an orb given to my wielder by the Shiba. The Shiba orb was used to break through the spiritual barrier around the Seireitei, whereas this orb displays Kurosaki Masaki's current surroundings. Both merely require the insertion of reiryoku to create the effect," Zangetsu summarized.

"I assume you have not investigated the Shiba yet."

"No. The artifact was given to Ichigo with the message that he could not contact any civilization. An additional issue is that the Shiba are difficult to locate – they move frequently, as noted by Shihōin Yoruichi."

"True," Byakuya acknowledged. "I shall have some of my servants attempt to discover their current location. What can you tell me about the handwriting of the messages?"

"The handwriting is still the same as the first, which you and Yamamoto say belongs to Soifon."

Byakuya gave Zangetsu a glance out of the corner of his eye. "I see you share the same disposition towards suffixes as your wielder."

Zangetsu inclined his head, but said nothing in return, and the two of them continued towards the Assembly Hall in silence.

* * *

Ichigo frowned. "Zangetsu wasn't kidding about slow reiryoku recovery," he muttered. He had hardly regained any since he'd materialized the sword spirit. Repeated Shunpo use had gotten him much further, almost to the West 50th District, but it had also drained him enough that even Ichigo could feel the difference.

The Vizard had a feeling the only reason he was regaining any power at all was because his Hollow side could feed on the power lingering in the air. _I could also eat something, I guess, but I don't know what is and isn't edible in a forest, and I'm not allowed to go shopping… Not that I have any money that Soul Society would accept. _

Just then, his stomach rumbled – he hadn't even eaten breakfast, and now it was well past noon and Ichigo was dealing with power depletion. _Great. As if I needed more problems. That's just not fair. _But Ichigo would not call Zangetsu back – the Zanpakutō was busy doing what Ichigo had asked. Sighing, the Substitute Shinigami decided to descend to the ground and walk for a bit to try to find an isolated spot that he could stay in for the time being.

_If it was just reiryoku, I would go to Hueco Mundo, _Ichigo thought bitterly. _But I don't know what'd happen if I did that while Zangetsu's here, and I don't want to risk anything happening. Plus, opening a Garganta would definitely be detected. _He sighed as he landed on the soil of the forest floor, shaking his head. _No, I have to stay somewhere in Soul Society. Hurry, Zangetsu. _

"Something wrong, Ichigo?"

Ichigo nearly jumped out of his skin before turning around to see… a black cat. "Yoruichi?"

"Who did you expect?"

"No one, that's the point!" Ichigo sighed, before remembering the situation. "Quick, get away! If I'm detected talking to anyone then Mom'll be sent to Hell!"

"Then you won't be talking to anyone," Yoruichi sounded rather smug. "I'm a cat remember. You'll just be talking to yourself."

Ichigo breathed a sigh in relief. "Alright then, just keep your voice down, ok? I'm not sure yet how they're tracking me, though I'm sure they are… somehow…"

Yoruichi jumped onto Ichigo's shoulder and lowered her voice appropriately. "So, fill me in. Kisuke told me your mother was captured and the threat about Hell."

Ichigo quickly related the events of the day. "So, I've got Zangetsu materialized and trying to find out where a noble could get that much Sekkiseki."

"Hmm, you say the orb looks like the Shiba's variety? Show me. Make it look like you're just going to look at your mother again." Yoruichi's voice was little more than a whisper. Ichigo did as bid and channeled the barest amounts of power he could into it, triggering the image. Masaki had set down the book and was instead writing in a journal.

Peering closer at it, Ichigo could barely make out what she was writing. She'd apparently been at it for a bit, as the page was full of notes. Of all things, it seemed to be a letter to him!

_Ichigo, I don't know when you'll be able to read this, but my captors told me that you'd be able to see me and my surroundings whenever you use something they gave you. I hope it's clear enough for you to read this. Just in case it is, I'm writing this to tell you everything I know in the hopes that you'll be able to use it somehow to find me. _

_I don't know who captured me, unfortunately, and I was blindfolded until I got in this room. I still don't know how I got into this room… I can't find any doors or windows, or secret latches from this side. But they must be getting in somehow, as the books and journal wasn't here when I first arrived. _

_The walls are thick enough that I can't hear anything from in here. The silence alone is enough to drive someone insane, but the note I found on top of the books says that I'll be released within a few days, assuming you do as they say. Ichigo, if you're reading this, I hope they aren't making you do something terrible. _

_I can't imagine you to have many enemies, so hopefully there's not many to search through. The only ones who knew where I live now were the Kuchiki, and the Berean noble families, along with your friend Urahara. I told Kuchiki Byakuya myself, and he doesn't seem upset with you, so I don't think it's them. _

_I don't know how the Berean family found me, but they did and told me they were in charge of safeguarding forbidden knowledge and using their records to provide advice for the Central 46 when they need expert opinions. They wanted to update their records on Shinigami-Hollow hybrids, but now I'm not sure if that was all they were after. _

Masaki had paused there for a bit, tapping on the desk lightly as she thought, which gave Ichigo plenty of time to read what she'd written thus far. Finally, she sighed and wrote down one more thing. _I hope that helps. I'll write more if I think of anything else. Good luck, Ichigo. _With that, Masaki stood from the desk, leaving the letter open just in case, and moved to the bed and lay down. She looked at the ceiling with a strange expression that Ichigo had never seen on her face before. It wasn't fear, nor was it hope. It was more like…

"I bet she feels so helpless right now," Yoruichi murmured. "Unable to do anything but wait."

_Yeah, helpless is the word for it, _Ichigo agreed silently. Without a word, he turned off the projector.

"I can see how you would think this is a Shiba-style Kidō orb, but I can tell you that's not the case," Yoruichi told him a few moments later. "The Shiba specialize in fireworks and earth-based Kidō, as you probably recall, and their barrier orb was originally created to shield them from accidents. The barrier itself is relatively mid-level, but the infusion into easily-used objects took prodigious skill. Such skill, in fact, that they had to have them commissioned from the Kidō Corps until they learned how to do it themselves. In comparison, what we just saw was an extremely difficult, high level spell that bypasses even Sekkiseki. Very few people indeed could have made that orb, and they would almost certainly know who it went to."

"Can you find them?"

Yoruichi smacked Ichigo's ear with a paw, making him hiss and instinctively reach up for his abused sensory organ. The black cat jumped gracefully to the ground. "Who do you take me for, Ichigo?" she hissed softly, but more teasing than anything else. "I was the leader of the Onmitsukidō, and Head of the Shihōin. I can find _anything and anyone_. Don't get into trouble while I'm gone." With that, she sauntered away through the forest easily.

Ichigo sighed again, but this time in appreciation. _Thank Kami for friends in high places. Maybe this'll be resolved quickly. And then… _His fists clenched as he contemplated what he'd do when he knew who was responsible. _… they'll pay most dearly._

* * *

Zangetsu and Byakuya finally arrived at the entrance to the Assembly Hall, where they waited patiently for Yamamoto's arrival. Several minutes later, he appeared in front of them in a flurry of Shunpo, where he promptly pushed open the doors and walked in. His companions followed silently.

Inside, there was an obvious place for them to stand to address the council, and they did so. Zangetsu took the opportunity to surreptitiously look around – there was little light, and where the members were sitting, there were plaques numbering from 1 to 46 obscuring sight of their faces.

"Why have you called this emergency session of the Central 46?" one of them asked – Zangetsu was unable to tell whom, which he supposed was the point.

He stepped forward to address the query. "I request access to the Daireishokairō, to view recent records of Sekkiseki purchases made through the Pokire family." 

"And how is this an emergency?" a different voice demanded critically. "And who are you? You do not dress as a Shinigami."

"I am not a Shinigami, but I have been hired by the Kuchiki family to investigate the matter of a kidnapping and assault," Zangetsu replied strongly, not bothering to answer the latter question.

Murmurs arose from the circle of unknown Central 46 members. "Kidnapping and assault? On the Kuchiki?" a third voice whispered disbelievingly. "Kuchiki Byakuya, elaborate on this man's testimony."

Byakuya inclined his head. "Very well. One of the Kuchiki servants was escorting an esteemed guest. They were assaulted, and his charge kidnapped. The investigation indicates that my guest, whom I wish to remain anonymous at this time, is being held in a location surrounded by Sekkiseki. I require access to the records to determine potential leads to the investigation."

There was silence for a moment, and then an old man's voice rang out with the weight of authority. "I believe I speak for the Central 46 when I say that such an act against a Noble Family cannot be tolerated. It is our job as the government to aid the members of our society, and such a situation is exactly the reason why those records exist at all. I move that we allow Kuchiki Byakuya and his investigator access to the Sekkiseki records. If any among our esteemed members disagree, let them speak now."

"I disagree," a decidedly younger man's voice called out immediately. Zangetsu made careful note of his voice, wanting to be able to identify it later should he hear it again. "I find myself suspicious, Kuchiki Byakuya. Why would you disguise the identity of your guest, when it is your guest that you are attempting to rescue from a supposed imprisonment? How do we know that this guest is not an enemy of Soul Society?"

The air tangibly grew thicker with reiatsu, though Byakuya's expression did not change. "I suggest being more careful with your words, Councilman," he uttered in a volume only just above a whisper, yet the words echoed in the chamber. "For I do not tolerate fools who dare to accuse me of betraying Soul Society. I am Head of the Kuchiki, and taicho of the 6th Division of the Gotei 13. And you should all be _intimately _aware of how little effort it requires for a taicho to… _eliminate_… that which we do not tolerate."

The threat and reference to Aizen's massacre of the previous Central 46 sent the room once more into silence. Zangetsu half-expected Yamamoto to have intervened or countermanded the noble, but there was silence. He allowed himself a half-smirk before raising his voice to address the hidden members before him. "Are there any other objections? I ask solely so we can get to the point – this investigation is something of a time-sensitive matter." 

After a few moments of silence, a more feminine voice regally spoke, "It seems there are no further objections. The Central 46 grants Kuchiki Byakuya and his investigator access to the Daireishokairō to access the Sekkiseki records. You will be monitored to ensure you do not access any further information."

Byakuya gave the slightest of bows, before a door that had gone unseen in the shadows opened with a creak. Inside was a lighted path, and the noble began walking purposefully into it. Zangetsu followed a step behind him.

Yamamoto silently took one more glance around the room, before quietly leaving. He was glad he did not have to enforce martial law… he hoped that this incarnation of the Central 46 would continue to display rational judgment and not go the way of the former members.

* * *

Ishida paced in Ichigo's room – none of them had left, hoping that any minute Kurosaki would emerge with news one way or another. It was difficult to imagine that anything could hold him up – he'd defeated Aizen after all. But as the hours had passed, Ishida's thoughts took a darker turn. It was obvious, now that he'd thought about it. There was hardly better bait than Kurosaki's mother to draw Kurosaki back to Soul Society on short notice. Had he fallen into a trap that he was unable to leave?

Ishida shivered as the memory of Kurosaki's Resurrección flashed. He shook his head. _No, nothing can stop Kurosaki when he's got something important on the line. _Then he mentally slapped himself. _I can't get involved, even if I wanted to. I swore on my Quincy pride. _"Hmph. It's obvious that this is taking longer than expected," Ishida pointed out. "There is no point in us standing here and waiting for his return. Kurosaki will be fine. So we should enjoy what's left of our day."

"Ishida-kun!" Inoue sounded almost scandalized in her disbelief. "How can you say that? Kurosaki-kun's mother…!"

"… will be fine," Ishida insisted. "And besides, even if you wanted to help, how would you get there?" he pointed out harshly. "You can't enter the Senkaimon the way Kuchiki and Abarai can – you'd need matter-reishi converters, remember? And the only one we know of is with Urahara, hundreds of miles away!

"On top of that, Soifon is the suspect, and none of us save I could possibly match Soifon in sheer speed and brutal efficiency, and I'm already sworn to focus on the living world!" Ishida reminded them. "Face it, there's nothing we can do but have faith in Kurosaki! He will return victorious, and we will deal with the fallout later! Right now, it's pointless to just sit around waiting! In fact," he added almost as an afterthought, "we're hurting him by staying here. By all of us staying here, we're drawing attention, and if they decide to check in on us, they're going to find no reason for it with Kon in his body. The best thing we can do for him is go out, try to relax a bit, and hope he comes back before dinner!"

There was a moment of silence following Ishida's sudden rant, before Renji sighed. "I don't like it, but he's right," he admitted. "We'll feel a Senkaimon or a Garganta appear anyway, and Ichigo doesn't have to come back to this room."

Inoue bit her lip – she hated not being to help. But despite wanting to run off and help Kurosaki-kun with all her being, she knew that the Quincy was right. With a struggle, she put on a fake cheerful grin, closing her eyes in a way that she hoped looked happy so the others wouldn't see how conflicted she felt. "Right," she chirped. "Kurosaki-kun will be fine. C'mon, Rukia… let's go get our swimsuits!"

Rukia reluctantly let herself be dragged away, but not before exchanging a significant look with Renji. Neither of them were happy about the situation, but Rukia knew that if history was any indicator, Ichigo was about to get into a lot of trouble. And if something could give Ichigo trouble now that he had transcended the existence of Shinigami…

Renji heaved a mental sigh. _I had hoped that things would quiet down after Aizen died. Should've known better. With Ichigo, things will never be calm, will they?_

* * *

Urahara sighed, having just purified another Hollow. He, Ururu, Tessai and Jinta had been out all day, purifying Hollows! There was something going on, and his vast intellect was trying to determine what it could be – the attacks were all by weak Hollows, and they didn't seem to be coordinated in any one place. It was obviously a distraction, but by whom? And for what purpose?

And then his keen senses picked up that not-quite-Hollow that had been popping up. _Well, that answers that question. _Shunpo-ing quickly over, he took a good look at the intruder. As expected, it did not appear to be a Hollow… Instead, the entity seemed to be garbed in a black cloak with white rectangular buttons, and a strange light-bulb-like mask. The mask almost made Urahara conclude it was a Hollow variant, but the mask did not appear to have a mouth, and the mask itself WAS whole, so it was unlikely to be an Arrancar either.

But there was that nagging sense of familiarity as well. Deciding to simply ask the creature and hopefully get some answers, Urahara jumped down in front of the entity right before it could try to kill the terrified man it had been hunting. "Hello there," he greeted cheerfully. "And who might you be?"

"… You're not her," the creature said in disappointment. "I could've sworn hunting would bring out that girl again. Oh well, you'll make a good test too." He raised his arm, making something metallic clink underneath his cloak, and fired something out of it.

Urahara Shunpo-ed up on top of the building to his side instinctually, avoiding having a dozen strange slug-like things land on him, where they promptly exploded. He frowned – that reminded him of something. "Yare yare… I was hoping for a civil conversation too…"

"You're fast," the being complimented in a way that sounded too much like Kenpachi for Urahara to be comfortable. "Maybe you'll be a better challenge than I thought, while I wait for that orange-haired boy and that bitch."

That was more than enough information for Urahara to finish connecting the dots. "I would think that I'd be a challenge for a Hollow that was sent to Hell already," Urahara rebuked, drawing Benihime. "How did you escape from Hell, Shrieker?"

Shrieker laughed. "That's for me to know, and you to guess at! But I'm out, and it's time to test my newfound power!"

"I don't think so," Urahara decided, his voice cool. "Bakudō 63: Rikujōkōrō."

Shrieker suddenly found himself bound in place with six bars of light holding him still. But he began laughing. "You really think you've won?"

Urahara's eyes widened minutely as he leapt away from where he'd been standing, just before it exploded. But the air was filled with more of those blasted leeches!

Shrieker cackled as the air exploded far better than any fireworks display he'd ever cared to see. And the bars of light vanished as well, which simply was enough for Shrieker to think that that fight was over. "Now then, where was I…?"

"Dead." Urahara materialized right behind him, Benihime already mid-swing. Shrieker ducked, and vanished in his own high-speed technique. Urahara's eyes narrowed as he considered the new data and decided on a new plan. He tracked Shrieker easily – his eyes were trained to follow the likes of Yoruichi, the Goddess of Flash – and aimed quickly. "Hadō 4: Byakurai."

Lightning flashed, and in the bright light Urahara disappeared and reappeared above Shrieker, silent as the assassin he used to be, and swung down with Benihime.

Easily slicing into the cloak and feeling it connect with flesh, Urahara was certain that he'd finish the Hell-bound soul momentarily as Shrieker was sent screaming towards the ground. But then a strange red swirling portal appeared underneath him, and he sank into it, his screams transforming into laughter. "Fool!" the damned soul called out triumphantly. "I'll come back and get my revenge!" And then he was gone.

Urahara landed lightly on another building. Now he had the answers he had sought, but they only gave more questions. He frowned pensively. Somehow, someway, souls bound to Hell had found a way to leave. He needed to get in contact with Mayuri and coordinate resources – this was bigger than either of them, and both of their formidable intellects would have to work together to find how the residents of Hell could escape, and then eliminate that possibility. There was precious little time – there would surely be some truly terrifying souls who would take the chance to return to the living world!

Just then, a Hollow appeared on his spiritual sense, and Urahara let loose a rare curse. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed as he Shunpo-ed to the newcomer and slaughtered it in an instant. "This is Kisuke. Tessai, something's come up. I need you and the kids to take care of the Hollows for the time being – I need to get in contact with the Gotei 13."

"_Understood, sir." _

"Thank you." And then Urahara flickered away back to the shop, down to the basement, and began to make an inter-dimensional call with the equipment he'd stored there just in case such an emergency happened.

The call connected, and the video brought Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni on screen. "Urahara Kisuke."

"Yamamoto-sōtaicho. We have a problem. The Togabito have found a way out."

* * *

In the shadows of another dimension, a young man with dark purple hair worn in a long fringe looked up to see someone else approaching. Though the figure was shrouded in the darkness as well, the first man allowed himself a smirk as he recognized his companion. "The mission was a success, I assume?"

"Yes, Shuren. I have already disposed of Shrieker," the newcomer answered, his voice subservient but proud.

"Excellent, Gonjō. We will soon make our move. Gather the others and be ready to enter the living world by tonight."

"As you command." The shrouded figure bowed and faded back into the shadows. Shuren smiled in triumph as he held up a lantern that glowed with the image of a mask with twisted, forward-pointed horns as a Cero fired itself from it. "Kurosaki Ichigo… You will soon free us."

* * *

And that's it for the time being. Like I said, smaller chapter than usual, I know, and I'm sorry for that.

Yes, I'm using the characters from the Hell Chapter movie. I figured they served my purpose well enough for my plot.

As for my Zanpakuto release theory, here's my thoughts.

Like I said last time, they stand for how far a person will go, and Smirking Menace had a point about them hinting at their powers. The largest issue was with those with simple release phrases.

Like Renji's "Howl, Zabimaru!" But how does that translate into his power of an extending chain-sword, I wonder? To me, that's more of a tie-in with Renji's animal-like tendencies. I think Renji would Howl and go feral if pushed to the brink.

Or how about Rukia's "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki"? This one is more obvious for the hint for her powers, her dances. And therefore, a larger stretch for me to figure out how it works into my theory. If pushed to her limits, she would... dance? But consider that many fighting styles resemble dangerous dances if performed fluidly. So if pushed to her limit, she would fight with all her strength in a way that would appear to be a dance. A stretch, but still could work, especially since she did something similar with Aaroniero in canon...

What about Ikkaku's "Extend, Hozukimaru"? Again, a tough one. This one does relate more to the actual effect - changing a sword into a spear... But my thought is that Ikkaku would "extend" past what anyone thought he was capable of, and shut the threat down.

And so on and so forth. Rangiku would "growl" and become very ruthless. Hinamori would (and did) "snap" - I'm referencing her tearful fight with Hitsugaya when she thought he killed Aizen. Byakuya would "scatter", or retaliate in so many places that the enemy will be overcome (which resembles what he does with his Zanpakuto ANYWAY)... Hitsugaya would "Sit upon the frozen heavens", which to me means he would freeze EVERYTHING. Enough said.

Now, for the canon rant.

S

P

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My coworker and I are furious with the canon actions of Chad and Inoue. As he correctly pointed out, Ichigo doesn't usually go looking for a fight. Ichigo outright trying to kill just doesn't happen. So if Ichigo is trying to kill Tsukishima, then why don't they go "Hey, hold on a minute, what's going on?"

Hell, Tsukishima's ability is being discussed and DISPLAYED right in front of them! Don't they have ANY SUSPICION that maybe what Ichigo was telling them was true? And what about Ishida's arrival? Won't that throw a socket in their brains?

Or, even disregarding that, HOW exactly can they reconcile Tsukishima's appearance in their memories? What did he do in Soul Society, and against Aizen? Do they have any memories of him being injured, or what? It can't all add up! ARGH! GET YOURSELVES TOGETHER!

At least we know now that Ginjo was the one who attacked Ishida, and now we "know" that stabbing everyone again with Tsukishima's Fullbring, "Book of the End", will reverse the effects.

That's all for now, my brain hurts because I've been busy at work. Ciao!


	43. Hell On Earth

Hey everyone, this chapter flowed a lot more easily, but as usual life is getting even more busy!

Anyway, as usual, review replies are first:

Jiyle - Yes, it was necessary to bring them in. I can't find a sub for Hell Chapter either, but I DID find a nice plot summary which was pretty close to what I had planned anyway, and the bleach wikia has names and descriptions for the antagonists. Call me an opportunist, but I'm just using 'canon' as a guide.

DragonBlade00 - Regarding Ichigo's new look, that will be incorporated in due time for reasons to be detailed in the A/N at the bottom.

Next up, something relatively rare has happened that I feel I must address. Hogyoku ex Machina has completed, and is one of the few time travel fics I feel has been done well. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and wish its author, Mac Ceallach, the best of luck in his future forays into writing. For those who have not gone and read it, please do. Thank you.

Now, there are no new terms this week.

And onwards we go, towards...

* * *

Chapter 43: Hell On Earth

Ichigo sat in the uninhabited woods he'd found, bitterly clenching and unclenching his hands. He longed to be out there finding whoever had the audacity to abduct his mother, but he was helpless unless he wished to doom Masaki to Hell. He sighed, bringing one knee to his chest. He hated simply sitting around when there was something important happening.

_What happens if we can't find that person? Would I… would I have to stay here in Soul Society, forever unable to talk to anyone?_ _Would I have to abandon my life as a human? No one would ever be able, or allowed to find me. _Ichigo looked at the sky. _A lonely existence… was this what you gave the Hōgyoku to me for, Aizen? Did you predict something like this would happen? _

Sighing, Ichigo steadied his resolve. He knew that his mother would be released in a few days, and then there would be no way to tell who the culprit was. Should that happen, Ichigo knew that he would have to abide by his orders… despite his threat to Yamamoto earlier, Ichigo knew he wasn't emotionally capable of slaughtering all of Soul Society.

… _Yet, _the Substitute Shinigami finished with closed eyes. It was almost an echo from Cazador de la Luna… Ichigo had to be truthful if only to himself. He knew there were circumstances that would drive him to such atrocities – one had only to look at his Resurrección to know that there were no limits Ichigo would not break to protect everyone he held dear. But he hoped from the bottom of his heart that it would never come to that.

Ichigo sighed again and allowed himself to rest. His internal philosophical session had left him emotionally drained, and hopefully a little nap would help recover his reiryoku faster.

Yoruichi watched the Shinigami carefully from atop the branch she stood on. Below her was the Kidō Corps, and she was waiting for her opportunity to slip into the library to look the records. It didn't seem like much had changed from her time as Head of the Onmitsukidō, which was fortunate for her. The building itself was separate from the others – a safety precaution given how many Kidō experiments went on in the hidden complex. The top was made of glass, allowing Yoruichi a perfect look inside. She'd found out once that it was a purely aesthetic touch to the library, as a project to allow natural sunlight to illuminate the library so it would have a more natural feeling. Of course, the glass had been spelled to be nigh-unbreakable. Glancing at the sun through the boughs of the tree, she noted it was fast approaching time for dinner. _Perfect. _

It didn't take long before she spotted the librarian calmly walk outside and lock the door, before binding it with multiple silent Bakudō. The door glowed a multitude of colors the spells took effect, effectively protecting from anyone who could not break such a combination of high-level Bakudō.

Yoruichi rolled her eyes as the librarian left, apparently satisfied with his precautionary measures. _Fool. There's more ways to enter the building than just a door. _Leaping down from her tree, Yoruichi casually strolled over to one side of the building, and without a second thought broke one of the side windows with a swift kick. Quickly jumping inside, Yoruichi transformed back into her human self. She had to work quickly, and that meant she needed human dexterity.

Ignoring her nudity as was her custom, it did not take her long to locate where the records were kept – every time the Kidō Corps was called on to use their advanced knowledge to perform Kidō that were not capable of being done by anyone else, they were mandated to keep records just in case it was abused. _When power is involved, accountability is everything, _Yoruichi mused to herself.

Yoruichi rapidly flipped through the books, looking for the orb that Ichigo carried. Time passed, until she was sure that dinner had to be over and the librarian would be on his way back. She continued, and then her eyes paused. She'd found it. Making a quick note of the page, she swept the rest of the books into her arms and hurriedly placed them back on the bookshelves where she'd found them, making sure to put them in the correct order.

Yoruichi closed the record book that she'd found the answer on, and transformed back into a cat. Picking it up by the spine gently with her teeth, Yoruichi felt the Bakudō dissolve. She had no time left.

The librarian entered, and looked around. For a moment, he'd thought he'd felt some reiatsu, but after a few seconds, he shook his head. _Must've been residual from the Bakudō ending, _he reasoned. He was rather tired, after all, and hadn't done a perfect job of canceling his own work.

The Goddess of Shunpo flickered away expertly, carrying the book. She had a ways to travel to reach Ichigo again, assuming he hadn't moved far. Upon arriving almost twenty minutes later, she discovered him on the ground, leaning against a tree in a light doze. Sighing, Yoruichi decided to let him sleep – she had no idea how much reiatsu it was taking for him to be manifesting Zangetsu for so long, and he had seemed entirely too stressed lately. _With good reason, _she reminded herself. Setting the book down next to Ichigo's hand, she jumped into the tree and kept lookout.

* * *

Zangetsu observed calmly as Byakuya expertly found the appropriate tome from the Daireishokairō and flipped to the end. "Well?"

"Mm. It seems that there are three noble families who have ordered a sufficiently sizable amount of Sekkiseki from the Pokire family within the last year, which is the earliest any nobles could have possibly learned of Kurosaki Ichigo's existence," Byakuya stated coolly. "The records state that the Kasumiōji are experimenting on a new weapons forging technique, the Shiba are making their home more difficult to locate, and the Berean are expanding and securing their library."

Zangetsu's found himself frowning much like his wielder did so frequently. "What is the Berean family known for?" 

Byakuya gave no reaction to the question for several seconds as he gathered his thoughts. "They are not known. The Berean family is rarely seen or heard from, and while they do appear at social gatherings, I do not recall anything concerning their duties as a noble household."

"Duties?"

Byakuya closed the book of records and set it on the appropriate shelf as he clarified for the Zanpakutō. "The noble families are called such as the Spirit King entrusted them with responsibilities. For example, the Kuchiki family chronicles the history of Soul Society, and should we ever be called on, it is our duty to provide it to our government."

"I see. What of the Kasumiōji, and the Shiba?"

"The Kasumiōji family was tasked with being masters of weapon forging. While the Shinigami rely almost solely on Zanpakutō and Kidō, there are occasions where specialized weapons are required. The Shiba were tasked with relations to the Rukongai, and they began to specialize in fireworks. However, their status as noble house has degraded significantly since Kaien Shiba died."

Zangetsu's expression remained unchanged, but he found himself wishing he was back with Ichigo – _I hate politics._Nevertheless, he would not abandon Ichigo. "I propose we separate and individually investigate the Kasumiōji and the Berean until your servants can locate the Shiba."

Byakuya nodded acknowledgment. "I concur with your plan. I will speak to the Head of the Kasumiōji; I will assign another servant to take you to the Berean mansion." Without waiting for response, the Kuchiki Head turned on his heel and left the Daireishokairō. Zangetsu followed without a word.

Meanwhile, back at the 1st Division HQ, Yamamoto was in a three-way conversation with two of the most dangerously intelligent Shinigami he'd ever known. "Urahara, describe the Togabito that you fought."

"The Togabito was formerly the Hollow known as Shrieker," Urahara briefed the leader of the Gotei 13. "He wore a full-body black covering and a plain white mask. Nevertheless, when Shrieker spoke it was without the Hollow double-tone effect. I believe that the covering was somehow important to his escape, but without further knowledge of the workings of Hell, I cannot be sure."

Mayuri's grin could barely be contained on his face, it was so wide. "Ah, but unlike you, I _have _been studying Hell." His fingers flew across the keyboard as it pulled up the called-upon data. "Reports from those who have seen Hell's Gates indicate that an entity pulls the Togabito inside, and this matches the readings in Karakura on the occasion that a Hollow is damned there. It is likely the guardian of the gates, if you will, as the reiatsu that emits from the last several times Hell's Gates have opened has been near-identical."

Urahara looked pensively through his viewing monitor at his Soul Society counterpart, looking at the data he'd acquired with a thoughtful hum. "I see where you're going, Mayuri-kun, and I have to agree. Assuming that there's only one way out, Shrieker would have had to get past the guardian. His outfit may have cloaked his presence and prevented the guardian from reopening the Gates and pulling him back through afterwards…"

"We won't know for certain until one is captured and detained without the ability to retreat back to Hell," Mayuri pointed out.

"As we don't know how it's done, we have to assume they're like Hollows in that they can open a way to Hueco Mundo from anywhere, as long as they have the power needed," Urahara mused. "Which would make sense, considering that Shrieker was a Hollow before being sent to Hell. Some high-level Bakudō appears to be in order. I will see what I can do, and call you again when I have more details."

"Very well," Yamamoto deemed before disconnecting the call, which disconnected Mayuri as well.

Urahara sighed. He'd gathered some new data, thanks to his former student, but it was fairly evident that Mayuri had been stymied by Yamamoto's refusal to release classified information. And as a result, they were in the dark about how the Togabito had managed to escape. The need for security had once again trumped the ever-present desire for knowledge that all scientists had, and now it had backfired. _Story of every free thinker associated with a larger organization, I would surmise. Looks like I'll need Tessai's help again. And maybe some of the Vizard to help out – but I don't know how to contact them without Ichigo, and he's off in Soul Society. _

Urahara made his way back up the steps unhappily, dreading going back out and having to slay more Hollows – there was research to be done! But he paused right before reaching the door and sighed. "You do realize I was once an assassin? You know you can't hide from me in my own shop… Soifon."

From the shadows of his shop, Soifon emerged. Still facing Urahara's back, she swallowed hard. "Urahara…san. I need some assistance, and I don't know who else to turn to."

"Oh? And why would I assist you, Soifon, when it was reported to me by Soul Society that you were the one who abducted young Kurosaki Ichigo's mother? I daresay Ichigo-kun is coming for your head, and I have half a mind to give him a ring – I would really rather not be on his bad side," Urahara commented lightly. He had no such intentions – the mere fact that Soifon had come to him was a pretty good indicator that Soifon was being framed, and was, in fact, coming to him for help clearing her name while staying under the radar for the time being.

"That wasn't me or my men!" Soifon hissed in protest. "I was framed and you know it, Urahara! I would never accept someone stupid enough to leave a _note _that all but proved my guilt, let alone in my handwriting! If I truly were to abduct Kurosaki Masaki to blackmail her son, I would do it in someone else's hand to throw people off my trail. You should know that Urahara, since as you so rightly pointed out, you were once an assassin too!"

"Yare, yare…" Urahara stalled for time as he bowed his head, smirking to himself in the shadows of his hat. _I love it when I'm right. _"So, I take it you need shelter and some aid clearing your name? I imagine Yamamoto would be more likely to interrogate you just in case."

"…Hai," Soifon admitted grudgingly.

"Well, as it happens, I am in need of some help myself!" Urahara said brightly. "You see, it turns out that the Hell dimension has gotten closer lately, and somehow or other some its residents, the Togabito, found a way to escape to the living world. We don't know how or why, and that's where you come in. You capture one, bring it to me, and I do my thing. In return, I provide food and shelter, and lie to Soul Society if they ask if I know where you are. I'll also let Yoruichi know what's going on so she can search on your behalf. Does that sound reasonable to you, Soifon?"

"I hardly have a choice, now do I?" Soifon muttered bitterly. But she knew it could have been far worse – all Urahara was asking was for something she'd have gladly done on an official mission from Yamamoto-sōtaicho, or if Yoruichi has asked her. The Hell dimension was not something anyone wanted a part of. "Fine. How do I identify these… Togabito?"

"Only one has appeared so far, but it can be assumed the rest will have similar characteristics. They will be humanoid, with reiatsu very similar to that of Hollows but distinctly _off_, and will be wearing an all-concealing black cloak, with a white mask."

Soifon looked at her benefactor disbelievingly. "That's an extremely vague description."

Urahara looked up with a faux surprised expression. "Is it not enough information, dear Soifon? I thought you were a better assassin than I…"

"Shut up! It's more than enough information for me to do this job where you cannot," the Onmitsukidō commander spat, striding past the door and flickering away.

Urahara waited a few beats to make sure she was gone before chuckling to himself. _Ah, Soifon is as easy to rile up as ever. _He turned around to go back to his lab – he needed to go invent a device capable of keeping a Hollow from using Garganta. Theoretically, considering that both were forced rips from one dimension to another, it would work on the Togabito to keep them from retreating to Hell. He'd never bothered to invent such a thing before as up to that point, it was simply more efficient to purify the Hollow before it could escape that way. _But Shrieker had opened one easily, and had been in Hell for a relatively short time. If he can do it that quickly, then any others that come through should be far more difficult to pin down. _

The natural light coming in was fading fast, indicating that the sun was beginning to set. As though that were a cue, Urahara's phone rang. "Hai?"

"_Urahara-dono, we are coming back inside – Hollows have ceased to appear for several minutes, and Soifon-taicho has just arrived stating that she will take over the Hollow duties for the moment."_

"Very good. Thank you, Tessai. Let Soifon know that the forecast for tonight is heavy rain, so if she needs to dry off and get warm she is welcome to come back inside."

"_Hai, Urahara-dono." _The phone clicked as Tessai disconnected, and Urahara absently put it back in his pocket as his thoughts once more turned towards his work.

* * *

Soifon watched the sun set dispassionately, replaying the events that had led to her current situation.

**Flashback**

"_Soifon-taicho!" _

_The Onmitsukidō commander looked up from her unending paperwork, only to see her rotund fukutaicho looking considerably panicked, with ridiculous amounts of sweat seeping from his forehead. "What is it, Omaeda?" she asked wearily._

"_It's bad, taicho!" he babbled. "They're coming for you!"_

_Soifon repressed a shiver from the cold that suddenly crept up her spine. "They?" she asked critically. "Be precise, Omaeda." _

"_Hai! Taicho, Kurosaki Masaki has been kidnapped from the supervision of one of the Kuchiki attendants, and a note was left in your handwriting incriminating you!"_

_This time, Soifon could not keep her eyes from widening in surprise and a hint of fear. _

"I swear I will come at you with all of my power!"

Kurosaki is coming for me, just like he said he would. _The thought chilled her bones. "Omaeda, I am sending you on a priority mission. You are to hide from the Gotei 13 until Kurosaki Ichigo or Shihoin Yoruichi-sama comes to you. He will interrogate you for my whereabouts. Tell him the truth – that you don't know. At that point, you are to explain what you do know concerning the investigation. My life depends on you reaching him before he reaches me. Make yourself clear that I had nothing to do with this. Do whatever you must to make that happen. Am I understood?" _

_Omaeda had paled considerably, but nodded slowly. "Hai, taicho." _

_Soifon promptly vanished at speeds that she knew that Omaeda had no chance of following. She knew her best chance lay in following in Yoruichi-sama's footsteps – escaping Soul Society and hiding in the living world. _

_**_End Flashback**

Soifon never thought she'd have to depend on her portly fukutaicho, but he was her best and only hope to prevent Kurosaki from slaying her in a righteous rage. _I wonder how he's doing…? _She snorted aloud. _Probably cowering in fear somewhere. I should've approached one of my teams of Onmitsukidō… _But she knew she couldn't – they had no idea of Kurosaki's power, and would probably get themselves killed trying to subdue him. Omaeda's fear for once would work in his favor.

Then something undeniably _wrong _stabbed at her senses, and Soifon involuntarily turned around and began to Shunpo towards the source. _It's like a Hollow… but not. _Despite herself, she had to admit there truly was no good way to describe it, and that Urahara Kisuke had done his best. Then another popped up a distance away from the first, and Soifon made a sudden realization.

_They're coming in force! Shit! _Sure enough, a third joined the first two, this one halfway across the city. _Damn it, this was well planned. I need reinforcements. _The last one appeared in another location further away from the rest, and they began to spread out. _They're searching for something. _

Soifon diverted her course to attack the one closest to her. As Urahara had said, the Togabito was rather nondescript, wearing a black cloak and a white mask but otherwise humanoid. However, this one was rather gigantic, even larger than Komamura's impressive 9'5" tall stature, and possibly twice as broad, though his gargantuan hands were almost as tall as Soifon herself and had chains attached to his wrists that rattled every time he moved. _Perfect: a large target. _

Shunpo-ing right behind the giant, she launched a powerful aerial roundhouse kick right at his head, hoping to knock him out, bind him, and deliver him later. Her leg connected perfectly, but the Togabito was only knocked to the side a few feet. Turning to face her, he visibly readied himself for battle.

_Too slow. _Soifon had already launched herself directly in front of him, braced herself, and snapped off a split kick that buried itself into the giant's diaphragm. It also undid several of the square buttons on his cloak.

The Togabito leapt back with a high-speed technique that was unlike either Shunpo or Sonido, and his giant hands frantically fumbled to redo his buttons. _The cloaks are important, _Soifon realized. Now she had a target. Not letting her opponent have the time to fix the cloak, Soifon lunged forward with her sword drawn, intending to slice the cloak straight off.

But the still-silent Togabito once more evaded, and finally managed to finish buttoning up. "Now I'm warmed up, Shinigami," he announced in a deep and threatening tone. "Time for you to die." With that, he threw a right cross with his gloved hand, and suddenly his arm from the elbow down launched at high speed at Soifon, connected by a chain to the rest of his body.

Soifon dodged easily. "You're all muscle," she criticized derisively. "Not nearly fast enough to catch me."

"No?" The Togabito yanked back with his shoulder, arcing the remainder of his arm upwards.

Sensing danger right behind her, Soifon Shunpo-ed out of the way, just in time to see the Hell-bound soul's massive hand clench in midair right where she'd been a second before. "Still too slow."

"Perhaps," said a new voice, and Soifon spun around in midair to see another of the Togabito higher up than she was. "But so are you. You will never stop us from finding what we are searching for tonight."

"And what are you searching for?"

"You will see soon enough." The newcomer vanished, and before Soifon could turn around, she felt a hard chop to her neck, and everything went dark.

Shuren dropped Soifon on the ground carelessly. "Continue searching, Garogai," he ordered. The giant nodded and vanished.

Urahara's head snapped around as one of his special computers beeped loudly at him in alarm. "What? Soifon's reiatsu has just dropped, and enemies are still in the area?" _She must have been defeated. _Snatching Benihime from where she lay against the wall next to the door, the ex-assassin leapt out into the rain.

From what he could tell, the reiatsu signatures were spread throughout the city. They were searching for something. _But I have no clue what that something could be! _Urahara Shunpo-ed towards Soifon, hoping to get to her and fix her wounds enough for some assistance.

He was almost there when suddenly a _fifth _signature appeared next to one of them, and their signatures rose as if… _as if they're fighting! _Urahara redirected his course, seeing a potential ally in the works.

However, he apparently was not the only one who had noticed the strangeness, as the other three Togabito began making their way to help their comrade. It was then that Urahara recognized where they were converging. _Ichigo-kun's home! Damn it, Isshin is at the hospital helping them deal with the aftermath of transferring Karakura to Soul Society and back, and he can't get away! Yuzu and Karin are in danger!_

Urahara's eyes narrowed, rain soaking his clothes but he didn't care as he drew his beloved Zanpakutō and put on another burst of speed. "Awaken, Benihime."

* * *

Karin stared at the newcomer as he struggled to hold back his opponent. She and Yuzu had been carried outside by some freak wearing a cloak with two tentacles for arms, but the new guy had appeared out of nowhere and cut off part of the freak's tentacles, which allowed her and Yuzu to drop.

The new guy was dressed in a ragged thin white robe, with a black sash tying it closed and a black garment that covered his neck and collar. Below the garment dangled two broken ends of red chains, which was emo enough in Karin's opinion, but he also wore skintight black gloves that reached midway up his forearm and a manacle on his left wrist, which also bore another few links of a broken chain. The stranger's hair was sheer white, like that Hitsugaya Tōshiro person who she had seen a few times, but was largely covered by yet another pitch black strip of cloth that had been mostly wrapped around his head, even covering his right eye and cheek.

In short, to Karin, if it weren't for the wicked obsidian sword he wielded with obvious skill, she would have thought him a disfigured, colorblind, emo beggar.

"Run, you fools!" the stranger yelled at her and her twin.

"There's nowhere for them to go," the tentacle freak replied calmly, whipping at his opponent. "Shuren will find them no matter where they are. You can't protect them forever, Kokutō."

"Heh, I don't have to!" the newly-identified Kokutō replied with a smirk, deflecting the attacks skillfully. "Someone else is coming to help out!"

"I think not. He'll be kept a bit busy with _my _colleagues."

Just then, another Togabito, the giant, appeared and snatched up both girls with his enormous hands. "No!" Kokutō cried out in defiance. "No, you can't take them!" Leaping away from the strange tentacles that reached to grab him, Kokutō lunged at the giant and swung mightily with his blade, only to be blocked by the chains that the giant bore on the wrist that wasn't holding the girls hostage.

"You cannot cut the chains of Hell with that level of power," the tentacle-wielding Togabito criticized. "We'll be leaving now; we have what we came for."

Karin's eyes widened, and she met Yuzu's terrified gaze with a matching one, which was just enough for Yuzu to begin crying.

"Ichi-nii!" the more emotional of the sisters cried out. "Save us!"

"Ichigo will come and save us," Karin threatened.

"That's what we're counting on," Shuren's voice agreed as he appeared nearby, walking towards them calmly. "Hush, now, it's time to go to Hell."

_Hell? _Both twins' mouths opened together in horror, and called out for the one they knew would always save them. "ICHIGO!" they screamed together.

* * *

_ICHIGO!_

Ichigo snapped awake in an instant, up on his feet almost before Yoruichi registered that he'd awoken. "Ichigo, what…?"

"Not now, Yoruichi." He could still hear the echoes of Yuzu's and Karin's scream for him, and he _knew _that they were in deep trouble. He didn't know how he knew, but there was no time to theorize on the matter. "Yuzu and Karin are in trouble." A moment later, Ichigo ripped a Garganta into being without even summoning his mask, and without a second thought jumped through.

Yoruichi followed less than a second after, transforming back into a human and Shunpo-ing to keep up with Ichigo's own high speed. Only seconds later, the two of them broke through to the living world, and Yoruichi's eyes widened for a moment – if she remembered Urahara's theories about Garganta, then the distance one had to travel in the void between dimensions had two factors: the relative distance between the dimensions, and the power used to bridge the dimensions together. If the dimensions were close, then the trip would be short. But if they were far away – as was the case with Soul Society, as they had the Dangai between the living world and Soul Society – then sheer power could shorten the trip considerably. _The sheer power Ichigo pushed into this trip… it's more than I could produce normally. _

It was raining as Ichigo stepped out of the Garganta with a fearsome scowl on his. And then he saw the Togabito that held his sisters in its gargantuan hand. The whites of his eyes faded to black as a burning rage took him. The Adjuchas mask materialized without being called, and Ichigo summoned his white Shikai blade.

Ichigo's Hollow eyes glowed with power as he lunged towards the _bastards _who had dared to attack his family. A bright blue Getsuga seethed around the whole blade as everyone turned around in shock. Not daring to unleash the Getsuga where his sisters could be hurt, Ichigo brought down Zangetsu on the arm of the giant who held them.

The cleaver cut right through the cloak and arm as if it were made of butter, such was Ichigo's focused rage. Yoruichi appeared a moment later and quickly retrieved Ichigo's sisters, retreating to on top of the roof.

"Ichi-nii, the guy in white is on our side!" Yuzu cried out in warning.

"His name is Kokutō, and he was delaying them from taking us!" Karin added.

It was a good thing that his sisters warned him, because otherwise Ichigo would have slashed out at Kokutō as he approached. "They are Togabito, residents of Hell. Be careful, it's supposed to be impossible to cut through the chains that bind them to Hell, so they'll use it as a defense."

Ichigo fixed the assailants with his most ferocious glare. _**"Then I will make you WISH for Hell when I'm through with you!" **_he roared, flaring his reiatsu right before he Shunpo-ed at the congregation of them. Ichigo released his grip on the white Zangetsu before snatching at the white cloth swinging in a wide Getsuga-covered arc at the Togabito.

They scatter, most of them jumping up and over the blade of seething power. But they did not anticipate Urahara appearing right above them, Zanpakutō released and shining red and black. "Shibari, Benihime!"

A long black and red energy net emerged as Urahara swung his sword, and it caught the four Togabito in mid-jump, slamming them back down to earth painfully. Urahara landed easily a moment later. "And that should be that. Now then…"

But then the four Togabito bellowed in unison, their reiatsu flaring and forcing part of the net to dissipate under the pressure of their reiatsu. "Garogai, take the woman! Taikon, keep the new guy occupied! Gonjō, retreat for now, get reinforcements!"

"Hai." The one with tentacle arms vanished in a high-speed technique that Ichigo did not recognize, but seemed similar to Sonido.

"Now then," the one who had been speaking said with a smirk audible in his voice, looking at the Hollowified Ichigo and Kokutō easily. "Shall we?"

"_**You have no idea what you're up against," **_Ichigo breathed harshly.

"Is that right? I know exactly what I'm up against, Kurosaki Ichigo, Vizard, slayer of Aizen. I know all about your Resurrección and your Bankai, I know your Getsuga Tenshō. I think you're the one who has no idea who you're facing. Allow me to enlighten you." The abominably smug Togabito bowed lightly. "I am Shuren, a Togabito, one who will be free of Hell forever!"

"_**You know my Resurrección?" **_Ichigo demanded uneasily. _**"Then allow me to prove to you that you know NOTHING! Blacken the…!" **_

"Don't!" Kokutō warned, grabbing Ichigo's arm and halting his attempt at Resurrección before he could complete it. "That's just what he wants, Ichigo! You transcended Shinigami and Hollow when you fought Aizen, right? He thinks that you may have transcended the powers of Hell too! If you attack him with your full strength, you might break through the chains that bind him to Hell, and then he'll get even stronger!"

Shuren stared at Kokutō, and while his expression was hidden behind his mask, his voice betrayed being disconcerted. "You're well informed," he finally said. "Now, Gonjō!"

Suddenly, Ichigo felt something _very _familiar materialize nearby. Spinning around quickly, Ichigo gasped when he saw a red portal materialize right behind his sisters. _**"Move!"**_he screamed desperately as he Shunpo-ed towards his family, but it was too late. He did not have the godlike speed of Bankai to be boosted by his Hollow power. He was forced to watch as two tentacles snaked out and grabbed Karin and Yuzu around the waist, making them scream in fright before pulling them through. The portal closed an instant before Ichigo reached it.

"Retreat! We have what we came for!" Shuren yelled, opening another portal directly underneath him. The other Togabito joined him less than a second later with their high-speed techniques.

"_**Don't let them get away!" **_Ichigo screamed in white-hot fury, Shunpo-ing down towards Shuren even as he channeled even more reiatsu into the white Zangetsu. _**"Getsuga Tenshō!" **_

"Shunkō!" Yoruichi called out, her nude form now crackling with white energy as she blended Kidō with Hakuda, Shunpo-ing towards the enemies with the speed that earned her the title Goddess of Shunpo.

Urahara materialized right behind the three Togabito less than a moment later, tag-teaming with Yoruichi to attack on two fronts. "Sing, Benihime!"

Even Kokutō leapt into action, attacking from one of the sides with his obsidian blade.

An explosion of reiatsu occurred as all four attacks connected, but when the smoke faded, only no one had suffered any damage. Every one of the Togabito had used their chains to block the attacks. Shuren looked almost disappointed as the chains showed no signs of damage. "You should be far more powerful than that, Kurosaki Ichigo."

And then before Ichigo could respond, the three Togabito fell into the portal and it closed behind them.

* * *

Yep, Ichigo just failed to protect his sisters. He was caught unprepared and was unable to use Bankai, which made him simply too slow. Prepare for a major breakdown next chapter.

I figured the Shiba clan would be public relations, given their specialty in fireworks. Keep the populace happy, you know?

This is what happens when you have several plots going on simultaneously. The Kasumioji Bakkoto thing is going to occur, along with the kidnapping of Masaki, AND the Hell Chapter. And Ichigo can't be everywhere at once. But we all know where Ichigo IS going to be.

I gave Soifon what I hope was a believable story for why she disappeared, and a decent fight scene. Shuren is faster, stronger than her though, which is why she was defeated.

Anyway, now for the canon rant.

S

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And here we go again, Ichigo is back with his Shinigami powers thanks to Rukia stabbing him once again. Wonder if she'll actually keep her powers this time around.

Issue: it was against Soul Society law for her to do it the first time. Why would she volunteer to do it AGAIN when she nearly got executed for it?

Theory: Soul Society has problems. Again. And need Ichigo's help. Again. Maybe Aizen escaped their super-special prison or something.

Anyway, Zangetsu is looking more badass than ever. The "hilt" has changed, and now instead of cloth it has a short chain like Tensa Zangetsu. The blade itself is looking more... what's the word I'm looking for? Sophisticated? Evolved, maybe? How about "meaner"? Badass? Something like that.

Ichigo's outfit has changed a bit as well, incorporating Xs on his wrists and on his collar. Product of his Fullbring training, maybe? *shrug*

I may incorporate this new form into my fic after a while - need proper time to evolve, you know. Plus the appropriate scenes of "Wait, Zangetsu, why did your form change?"

Anyway, Ichigo's about to go kick some ass in canon. Can't wait to see it.

Ciao for now,

NeoRyu777


	44. Of Heaven and Hell

So, I watched the Hell Chapter yesterday after I'd finished writing the chapter. Decent movie - plenty of emotion, and a good portrayal of Ichigo's feelings for his family. Surprisingly, I'd actually kept my version of Kokuto pretty close to the Hell Chapter version without having seen it.

But enough about that, review replies are first.

To the MANY people who commented about Rukia not using her sword - I noticed that after I posted, thank you, so that answers the bit about Rukia losing her powers or no.

But that does not answer why it was done when giving powers to a human is forbidden. Luckily, canon took care of that recently to - Yamamoto ordered it.

Congratulations to RFDN and Yami-no-Tamashii, who proved their genre-savviness by completely calling that the sword was an invention of Urahara's to transfer reiatsu back to Ichigo.

No new terms this time, so let's move on to the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 44: Of Heaven and Hell

Thunder crashed, and the rain started to pick up harder, but Ichigo paid it no mind. He had failed. His sisters had been taken to Hell.

"_**No…"**_he whispered, collapsing to his knees where the Togabito had disappeared, pressing his hand to the ground, _reaching _for that doorway that they'd taken. _**"They can't… they can't be…"**_ His efforts became more frantic as he struggled to find an opening, any opening, some trace of _something _that would grant him access to that damned dimension. _**"No, no, NO! YUZU! KARIN! GIVE THEM BACK TO ME!"**_

"Kurosaki…" Kokutō started, but as soon as he finished the single word, Ichigo's hand was clenched around his shirt, lifting him off the ground and glaring with all his might.

"_**YOU! Who the hell are you? Why do you feel like one of them?"**_ the Vizard demanded.

"So you could tell. Heh. Alright, no point in hiding it. I am a Togabito as well."

"So why did you side with us?" Yoruichi asked coolly, approaching.

"Siding with you? That's not quite correct… It's not so much as siding with you, as it is I really don't like them," Kokutō clarified with a smirk. "I'm tired of them doing whatever they please."

"And that's enough for you to fight them?" Urahara questioned mildly.

"That's the way it is in Hell," Kokutō replied with a careless shrug. "Care to let me down? It's not like _I _took your sisters. In fact, I'm probably your only way into Hell!"

Ichigo growled, but let him down. He didn't trust Kokutō at all, but the Togabito was right – Ichigo had to rely on him. _**"Why are you willing to help me?"**_

"Because you're going to go fight them to get your sisters back, of course. I want them dead, you want them dead… we have the same goals, so it's an alliance of convenience," Kokutō replied flippantly, before his voice turned solemn. "Besides… while everyone condemned to Hell performed grievous sins, there are those who would betray their hearts to darkness for their families."

Ichigo ripped off his mask and narrowed his eyes at the Togabito in front of him. He didn't trust him, but he _had _helped try to save his sisters, and he could use all the help he could get. "Fine. Gimme a sec to check on something." He pulled out the special orb from his robes and channeled some reiatsu into it.

The image appeared, and what he saw immediately put Ichigo's hackles up. There were two men, and he watched one of them cast a Bakudō on Masaki. "They're going to send her to Hell!"

"Is that so?" Kokutō asked, leaning closer in interest. "Didn't know the Shinigami could do that."

"They're not supposed to know how," Urahara explained. "It's forbidden knowledge. We thought all traces of it were destroyed under Yamamoto-sōtaicho's orders, but apparently someone found it."

Ichigo turned to Kokutō. "I have to go save my mother – the more of my family is in Hell, the harder it'll be to protect them all and get them all out."

Kokutō nodded shortly in understanding. "You're gonna have to make a choice, Ichigo. I can't linger long," Kokutō warned. "I can't stay out of Hell for any extended period of time. Hell has extremely powerful protectors that serve as both the punishment for those in Hell, and for devouring intruders. We call them Hell's Will, since they respond to the needs of Hell's dimension. One of them will detect me outside Hell if I stick around too long, and drag me back anyway, and then I will be drained for quite some time and unable to help. We must either go now, or you will have to find your own way to Hell."

Ichigo was torn with indecision for a moment – he _needed _to get to his sisters, but he knew that as he was, he could not keep up with the Togabito… their speed was too great for him to match without Bankai, and Zangetsu was in Soul Society. If he could save his mother while he was there, then that was one less person to carry and protect while possibly fighting his way out from the Hell's Will… "Go then. I will meet you there."

Kokutō nodded, and mere seconds later he had disappeared into another portal to Hell.

Ichigo took a deep breath. There were so many things to do, and quickly! He turned to the Goddess of Flash, and looked her straight in the eyes – at that moment he didn't care if she were naked or dressed in the best battle armor Urahara could make. "Yoruichi, will you come with me?"

Yoruichi nodded sharply. "Who all do you have in mind, Ichigo?"

"We're bringing the Vizard, Renji, Rukia, and anyone else I can recruit while I'm back in Soul Society."

Urahara arched an eyebrow, but declined to comment on Ichigo's choice of comrades. Gingerly picking up the arm of the giant Togabito that the Vizard had vengefully taken off, he turned to Ichigo. "Then, Ichigo-kun, I now have two samples of the reiatsu needed to create an artificial gateway to Hell. I will begin work on it immediately, but I don't know how long it will take…"

"That's fine. Yoruichi, I need you to go get Renji and Rukia. Urahara can tell you where they are. I'm going to the Vizard, and then straight to Soul Society. I'll meet you back at Urahara's."

"What are you going to do there?" the former leader of Onmitsukidō asked quietly.

Ichigo turned suddenly Hollow eyes at her. "I'm going to do what I have to." And then he vanished with a flicker of Shunpo. Yoruichi kept track of him easily, but did not follow.

* * *

Appearing at the Vizard warehouse, Ichigo pushed open the door without bothering to hold back his strength. It slammed open with a bang, making the assembled Vizard jump. "Ichigo?" Shinji asked, surprised.

"Get ready for battle," Ichigo ordered with the weight of authority, his voice demanding compliance. "Meet me at Urahara's. He'll explain the situation when you get there. If you choose not to come with me, that's fine, but I will not teach you the rest of Resurrección. Make your choice."

The Substitute Shinigami ripped open another Garganta and stepped into the void between worlds, making his way back to Soul Society. He knew the way, now.

Reemerging in Soul Society above the West Gate to Seireitei, Ichigo plummeted to the ground and landed softly. "Ichigo?" Jidanbō queried. "Are you ok?"

"No. No I'm not. Let me through, Jidanbō. I'll tell you what happened later."

"Alright, if you're sure." The gatekeeper, still looking uncertain, nevertheless raised the gate, allowing Ichigo passage. Ichigo took a step into Soul Society and began to Shunpo to where he could feel his sword was.

Zangetsu raised his head as he recognized the reiatsu of his wielder coming towards him at high speed. His brow furrowed in mild confusion as he continued to follow the Kuchiki servant to the Berean mansion. _Why is Ichigo here? If he needed me, why did he not call?_He supposed he would find out soon enough.

A few moments later, Ichigo materialized right next to him, uncaring of the other man standing next to him. "Zangetsu, residents of Hell have taken Yuzu and Karin. Mom's kidnappers no doubt detected my Garganta to leave, and they're already sending her off. We have to stop them!"

"Understood." With a nod, Zangetsu began dissipating into reishi from the bottom up, rejoining with Ichigo. "My investigation has led to the Berean family."

"Got it." Finally addressing the escort as Zangetsu finished returning to his soul, he asked, "Take me to the Berean mansion, and be quick about it."

"Y-Yes sir!"

Shortly thereafter, Ichigo took a good, long look at the mansion, memorizing where it was and what it looked like. Done, Ichigo nodded. "Thank you. Now leave, and don't look back."

The servant scurried off, and Ichigo took another look at the orb, channeling more reiatsu into it. His mouth opened, his heart stopped, as he witnessed his mother unceremoniously tossed into an eye-shaped red portal – he was too late.

Ichigo fell to his knees. His whole family… his whole family except his father… had been taken to Hell? "How?" he whispered. "How can I have all this power… and yet be unable to even protect those closest to me?"

_You have not failed them yet, Ichigo. Recall that Yamamoto was the one to issue the order to destroy all traces of how to enter Hell. He will no doubt have retained that knowledge for a case such as this. If he cooperates, you may yet save them from being damned._

Ichigo rose to his feet again, renewed by the hope his Zanpakutō had given him. He vanished in Shunpo, once more heading towards where he felt Yamamoto's reiatsu. Remembering what Isshin and Urahara had said about Shinigami laws concerning Shikai, Ichigo took a few extra moments to focus outside the door to the 1st Division to seal Zangetsu, sheathing him. _Funny how easy it is when I really need it._

Striding right past Yamamoto's fukutaicho – Ichigo could never remember his name – the Vizard stepped up to Yamamoto's office and struggled to keep from just ripping the door off and demanding the information he needed. Instead, he knocked.

"… Enter." Ichigo did so quickly. "Kurosaki Ichigo, why are you here?"

"I need the information on how to enter Hell."

Yamamoto's eyes opened slightly from the slits he usually kept them at. "Denied."

Ichigo's anger flared, and he struggled to keep it in check. "My sisters," he hissed, "were kidnapped by the Togabito no more than 15 minutes ago. And my mother was sent there not 5 minutes ago! I must know!"

"I will not reveal that information," Yamamoto ruled with a heavy voice. "You are too valuable to risk on a mission to Hell to rescue three souls."

"And how will you keep them from continuing? How many souls am I worth, Yamamoto-_sōtaicho_?" The Substitute demanded, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "Twenty? Thirty?"

"They will be unable to repeat their feat – Kurotsuchi-taicho and Urahara Kisuke are working together to develop a way to block the Togabito from returning," Yamamoto stated calmly.

Ichigo took a deep breath to try to dissolve his rage, swallowed his pride – _Some things are more important than pride – _and then got to his hands and knees, and lowered his head to the floor. "I beg you. Help me to save my family. Protecting them… is the reason I gained Shinigami powers to begin with."

Yamamoto was silent for a time, taking in the unexpected sight of Kurosaki Ichigo literally _begging _for the information. The sōtaicho reflected for a few moments on how much that must have cost the transcended being, to bow and grovel for what he needed, when the boy had been able to achieve the strength he had through sweat and blood and trial.

_He is obviously not mad with power, if he is able to swallow his pride enough to beg from someone that he may be able to simply fight. _Yet Yamamoto knew what would happen if Kurosaki entered the Hell dimension. Kurosaki would be extremely prone to the effects that that dimension's air had upon those who entered it. It was too big a risk. Kurosaki entering would only create one more casualty.

"I sympathize with your plight," Yamamoto acknowledged. "It is a terrible thing, what has been done to your family. But I cannot allow you to enter Hell." He was about to explain why, but Kurosaki jumped to his feet with betrayal, sorrow, and rage mingling in his expression.

"Fine. Looks like it's time for Plan B." And with that, Ichigo Shunpo-ed out before Yamamoto could stop him.

* * *

Less than a minute later, Ichigo stood in front of the Berean mansion again. He took a deep breath. There was no turning back after he did this. He hoped that his and Zangetsu's investigations were correct, because this was his last chance before having to rely completely on Urahara _possibly_ figuring out how to get there.

Ichigo purposely let his reiatsu slip back to its unevolved state, and flared it as largely as he could. "Tear the sky asunder, Zangetsu." Almost before the blade finished shifting into the magnificent cleaver, Ichigo was speaking once again. "Bankai."

His reiatsu output skyrocketed, and Ichigo decided to take it a step further and drew his Gillian mask. The mansion shook under the weight of his power, and Ichigo channeled his power and began to Shunpo…

… only to be stopped in his tracks as three taicho appeared in front of him with their own bursts of Shunpo, blocking him. "What do you think you're doing, Kurosaki?" Hitsugaya demanded, Zanpakutō drawn. Beside him were Kyōraku, and Ukitake, who had both drawn their weapons and were plainly ready for combat.

"_**Move. The Berean took my mother and sent her to Hell, and they have a way into Hell that I need in order to save my family. You don't know what's going on, and there's no time to explain it to you. If you don't move RIGHT NOW, I will kill every last one of you," **_Ichigo warned, bringing Tensa Zangetsu to bear.

"No, you will not." Ichigo paused as Yamamoto appeared in front of them, cane held in one hand in front of him. "Reduce all creation to ash, Ryūjin Jakka." The taicho all took several steps back as Yamamoto's cane burned away to reveal his sword, alight with the flame of Yamamoto's reiatsu.

"_**Get out of my way, Yamamoto!" **_Ichigo screamed. _**"Or you will see firsthand the power I used to kill Aizen!" **_

"Is this what you have been reduced to, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Yamamoto rebuked. "Using force to achieve your goals?"

"_**I tried diplomacy, you old bastard! I BEGGED YOU, I GOT ON MY KNEES AND BEGGED! I PROSTRATED myself to you when I have done so to NO ONE! I would have done anything, ANYTHING, and you STILL would not help me save my family, you heartless old man!" **_He heard Hitsugaya's quiet intake of breath. _**"Yeah, that's right. My sisters and mother have been taken to Hell by the Togabito! I'm not asking to risk anyone else's lives, I just need the way in and out so I can get them out!" **_He spat at Yamamoto, and though the liquid evaporated long before it would have reached him, the meaning was clear. _**"So forgive me if I am a bit less than charitable, since I've met Hollows with more heart than you, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni!" **_

Though Yamamoto's face remained unchanged, the flames that engulfed Yamamoto's sword grew larger and more intense to reflect his obvious anger. "It seems that you have chosen your path."

"Yes, he has." Kuchiki Byakuya appeared in a flicker of Shunpo next to Ichigo. Drawing his blade almost majestically slow, he addressed the sōtaicho directly. "Have you forgotten, Yamamoto-sōtaicho, that this is a matter between Noble Families? Kurosaki Ichigo is a retainer of the Kuchiki family, as you yourself witnessed and Zangetsu accepted on Kurosaki Ichigo's behalf. Kurosaki Ichigo was investigating the kidnapping of Kurosaki Masaki with the full support of the Kuchiki, and he has evidently come across a commonality between his facets of investigation.

"As you have observed, the fact that the note that we received indicated knowledge of how to send a soul to Hell is extremely informative. To have such forbidden knowledge is not to be underestimated – it is highly likely that they have other measures in place to prevent my being able to catch them with that knowledge. Kurosaki Ichigo is here acting as my representative and bodyguard, and his current state of Bankai and Hollowification is meant to sufficiently paralyze those who would hinder us within the mansion, as well as detect the Sekkiseki holding room that we believe imprisoned Kurosaki Masaki. So follow the laws you uphold, Yamamoto-sōtaicho. Allow me and my retainer to pass unhindered."

Yamamoto audibly growled, but powered down his Shikai, lowering his blade. The other taicho took that as a sign to step aside, and Byakuya nodded regally as he sheathed his sword. "Come, Kurosaki Ichigo. Do not let up on your reiatsu… if fortune is with us, its paralyzing effects will keep us from being disturbed as we find the ones who banished your mother." He purposely allowed his voice to be loud enough to be heard by the other taicho, who now looked at Yamamoto incredulously. "I will attempt to sense where your reiatsu is unable to penetrate. Logic dictates that that is most likely where your mother was held. As large spiritual power leaves a mark on its location, we will be able to confirm that a portal to Hell was opened there, and from there which members had opened it."

Ichigo nodded bitterly, and the two of them began walking purposefully into the mansion.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside, Hitsugaya had no idea what to say. Had Yamamoto-sōtaicho _really _just tried to prevent Ichigo from saving his family? And Kuchiki Byakuya, who had disliked Ichigo since practically day one, had defended him and called him a retainer to the Kuchiki? Had the world gone mad? But he knew one thing for sure: if Yamamoto had attempted to keep him from rescuing Momo from a similar situation, Hitsugaya would have fought with all his power. _I suppose we're lucky that Ichigo didn't just decide to slaughter us all and come back for us later._

"Those fools…" Yamamoto breathed. "Those stupid, young fools."

"Yama-jii, why did you try to stop them?" For once, Kyōraku's voice was stern and unrelenting.

Yamamoto made a mental note that Kyōraku was growing into his future position nicely before replying. "It is as Kurosaki said. His sisters have been taken to Hell. But he must not follow – the air in Hell has an effect on all with Hollow powers. It magnifies the Hollow's effects on the mind, and for someone such as Kurosaki, who has bonded so deeply with his Hollow powers, he will likely go insane in short order, and never return. That is why I would not help him. He did not give me time to explain this, but instead came here to take the information from those who hold his mother captive."

"He wouldn't have cared." Yamamoto turned to look at the calm but determined face of Hitsugaya Tōshirō. "Kurosaki wouldn't have cared if he would go insane or not. He would have gone anyway. His family means everything to him, and he would risk his very existence to protect them." He turned around and began to follow Kuchiki-taicho and Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Do not enter, Hitsugaya-taicho," Yamamoto ordered grimly, even though he knew what was going to happen.

Hitsugaya paused, then looked over his shoulder. "Kurosaki would do the same for me. I can do no less." And then he disappeared into the mansion.

Ukitake looked between the mansion and Yamamoto-sensei uneasily, before he sighed. He could still hear the defiant, hurt insult that Ichigo had hurled at the sōtaicho.

"_I've met Hollows with more heart than you, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni!"_

The white-haired taicho feared that with the rash, grief-filled words of a teenager who had lost almost all of his family, the chance of peaceful coexistence had evaporated as quickly as Ichigo's spit had. He didn't want to have to choose who he would side with… Because he honestly didn't know. Ukitake respected his old teacher, even if he didn't always agree with Yamamoto's decisions. But the sickly Shinigami also had to respect Ichigo's heartfelt desire to do whatever he had to in order to protect those he cared for. _Wasn't that what I also strived to do? Should I be going with him?_

After a few moments' thought, he shook his head. _They'll be fine. It's not like every taicho can just up and leave at a moments' notice, and I can do my part by helping out with Shiro-chan's Division. _

Kyōraku, however, was having none of it. "Yama-jii, we want the kid on our side. The best way to do that is to help him feel like he already is. That we will, within reason, support what he does. All you're doing right now is alienating him, and giving him yet another reason not to trust us. If he can't trust us to help him protect his family, what do you think he's going to do _as soon as he gets back?_"

His voice had uncharacteristically risen into a yell as he struggled to make his point. "We had a chance to present the Gotei 13 as something Ichigo could be comfortable serving in before or after his death, and now it's ruined! You've forced him to identify more with _Hollows_! Think, Yama-jii! He's a Vizard, and the most powerful Arrancar still alive ally themselves with him! Urahara and Yoruichi, two wrongfully banished Shinigami, the founder of the R&D Institute and the Goddess of Flash, _are his teachers! _Kurosaki Isshin is his _father!_ Are you _trying _to start a war that we can't win?"

"And what should I have done, Kyōraku Shunsui?" Yamamoto challenged. "Simply given him the forbidden information on how to enter Hell?"

"I don't know, how about _not blocking his way to his family?"_ Kyōraku responded with rare amounts of sarcasm. "He _slaughtered _Aizen for holding his mother hostage. Imagine what he's going to do to you for trying to permanently condemn almost his entire family to Hell!"

Yamamoto paused – that was potentially a valid point. _Perhaps it would be prudent to be on guard for an attack._

* * *

Ichigo extended his senses, searching through the mansion for a place where his mother would be kept. He paid no attention to the Berean servants who were on their knees, choking for air as Ichigo's reiatsu pressed upon them, crushing them. He barely registered their existence, in fact. His mind as utterly focused on finding that room.

"I believe I have found it," Byakuya reported a few seconds later. "You may stop releasing your reiatsu now." Ichigo simply crushed his mask and switched his power back into its evolved state, so no one could feel it save himself. It was too much trouble right then to reign in his emotions. Nevertheless, Byakuya nodded in satisfaction. "Follow me." He vanished in Shunpo. The Vizard followed easily.

Moments later, they arrived at the door to the library. Ichigo pushed it open, and they entered. Inside was a large room, filled with scrolls and texts, some appearing ancient, some looking as though they were brand new, yet there was no one there. Byakuya frowned. "This room… it is not large enough."

"What do you mean?"

"The Sekkiseki barrier extends several feet past this wall here." Byakuya raised a palm and rested it against on the bookshelves. "I believe your mother's room may be behind the wall."

"Fine then. I'm going to open it up."

"I would advise against that," Byakuya warned. "There may be traps if the room is opened by force. This requires some finesse, Kurosaki Ichigo. Look in the room for something that does not belong; I will investigate the wall and search for a hidden trigger."

Ichigo nodded bitterly. _It's a library. Libraries are for books and references and things like that. So what would be out of place here? _He looked left, right. He could see nothing but desks and more books. His hands clenched into fists and Ichigo turned his gaze upwards, praying for the answer… His eyes widened.

"Byakuya! The ceiling!"

The noble immediately turned around and looked up. Above the two Shinigami, there was a series of torches, all of the lit with Kidō… except one. Byakuya nodded. "Well spotted. Hado 31: Shakkahō."

A perfectly-controlled orb of red fire shot out and lit the torch, and Ichigo heard a very distinct _click_. The wall in question opened up just in time for the Vizard to see the portal to Hell finish closing. Ichigo's face morphed into a mask of rage as he gripped the two perpetrators – who had apparently been busy closing the portal for the last several minutes – by their necks and started to squeeze. He could _feel _their reiryoku depleting rapidly as Ichigo's evolved reiatsu began to crush their very existence, but he couldn't have them die. Not yet. He threw them at the wall, watching them crumple to the floor in fear. Ichigo stood over them, towering and glowering as though he were an angry god. And for all it mattered to them, he was.

"You two are coming with me," he growled ferociously. "You are coming to the living world, and you are going to explain how to open that portal to Urahara Kisuke. And you're going to tell Kuchiki Byakuya everything he wants to know, or I will Hollowify…" He purposely let the whites of his eyes darken into Hollow black. "… and eat your souls. And he will watch."

The terror-stricken expressions on their faces were gratifying, but not enough to make Ichigo want to kill them any less. He knocked them both out with a relatively light chop to the back of their necks. Ichigo stepped back and approached his companion. "I need them to share some information with Urahara, but after that, they're all yours."

"Given the current situation, I believe that is an acceptable arrangement," Byakuya granted. "Very well. I assume you will make the appropriate arrangements with Urahara Kisuke?"

"Yeah. I'll get them back to you when everything's over." Ichigo made a forceful effort to return his reiatsu back to its unevolved state, picked up the two men who'd sent his mother to Hell, and hefted them onto his left shoulder. Byakuya began to leave, and Ichigo channeled his reiatsu and ripped open a Garganta.

"Kurosaki!"

Ichigo paused. That was Hitsugaya. "What is it, Tōshirō?"

"I want to come with you, to help rescue your sisters."

The Substitue nodded sharply. "Fine. I'll take all the help I can get right now. Take one of these guys and follow me. We're heading back to the living world."

Hitsugaya nodded determinedly, and they stepped through. Ichigo led the way, creating a mostly solid pathway to walk on, though there were occasional fractures and it wasn't very even. But it was passable enough to work with. It didn't take long before they entered the living world just outside Urahara's shop.

Stepping out and landing softly, Ichigo didn't bother to knock before opening the door and stepping through, followed closely by Hitsugaya. "Ah, Ichigo-kun! I trust your visit to Soul Society was eventful?" Urahara greeted.

Ichigo tossed him the still-unconscious body he'd carried. "This is a member of the Berean family. He and this other guy –" Hitsugaya laid down the one he'd carried nearby, and Ichigo barely restrained the urge to kick him. "– used a spell of some sort to open a portal to Hell. Now my mother's there too. I thought you could pick their brains and hurry things up a bit."

"Of course. The others are in the underground training room if you wish to brief them – I haven't had the time, as I've been rather busy working on a way to get you in and out safely."

Ichigo nodded wearily. "Right. C'mon, Tōshirō."

Hitsugaya didn't bother to respond with his usual demand to call him with a respectful suffix – it was hardly an appropriate time. Instead, he just quietly followed him down through the trap hole.

Ichigo landed and quickly took stock on who all had arrived. Much to his gratification, all the Vizard were there except Hachigen. Yoruichi had managed to get Renji and Rukia there as well, though they were looking a little confused. _She probably didn't tell them why they were needed. _

"What's going on, Ichigo?" Shinji asked, stepping forward. "Urahara won't tell us anything, but he's working with Tessai and Hachi upstairs on something."

"Yeah, Ichigo, what's happened? I thought you were in Soul Society trying to find your mother?" Rukia queried, confused.

"Wait, his mother's in Soul Society?" Lisa questioned incredulously. "I thought she was eaten by a Hollow?"

The Substitute Shinigami was beginning to get a headache. "Shut up!" he yelled, flaring his reiatsu. There was instantly silence. "You're here because my sisters were kidnapped by residents of Hell known as the Togabito. Also, one of the noble families in Soul Society, called the Berean, kidnapped my mother and tried to use her as leverage against me. But in the end, she too was sent to Hell. Urahara now has the servants who sent her off, so he can re-engineer a way to get us in, and out, safely.

"There are only five Togabito that we know of right now, and one of them is friendly. His name is Kokutō, and he is waiting to aid us in Hell. I don't know who or what else is there waiting for us. I don't know how strong their forces are. I don't care about any of that."

Ichigo eyes glowed bright blue with determination. "We will get my family back, but I want more than that. I want those bastards to realize they _never_ should have come here like this. We're going to invade Hell and make it _burn. _I want them to be so terrified of my very _name _that they will shit themselves every time they hear it," Ichigo swore.

Renji shivered. He'd seen what his friend could do firsthand, and if anything Ichigo sounded even more enraged and vindictive than he'd been against Aizen. _Looks like Ichigo's going to earn that nickname of his, Hell's Nightmare. _But he couldn't just let Ichigo fight alone.

Rukia, on the other hand, couldn't help but stare – she'd never seen Ichigo like this, ever. _But then again, his family wasn't involved before. Now it's personal. Just like with me and that Kaien-impersonator. _She couldn't deny that the idea of going to Hell terrified her; it was forbidden to Shinigami, and completely unknown territory. But she would follow Ichigo anywhere.

"If you want to back out, now's the time," Ichigo cautioned. "Because as soon as Urahara's done, we're going in."

"We're with you," Renji and Rukia told him together without hesitation.

"So are we," Shinji spoke for the Vizard. "We won't let one of our own do this alone. You're one of us, Ichigo. What they do to one, they do to us all."

Ichigo's expression softened a little. "Thanks."

"Ichigo," Yoruichi called, getting his attention. "Inoue-chan, Ishida-kun and Sado-kun are on their way back. I didn't have time to tell them much, only that they were needed to protect Karakura again."

The transcendent being nodded in acknowledgment. "Alright everyone, try to get some rest, because we need to be at one hundred percent."

"Is there room for one more?" a voice from the corner of the room spoke up, a voice that made Ichigo tense and narrow his eyes before turning around. Soifon stepped forward. "Kurosaki Ichigo. I failed to protect your sisters when that was my task. Allow me the chance to recover my pride by coming with you to rescue them. Besides…" Her eyes met Ichigo's willfully, "you know the power of my Bankai. Maybe this time, I can use it with pride."

Ichigo's memory was a bit fuzzy of the occasion – he'd been temporarily insane at the time, and hyped up on Hollow power to boot. _She said it was a long-range type… and I remember something about a big explosion… _Nevertheless, he nodded after a few seconds. _She'd be crazy to pull one over on us while in Hell. She's probably being honest._ "Yeah, you can come."

"I'm glad to hear it," Urahara's voice echoed in the training room as he slowly approached, carrying something that Ichigo thought looked like a bracelet. "We'll be able to open the portal shortly. This device will signal us to reopen the portal when you're done – it's a trans-dimensional transponder designed to react to pressing this button three times in five seconds." He pointed at the small red button on the side. "It's designed that way to prevent accidental activation during any fighting you may have. Once Tessai and I receive the signal, we'll open the way back, attempting to home in on the transponder. However, due to the lack of testing, we can't guarantee where the portal will open in Hell, so keep your senses about."

He then turned and gave the bracelet transponder to Yoruichi, who accepted it solemnly and snapped it into place around her wrist. That done, Urahara stood in front of everyone and began to chant under his breath. It took only a few moments, and then Ichigo felt it – the feel of Hell. Almost as soon as he thought that, a large eye-shaped portal opened in front of him and the group.

"Let's go," Ichigo commanded, jumping in. Everyone else followed without a word.

* * *

So, Ichigo's invading Hell with a veritable army, and he's looking for some Ulquiorra-esque inspiration of true despair. Gonna be a far cry from the movie.

I wanted to include the Vizard and Yoruichi because they really should've had more to do with the arc. I mean, if Hell is gonna have an effect on Hollows and Vizards - like they did in the movie - INCLUDE MORE OF THE VIZARD!

Believe it or not, I actually DID have Hell's effect on the Vizard planned out before the movie trailers released that information. I'm really trying NOT to copy the movie entirely, but damn it's like we think alike.

I was originally going to have Hiyori captured as well in order to induce the Vizard into meeting Ichigo partway into Hell. But then I realized that there was no way for that to work - Hiyori hates associating with anyone except other Vizard. She's never alone to be captured, and let's face it, if the Togabito had tried to take on the Vizard in their entirety, they'd have lost. Badly.

Anyway, moving on to the spoiler rant.

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Huh. So pretty much everyone Ichigo's ever known put their reiatsu into that blade. The Vizard, all the taicho and fukutaicho of the Gotei 13, his closest Shinigami friends, Urahara, Yoruichi... heh. I admit to being rather amused by the "I missed. My bad. I won't miss again."

I'm rolling my eyes at how Ginjo just unleashed Ichigo's Fullbring in addition to his own. I mean, I know he said he stole it, but come on already. Now we're gonna have two high-speed battles. Ginjo's gonna pull some stupid super-move enhanced by Ichigo's Fullbring, Ichigo's gonna go Bankai in response, they'll fight, Ichigo will win with a Getsuga Tensho and some flashbacks to Aizen. Then Ichigo will absorb Ginjo's Hollow powers and become a Vizard again.

I then predict that he'll go back to his Inner World, see Tensa Zangetsu smiling and Hollow Ichigo smirking - or their fusion form - and a "Welcome back, Ichigo."

Anyway, that's all for now.

NeoRyu777


	45. Abandon All Hope

Sorry this took so long to get out there. It's been one hell of a month. Tutoring, working, pregnant wife, buying a home - amazing that it'll actually be cheaper than renting a place half that size - studying for certifications... life is just hectic.

Anyway, as always review replies are first.

Eva-Saijajin - The Gotei 13 still don't know that Tessai is training Ichigo, no. Never crossed their minds.

Antares Starfire - Pretty sure it's Ichigo in spirit form. Same thing happened when Rukia first gave Ichigo her powers, remember? Ichigo appeared in a swirl of reiatsu, in full Shinigami garb? I imagine his body just simply fell down as he emerged from his body.

To everyone who commented that Ichigo didn't get the Arrancar to help out - He was kind of in a rush, and on top of that they ARE rather busy. Also, he just didn't think.

Yikari - Excellent comparison. The Cold War was a long, drawn-out war of politics and military tension between the US and USSR. Democracy and Socialism. Very similar things are happening between Yamamoto and Ichigo. Both are superpowers, capable of stopping just about anything that could be thrown at them. But they have very different ideologies that clash horribly. Yamamoto will maintain law and order at any cost, as the one cannot ever come before the many. Ichigo will protect those he cares for at any cost, for law is meant to preserve the lives of the innocent, and if it fails to do that then it falls to heroic individuals to save them.

Ichigo cannot understand Yamamoto's point of view, as life is sacred. How can Yamamoto so easily sacrifice lives when there is a good chance to save them?

Yamamoto understands Ichigo's point of view but his many years as sotaicho have left him jaded. Yamamoto is the commander of a supernatural military, and it is foolish to think that everyone will come back safe every time, that peace can be won without the sacrifice of loyal, talented soldiers.

Yamamoto is trying to teach Ichigo so the latter doesn't have to learn them the hard way, with the torturous, harsh decisions that life forces upon those with power and the heart to accept responsibility.

New term!

Kushanada - Hell's Will. The Kushanada are the guardians of Hell, the ones that serve as punishment for the Togabito, as well as pulling in the new residents, and attacking intruders. Descriptions below.

* * *

Chapter 45: Abandon All Hope

Ichigo stepped out with the others, emerging on a large square platform. "Ichigo!"

Ichigo's attention moved to his left, on a lower platform, where Kokutō was calling him. Shunpo-ing to him to make room on the platform, Ichigo faced the Togabito with a serious expression. "Kokutō."

Kokutō raised an eyebrow as he saw the number of people come through. "You've got a lot of friends, Ichigo."

"Yeah, I do. I wasn't able to prevent my mother from being banished here. Where would she likely be?" Ichigo demanded coolly.

"Probably somewhere here, on the top level of Hell," Kokutō replied, gesturing beyond the platforms. There were buildings and roads for as far as the eye could see, with strange monsters far too large to fit on the roads, somehow making their way without breaking the buildings. The creatures were the dark bluish purple of the skin of a man starving for air, with elongated skull-like heads and enormous hulking arms and shoulders that forced them to walk on all fours. If Ichigo was seeing right, they were simply phasing through the buildings. "This is where all souls first end up. On this level, the Kushanāda devour the souls that are here. Everyone runs, and trains as hard as they can, but it's no use – no one has ever managed to defeat the Kushanāda as far as I'm aware."

"What happens after a soul is devoured by a Kushanāda?" Renji asked quietly, who had approached during Kokutō's lecture.

"Everyone who dies in Hell, is reborn in Hell. Usually up here, but sometimes on the lower levels depending on how strong they are," Kokutō explained. "Those who don't have a chain, get one upon their rebirth. Get eaten enough times, and you go insane. You'll see more as we move through. We have to find a good spot to dive down into the next level of Hell – Shuren and the others are down on the third level, so we've got a ways to go to get your sisters. But we have to move quickly – the air here in Hell will kill any human after enough time, and then they'll be like me – a Togabito, regardless of whether they performed any sins in life."

"Then there's no time to waste," Ichigo acknowledged. Turning to address his comrades, he spoke loudly enough to be heard. "We're dividing up into two groups. One will search for my mother on this level of Hell. The others will join me and Kokutō deeper into Hell. Renji, Rukia, Tōshirō, you three will search for my mother, since you actually know what she looks like. Yoruichi, you go with them to get Mom to Urahara, and then lead the others back to me. Any objections?"

Rukia shook her head, remembering the happy poster of Masaki that the Kurosaki family had on the wall for as long as she'd known them, and the fear she'd felt when the Grand Fisher had molded its lure into Masaki's form to deter Ichigo's attacks. No, she knew Masaki's form well, and she knew that that was a valued asset.

Renji and Hitsugaya exchanged a glance before silently assenting to Ichigo's orders. Both had only seen Masaki once, when Aizen had held her hostage against Ichigo, but the image was ingrained in their minds – Ichigo's outraged assault made it impossible to forget.

"Kokutō, what are we looking for in order to reach the next level of Hell?" Yoruichi questioned with narrowed eyes.

"The roads down there, look for a dead end, and then jump down," Kokutō answered easily. "Not as easy as it sounds, though – most of the roads just lead into each other. Look in areas that have more Kushanāda."

"Got it. We'll find her, Ichigo," Yoruichi assured him. "Let's go, Renji, Rukia, Hitsugaya-taicho." The four of them flickered away with Shunpo.

Ichigo turned back to Kokutō. "Well? Lead the way."

"Heh." The Togabito leapt down to the roads, closely followed by Ichigo, and then the rest of the Vizard and Soifon. Immediately upon landing, they began running. "Keep your reiatsu as minimized as possible," Kokutō warned, "or the Kushanāda will notice you and try to consume you. Remember that if you die, you're stuck here in Hell!"

Hiyori scoffed. "I thought the point was to destroy everything on the way, Ichigo!"

"My family comes first," Ichigo growled. "If my mother wasn't somewhere on this level, I'd agree with you, but right now there's too much chance of accidentally killing her. If she dies, I will kill whoever killed her, and I _don't care _if she'll be resurrected down here in Hell. Got it?" he asked quietly with a glare.

Hiyori met his stare for a moment before turning away first. "Got it."

"Good." Focusing hard and feeling his Zanpakutō's understanding and consent, Ichigo once again sealed Zangetsu, and kept his reiatsu in its evolved state – that was about as undetectable as he could make it, and he could feel the others' reduce to almost nothing as well. The Vizard seemed especially good at it – Ichigo couldn't say he was surprised. They'd had to hide themselves for a century, after all.

As they ran, Soifon was relatively pensive, analyzing the situation as it stood to her. It did not escape her notice that she'd not been selected for finding Kurosaki's mother, despite having seen the admittedly beautiful woman as well. Mentally sighing at not being with Yoruichi-sama proving her worth, Soifon had to acknowledge that Kurosaki was being appropriately cautious.

**Flashback**

"…_if Yamamoto-soutaicho ever suggests you need to be eliminated, I will be the FIRST to line up for the job," Soifon promised._

_Kurosaki gave a bitter chuckle. "Typical."_

**End Flashback**

To her knowledge, of all the ones Kurosaki had brought to Hell with him to save his family, Soifon was the only one whom he had not befriended, and she had actively threatened him. It made sense then, to keep Soifon nearby where Kurosaki and his allies could keep a close eye on her and, if necessary, take necessary action. Of Kurosaki's friends, only the Vizard would be physically and emotionally capable of killing her without mercy. Kuchiki had never killed a Shinigami before, and would hesitate. Abarai would not prove much of a challenge, even with his Bankai – Suzumebachi could take his life easily. Yoruichi-sama had emotional ties to Soifon, or so the assassin liked to think.

But the Vizard… none of them knew her outside of her being a taicho of the Gotei 13, and they had been emotionally hardened by Hollowification, and betrayed by Soul Society. Paired with the fact that they were taicho and fukutaicho even before Hollowification, and they were possibly the best counter that Soifon could think of.

Soifon observed Kurosaki warily as they continued to run across the street – as before, she still felt he was too immature, too emotional to wield taicho-level power. If every taicho let their emotions rule them as Kurosaki appeared to, the worlds would have been destroyed several times over, and that was without counting Yamamoto-sōtaicho. But it seemed he had grown somewhat… he made rational plans, and delegated when necessary.

_And he finally learned how to seal his sword, _she noted with a mixture of satisfaction for the boy _finally _following the rules, and nervousness for how much control that must have required with his incomprehensible strength. _Stronger than Zaraki, with far more control. _She briefly imagined what the constantly battle-hungry taicho would be like in Kurosaki's position, and repressed a shudder. _On second thought, perhaps Kurosaki's self-restraint is something to be grateful for… _

"Alright. We've been lucky so far, not hitting any Kushanāda, but we're approaching one of the dead ends now," Kokutō announced quietly, turning left at the next intersection. "They'll sense us for sure, so be ready for some acrobatics. Don't get caught by them!" They made another right, and this time there was a Kushanāda phased right through the road, turning to face them.

Hiyori scoffed. "They don't look that tough." Leaping forward ahead of the others, she materialized her Hollow mask and opened her mouth wide, a red Cero charging for only a second before being unleashed on the Kushanāda in a blindingly bright crimson light. She kept up the Cero for a few more seconds, before letting it fade.

When everyone could see again, the Kushanāda's head and shoulders had been obliterated. _**"Hmph. That wasn't**_ so hard," she gloated, turning around as she pulled her mask sideways, keeping her Hollowified eyes but otherwise wearing her mask on the side of her head.

"Erm, Hiyori?" Rose pointed behind her. She spun, and paled a little when she saw three Kushanāda suddenly focus their attention on her and begin lumbering towards them.

"Run to the dead end and jump!" Kokutō cried, bursting forward into a run towards the dead end. The others quickly pursued.

"Baka Hiyori!" Shinji chastised frantically as he sprinted alongside the snaggle-toothed Vizard. "Now we have to avoid three of them instead of just one!"

"Oi, how was I supposed to know that would happen?" Hiyori protested, jumping up onto a neighboring building and leaping forward to dodge out of the way of a gigantic hand coming down towards her. It narrowly missed her, and crushed the building with several souls scrambling to get out of the way.

"The Togabito did say that it's very difficult for a denizen of Hell to defeat Kushanāda," Soifon answered nearby, as though it were fairly self-evident.

"So if one goes down, the others are at risk and will have to work together. You just didn't think it through," Lisa finished.

"Shut up," Hiyori muttered, embarrassed at her foolish mistake.

"Doesn't matter," Kensei declared. "We're at the end. Jump!"

And the ten of them leapt down towards the purple miasma that was so far below. Emerging underneath, Ichigo was slightly surprised to see that they'd all emerged in a new area mostly covered by ocean, with a violet sky and scattered tiny land masses shaped like water lilies. Landing on the edge of one, Ichigo frowned and reached out with his senses. "This place feels abandoned," he commented.

"There's a reason for that," Kokutō said aloud, landing next to Ichigo a moment later. The others had landed safely nearby, and were walking back to Ichigo to regroup. "Look over there."

Ichigo cast his gaze where Kokutō gestured, and saw an enormous skeleton inside the middle of the water lily-shaped island. It looked _really _familiar. "Oh. Skeletons of Kushanāda?"

"Yeah. This is where they're born."

"Seriously?" Love asked incredulously.

Kokutō nodded. "If too many people are here, for too long, the skeletons will become new Kushanāda and will single-mindedly hunt the ones that awakened them. At least up there you've got a chance at distracting them with someone else. Down here, no such luxury. We need to keep moving."

"You're not going anywhere." Ichigo spun and drew Zangetsu in a single motion, slicing off a tentacle that had been ready to pierce him from behind. Just a single island over were three of the four Togabito, all still wearing their garb from when they'd invaded the living world. The Togabito who had attacked nodded, as though expecting that result. "Kurosaki Ichigo. I am Gunjō. Shūren-sama awaits you further below, with your sisters. However, you are to come alone."

"Not a chance, **you tentacle freak!**" Hiyori retorted, shifting her Hollow mask back to her face.

The other Vizard, save Ichigo, stepped in front. "Let us handle this, Ichigo," Shinji requested. "You've got to get your sisters. We'll catch up."

Ichigo nodded. "Alright. Soifon, Kokutō, let's move."

"Dive into the water," Kokutō ordered. "That's the way down to the next level."

"Let them pass," Gunjō commanded aloud. "We'll see them soon enough."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Togabito-san," Shinji criticized softly. "Collapse, Sakanade."

"Blow it away, Tachikaze." Kensei's Zanpakutō quickly shifted into what appeared to be a military-issue combat knife with a bronze guard.

"Play, Kinshara," Rose almost sang, and his blade transformed into a golden whip, with a very pointy golden flower on the end.

"Crush down, Tengumaru," Love muttered, his sunglasses flashing as he hefted his now giant spiked club.

Lisa adjusted her glasses, making them flash dangerously before raising her own blade. "Smash, Haguro Tonbo," The Zanpakutō's hilt quickly elongated to being even longer than her body, the blade expanding into something resembling a monk's spade.

"_**Heh. Chop cleanly, Kubikiri Orochi,"**_ Hiyori called out, bloodlust clearly audible in her tone.

Mashiro looked at her Zanpakutō for a moment, but left it unreleased, instead drawing her Hollow mask. It seemed to be a bee, or a hornet mask, which Ichigo took as rather enlightening. From personal experience, he knew that Zanpakutō and Hollow followed a theme according to the owner's soul. His own theme was the moon. If Mashiro had a mask like that, odds were good that her Zanpakutō had something to do with the insect it resembled.

But there was no time to theorize about it, Ichigo had to leave. As his Vizard companions readied for battle, Ichigo, Kokutō and Soifon dove into the depths of the ocean below.

* * *

Renji leapt from rooftop to rooftop, his eyes constantly in motion seeking out the woman he'd only seen once. It was hard going, as most of the souls here in Hell were cowering in fear from the constantly-patrolling Kushanāda, and the ones that weren't had gone either comatose or violently insane.

Just then, he spotted a soul standing up nearby, with hair that resembled that which Renji had seen Masaki wear while captured by Aizen. Lunging forward, Renji pulled on the shoulder of the woman in front of him and twisting her around so he could see her face. "What's your name?"

"Onumura Ayara," she whispered.

Renji's face fell. "Damn. You're not her."

"Who are you looking for?" Ayara asked desperately. "Get me home and I'll tell you anything you want! I'll give you anything you want! Please!" she begged.

Renji shook his head. His heart ached, but he reminded himself that for her to end up in Hell to begin with, she had to have committed very grievous sins while alive. Odds were that she deserved being here, and he _was _on a tight schedule. "Sorry, Onumura-san."

Then he felt Rukia's reiatsu flare – not much, but just enough to signal him. Gently but firmly removing the new Togabito's desperate clinging to his Shinigami robes, he Shunpo-ed away.

Arriving at Rukia's location, Renji found he was the last one there – Yoruichi and Hitsugaya-taicho were there already, and Rukia was speaking very quickly to an obviously traumatized Kurosaki Masaki. "Kurosaki-san, we're friends of your son, Ichigo," she rapidly related. "Ichigo found out where you were being held, but you were banished here before he could get to you."

"Where is he now?" Masaki demanded, clearly suspicious of another plot.

"He's looking on a lower level of Hell," Rukia replied, carefully not mentioning Masaki's daughters. If the mother was anything like her son, then Masaki would stay and try to help even if it meant that she'd be trapped forever. "We're going to get him after we get you out of here. If people stay in Hell long enough, they get damned here regardless of where they are supposed to be."

"We need to get you back to Soul Society, but the living world will do for the moment," Hitsugaya stated. "We've already identified the culprits of your kidnapping, and I assure you that they _will _be taken care of."

Yoruichi brought up her wrist and rapidly pressed the button three times per Urahara's instructions. "There, Kisuke should have a portal up and running in a few seconds."

"Kisuke? Urahara Kisuke?" Masaki questioned. "Blond, wears clogs and a bucket hat?"

Yoruichi nodded. "That's him."

Masaki sighed in relief, her tenseness fading. "I'm sorry for being so standoffish. I thought you might be working for the ones who kidnapped me."

"No problem," Rukia responded easily. "I'd be worried too."

They waited several more seconds, and then up to a minute, but no portal opened, and all of the Shinigami kept their senses open. There was no sign at all of any interdimensional portal, even where they'd first come in.

Yoruichi looked troubled. "That's not good. Either this transponder is a dud – which I doubt since Kisuke made it – or Kisuke and Tessai both must've had to leave the shop."

"Well, it's too dangerous to stay here for the Kushanāda to eat us," Hitsugaya pointed out.

"We should take the time to go join up with Ichigo," Renji suggested. "Who knows, maybe the portal opened on a different level of Hell this time."

"Worth looking into," Yoruichi agreed. "Alright, Kurosaki-san, we need to move quickly. Hop on my back, we'll be going at high speed."

Masaki nodded and climbed onto her back, wrapping her arms around Yoruichi's neck as gently as possible to give her room to breathe while still being firm enough to stay on.

A few moments later, they began hurrying to find a dead end to jump down through to the next level of Hell.

* * *

Ichigo emerged through the bottom of the ocean to find himself landing on what seemed to be a volcanic area. It was extremely rocky, with yellow lava that oozed constantly from several pools. "How much further?"

"Their base is on the next level, so not long now assuming that Shuren hasn't found himself any other hired help…" Kokutō answered lowly. "We should hurry; your sisters won't last much longer."

Nodding, Ichigo followed the Togabito, Soifon silently a few steps behind.

"Why are you aiding us, Kokutō?" Soifon asked. "You are a Togabito, damned to Hell for sins performed in life. If you were an honorable person, then you wouldn't be here in Hell, so what personal motive do you have?"

"…" Kokutō sighed. "It's true, I am a Togabito. I did perform sins in life, but what you don't know is that I had a sister once. I'm in Hell because I avenged her."

Ichigo blinked. "What?"

Kokutō gave a bitter laugh, stopping and turning around. "You know perfectly well what, Ichigo. Wouldn't you do the same if your sisters were killed? I slaughtered her murderers to the last, even when they begged for mercy. Mercy?" he scoffed. "I had no mercy for those who killed my family. That was the sin that damned me, Ichigo! I'm in here because I did what any other person would do, because I felt what any other person would feel! And you would do it too; I can see it in your eyes, that smoldering fire that rages in your soul, _lusting _for vengeance against Shuren and the others for taking your sisters. You'd smite them down and take brutal satisfaction in every second of it!" His voice had grown more and more fanatical by the second, as though he were reliving the sin with a smile on his face.

Ichigo was silent – he couldn't deny it. Hell, it could be argued that he'd already done just that against Aizen after the traitor had held his mother hostage.

Soifon scoffed, though inwardly a bit chilled by Kurosaki's lack of rebuttal. "You should have left it to your justice system."

"Shut up," Ichigo snarled. "You don't know what you're talking about. You have the power and authority to take lives as you please, _assassin._ For us _petty mortals, n_o one knows what they're capable of doing until they're confronted with it. Kokutō found in his darkest moment that inside him is a vengeful killer that he let out to avenge his sister. And you already know what I'm capable of if pushed too far."

"And now you see the final result of that," Soifon rebutted, gesturing at Kokutō. "Continue like this and you too will be damned to Hell upon your death."

"I will ascend to the heights of heaven, or descend to the pits of Hell," Ichigo pointedly repeated the heartfelt vow that had led him to Resurrección. "Angel or demon, those titles mean nothing to me, as long as I can fulfill my desire."

Soifon shivered, her mind seeing Ichigo's Resurrección superimposed over him, and vaguely hearing the roar it had let loose upon its birth.

"My desire has always been to protect, but while I do not enjoy killing, I will do whatever it takes," the Vizard continued, not noticing Soifon's reaction. "And should a loved one die, I will wreak unholy vengeance upon the perpetrators."

"You understand," Kokutō breathed, staring at Ichigo with a mixture of wonder, relief… _Is that hope? _Ichigo thought, meeting the Togabito's eyes. Visibly shaking himself, Kokutō reassumed his previous countenance. "In any case, I'm helping in memory of my sister, because seeing you try so hard to save them…" He trailed off, but both Soifon and Ichigo knew what had been left unsaid. "We should get going."

They began walking again. "Ichigo," Kokutō murmured. "If you can, when we're done…"

"I'll free you from Hell, Kokutō," Ichigo promised under his breath, just loud enough for the Togabito to hear, but too soft for Soifon to catch. "I'm sure your sister misses you, and it's our duty as big brothers to protect them."

"… Thanks."

It was only a few minutes later that they emerged in the fourth level of Hell, where Ichigo could see an empty desert as far as the eye could see, with a single, solitary structure in the distance. Soifon frowned as she stood upon the sand – the way it shifted was similar but unlike the way sand would move in a desert. The grains beneath her feet did not feel right at all; it was not sand at all, something different. A tiny sniff of the air gave another hint that tickled at Soifon's comprehension, but she couldn't place it. "Togabito. What are we standing on?"

Wind whipped around, churning the 'sand' for a moment, and Kokutō sighed before turning to address the Shinigami. "Bones. The sand here is made up of the crushed bones of all the Togabito who have lost all hope and given up on their afterlife here in Hell. They turn to ash after being eaten for the last time by the Kushanāda, and their skeletons are tossed down here to decompose. Be careful not to breathe too much of it in – I've heard that the sand seeks to drag down anyone who steps onto this level of Hell. Now c'mon, Shuren's hideout is just over there; let's finish this."

* * *

Hiyori growled behind her mask as her opponent, whom she was sharing with Shinji, once again got up and regenerated nigh-instantly with his damnable tentacles. The Togabito had long since discarded their black cloaks and revealed their true garb, and Gunjō was a tall, pale man with his entire upper head from the bridge of his nose up covered in grey bandages, though neck-length dark hair dangled freely from the back of his head. Twin scars ran from the bottom of the bandages down his cheeks, all the way to either side of his chin.

Gunjō had revealed that he was able to use at least seven tentacles simultaneously, and could heal them extremely rapidly, which was the only reason Hiyori hadn't just cut him in half already. Shinji was helping where he could with Sakanade, but Gunjō's apparent blindness must have gifted him with extraordinary powers of reiatsu perception similar to Tōsen Kaname, as he was very rarely fooled by the Reversed World effect. As a result, Shinji was looking for an opportunity to use Hiyori's finisher, but it was taking a long time…

"_**Hurry up, you useless baka!"**_Hiyori criticized Shinji without any real rancor, dodging another very pointed tentacle strike that had been aimed to pierce her head and using Kubikiri Orochi to chop another one off as it attempted a follow-up strike.

"You're clear, Hiyori!" Shinji called out.

"_**About damn time!"**_Taking only a moment to open her mouth and gather her energy, she fired a Cero at the troublesome bastard.

Hiyori was extremely gratified to see the blast take out the entire left side of Gunjō's body, save his leg. She was about to move the Cero to finish Gunjō off, but then she gasped in pain, her Cero fizzling out as she froze. There was a tentacle piercing her chest, right at her collarbone. And then the tentacle retracted, and agony ripped up her nerves to assault her brain. She fell to the ground, her vision fading, the sound of Shinji's desperate voice quieting, the stone beneath her feeling more and more comfortable…

"**Don't you dare." **

Hiyori opened her eyes to find herself in her Inner World. Around her were the foggy marshlands that her Zanpakutō spirit resided in, with several pools of water barely visible in the mist. The water, she knew, created paths in the tall, wet grass, the paths winding their way towards where Hiyori knew Kubikiri Orochi liked to spend time. Kubikiri Orochi was nowhere in sight, but it was impossible not to notice the other resident of this world, as she was standing right in front of her. "Hollow."

"**Don't you **_**dare **_**fucking give up, Hiyori!" **the bleached white version of herself demanded heatedly, getting straight into Hiyori's face. **"You don't get to give up!"**

"Well what exactly do you expect me to do, huh?" Hiyori yelled back. "I can't do much with a freaking hole in my chest!"

"**Ah, but I can, you idiot! Hollows have holes, remember, or have you decided to forget everything you learned while you were a mere Shinigami?" **Hiyori's Inner Hollow reminded rudely. **"Give me control or we'll both die!"**

Hiyori scoffed, but had to admit that she had a point. "Fine."

The Hollow side of Hiyori blinked, taken aback by the seemingly easy acceptance. **"What? You're not going to fight me, to demand me to do what I can and then give back control?"**

"You're part of me, Hollow, and I know I can at least trust in your wish for survival," Hiyori pointed out. "But I'll be watching, and the instant you do something I have issues with, I'll drag you back here screaming and take control again! Besides, I was thinking we should start working together more often anyway."

The Hollow looked at her suspiciously, but slowly nodded in assent. **"Whatever. We can talk about that when we live."**

"Better get going then," Hiyori taunted. "Or are you scared?"

Hiyori's Inner Hollow cackled with a fierce grin and eyes that lusted for battle. **"Me, scared? Never." **

Outside, everyone paused in their battles as they felt a _very _familiar pulse of reiatsu. Shinji had scooped up Hiyori and was about to dash to Lisa, who knew the most healing Kidō of all the Vizard outside Hachi, but then he froze as he felt the sinister feeling of Hollow reiatsu running across and through his comrade's body.

Hiyori's skin paled considerably, and the hole in her chest grew a little larger, stabilizing and no longer bleeding as the lower half of her mask began to crumble, leaving only the part covering her forehead and around her left eye. Red diamond markings were emblazoned all across the mask fragment, with the large horn curving upwards remaining dead center in the middle.

Hiyori's clothes shifted and changed as well, keeping the overall theme of red and white, but now they seemed like an extension of the mask markings, as lily-white diamonds ran down the sleeves of her crimson red coat, as well as down each leg of her pants. Finally, she opened her eyes and Shinji noted that her eyes had the black sclera of Hollowification just like Ichigo, with her usual brown as the iris.

"Oi, let go!" the Hollow that had taken Hiyori's body demanded. She shoved her way out and dusted herself off. She stretched Hiyori's arms and back, and several loud, almost-painful-to-hear cracks could be heard as she grew accustomed to the body.

Shinji's wasn't sure whether he wanted to throttle Hiyori, or congratulate her – it was obvious her Inner Hollow had taken over much like Ichigo's had, and given that she hadn't completely Hollowified during the switch Hiyori hadn't fought it. _Which means that it's not permanent. Which means that Hiyori didn't get eaten. _"So, what's your name?" he asked the Hollow casually, not betraying the nervous excitement that he felt so keenly. Had Hiyori gained what she needed for Resurrección?

"Not a damned clue. I'll figure it out later, but right now we've got… bigger…" Hiyori's Hollow suddenly clutched her head, crouching down as though she were in incredible mental pain. Another pulse came from her body, and Kubikiri Orochi jumped into her hand from several yards away. But then, she let loose a primal scream, and it promptly melted into the white goo that had Hollowified them all to begin with a century ago, and splashed her straight in the face.

Hiyori's mask completely regenerated and then grew even further, wrapping completely around her head, her spiky pigtails shifting upwards to look like additional horns for her mask. Her coat and pants swiftly turned a darker crimson color but otherwise remained unchanged, but now from her knees and elbows she had a single short ivory blade-like protrusion each, all of them aiming down at a sharp angle. Her nails grew longer, sharper, and Shinji noticed that it seemed like her entire body had gained some extra muscle mass.

When the Hollow Hiyori had become let loose a scream of challenge to the sky, Shinji knew exactly what to say about the situation. "Well, shit."

* * *

Yep, Hiyori just went through Resurreccion. Hell had the effect on her very quickly - she'd been wearing the mask for a while now, and the switch from Vizard to Arrancar just triggered the next jump, but since neither was prepared for it, no one's in control.

I added some details to Hell that weren't in the movie - I figured it would actually add to the scenery, and explain why we didn't SEE ANYONE outside the first level.

Soifon's being paranoid and overly-analytical again, but then again that's what she does. She's an assassin.

Anyway, on to the spoiler rant

S

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... And it seems all the Shinigami are kicking ass. Ikkaku won because his luck trumped the "Lucky Jackpot" Fullbring. Very amusing. Toshiro has gained some new levels of badass. And Renji... Renji has redeemed himself quite nicely. Thank God. I was getting tired of him getting his ass kicked.

I really want to see Byakuya vs Tsukishima. Sounds like a very potent battle. Wondering when they'll get around to Ichigo vs Ginjo.

Aside from that, nothing really of note. Kenpachi won in a single strike. Of course. If Rukia has any new dances, she'll probably use one against her opponent.

Anyway, I have nothing else really to say at the moment... So, signing out.

NeoRyu777


	46. Damnation

Hey all, been a while.

It has been a BUSY, BUSY time for me. My beautiful daughter was born on the first of this month, and I just bought a house last week. Paperwork, insurance, dealing with getting time off, packing, and a number of other things have been interfering with pretty much everything. I've had most of this chapter written for weeks, but it was just getting that end the way I wanted it. Not quite sure it's ready, but it's as good as I can get it without driving myself mad.

Because it's been a month and a half, here's a short summary of what's happened recently.

Ichigo and co went on vacation to a nice beach resort, and Cazador ended up going into hibernation. Masaki visited the Seireitei, looking for Ichigo's friends, and ended up having tea with Byakuya. On her way back to her house - given to her by Urahara - she was kidnapped by an unknown assailant. Initial indications made Soifon the prime suspect.

Ichigo was called in after Soifon could not be found, and his orders by the one holding Masaki hostage were to hide away from civilization for the rest of his existence. Materializing Zangetsu to do his research for him, Ichigo did his best to stay low.

Zangetsu very nearly came to blows with Yamamoto, but Byakuya proved an adept peacekeeper and used his knowledge of politics to enable Yamamoto to interfere in a way the law allowed should Zangetsu encounter resistance. It was unnecessary, as the Central 46 gave Zangetsu and Byakuya access to the Daireishokairo (Great Spirit Library) to give Zangetsu the data he needed.

Down to two Noble families as suspects, Byakuya and Zangetsu split up to visit the Kasumioji and the Berean families respectively.

However, while that was occurring, Ichigo was psychically alerted to trouble at home, and made a Garganta back to the living world just in time to fight the various Togabito who had come to kidnap his sisters. Despite aid from Urahara, Yoruichi and the strange Togabito Kokuto, they failed and both of Ichigo's sisters were taken to Hell.

Ichigo returned to Soul Society to try to save his mother from being banished to Hell as well, but arrived too late. Confronting Yamamoto and begging for the information on how to enter Hell, Ichigo was rebuffed. Seeing no other option, Ichigo prepared to assault the Berean family home, as Zangetsu's investigation yielded a common name to his own. Yamamoto attempted to stop him, but once again was forced to stop when Byakuya invoked his rights as Head of the Kuchiki.

Between them, Byakuya and Ichigo caught the perpetrators who had banished Masaki to Hell, and Ichigo took them to Urahara with Hitsugaya, who had decided to honor his friendship with Ichigo. Yoruichi had gathered the Vizard, Rukia and Renji to join Ichigo on his trip to Hell. Soifon also decided to come along, while Hachigen stayed with Urahara to aid in creating the return portal out of Hell.

Ichigo and the rest entered Hell and divided into two groups: Yoruichi, Rukia, Renji and Hitsugaya would search the first level for Masaki, while the rest of them would continue further down.

The Vizard stayed on the second level to fight all the Togabito except the leader, who was further down. Hiyori was nearly killed, but gave control to her Inner Hollow at the last second so the hole in her chest simply became a Hollow hole, stabilizing her right before Hell forced Resurreccion on her.

That should be about it. Hope you enjoy this next chapter!

* * *

Chapter 46: Damnation

Shinji leapt back, narrowly dodging being skewered on one of Hiyori's bone-like blades jutting from her body. _This doesn't make sense. Her Inner Hollow took over without issue. But then it looked like even Hiyori's Hollow was somehow forced into Resurrección? And it lost control in the process… Does Hell have some sort of special effect on Shinigami-Hollow hybrids? Or is this a consequence of crossing the line between Vizard and Arrancar? _

Shinji spun Sakanade rapidly, spreading the scent that was the key to his Zanpakutō's effect. It seemed to work – Hiyori was now attacking in the opposite direction of where Shinji was, which was enough to buy him some time. _Hollows and Arrancar are crippled by damaging the mask. Since Hiyori's Hollow is theoretically the dominant presence, she's an Arrancar right now, and not a Vizard. So breaking the mask could be disastrous. Wish Hachi was with us, he'd figure out a good Bakudō to keep her occupied… _

Shinji shook his head, dodging out of the way of one of Hiyori's attacks – she'd actually chosen the right image that time. _Only choice is to hurt her bad enough to drop out of Resurrección, but not bad enough to kill her, and hope she doesn't have high speed regeneration to keep her up and fighting. But that'll be tough with just Shikai. Do I dare use the mask? _

Hiyori's mouth opened wide, and a Cero charged for only a scant moment before Shinji found himself flashing through the air, trying to evade the deadly beam as she spun around, apparently having decided that if she couldn't guess right, she'd just hit everything at once. That made Shinji's mind up for him. _She's too strong, and right now she's too dangerous to the others. Mask it is. _

Passing a hand over his face and wordlessly pulling on the mask of the Hollow he might have been and may yet be, Shinji spun Sakanade twice more before using Shunpo to appear directly below and behind Hiyori – as was so predictable, Hiyori swiped upwards at where his mirror image was in her sight.

But by the time Hiyori's berserk self could figure out what had happened, Shinji was ready. From his extended fist, he unleashed an incredibly wide, thin, powerful Cero that rocketed into Hiyori's back. The transformed Vizard let loose a scream of pain and rage as the Cero sliced into her back and thrust her high into the sky, not wounding her too deeply but enough to be extremely painful. With any luck, it would buy Shinji a little time to think of a good enough plan to knock some sense back into Hiyori or her Hollow.

Suddenly, Shinji's head and heart thrummed with power as he felt his Inner Hollow come to the surface. _**Oi, Shinji! Let me out! **_

_Why? I'm doing just fine. _

_**Can't you sense it, idiot? Hiyori's not the only one who's gone full Hollow!**_

As if Shinji's Hollow's words were the trigger, Shinji suddenly felt each of his friends racing towards him with full Hollow reiatsu blazing. Once again, he was the last one to transform, just like when they'd first been Hollowified by Aizen. _They're not fighting each other, _Shinji noted vaguely as he narrowly evaded three Cero beams fired at him from a distance. _Just me. They must have finished their opponents, and now see me as the only one not like them… _

_**You should've realized by now, Shinji! The air in Hell… it calls to us, **_the Inner Hollow explained. _**It gives us such strength… the only reason I haven't forcibly taken over is that I could see that Hiyori's Hollow lost control as well. Much as I hate it, you're the voice of reason. As long as you're in control, we can stay sane. But there's no point being sane if you're gonna die! So budge over, and let me in!**_

Shinji was reluctant, but his Hollow had a point. If there was any goal they shared, it was survival, and the Inner Hollow made sense. Plus, Ichigo _had _said something about trusting their Hollow and working together. If there was ever a time to trust each other, now was it. _Alright, you're in. _

Shinji's Hollow sent him an impression of a grim, toothy smile. _**Hang on then, this is gonna be rough. **_He reached up, and Shinji didn't fight his Hollow's presence as it began to take over…

* * *

Ichigo, Soifon and Kokutō arrived at where Shuren's base was, and Ichigo blinked upon seeing it. It was a pit of yellow-orange lava, surrounded by pillars. It looked very ceremonial, and Ichigo had the distinct feeling that he was going to be unpleasantly surprised by it in the near future. In the middle, hanging above the lava, was a small cage with both of his sisters.

"Ichigo!"

"Ichi-nii!"

"Welcome, Kurosaki Ichigo," Shuren greeted him from his perch atop one of the pillars, ignoring the twins. "I knew, of course, that you would not come alone. Not after your pitiful performance last time."

"Give them back!" Ichigo demanded.

"After you release me from Hell, they're free to go," Shuren replied easily, gesturing towards the cage nonchalantly. "Fair trade, isn't it? Oh, and don't bother trying to double-cross me. I anticipated you bringing your friends along, and I do have precautions in place."

Ichigo clenched his fists. "Ichigo, we must act quickly," Kokutō whispered from behind him. "Your sisters have been in here for a while now, and they will succumb to Hell soon."

_Like I needed more reminding. _But before Ichigo could decide, Soifon blurred out of sight and reappeared behind Shuren, Suzumebachi released and ready on her finger, lunging for the first of two hits that would guarantee a kill.

But Shuren spun around and dodged, apparently having expected that. "You're rather impulsive," he commented amusedly. "But I suppose if that's your decision…" he smirked. "Garogai, Taikon, Gunjō!"

The lava suddenly surged upwards and outwards before pulling back, revealing three vaguely human shapes that the lava dripped off of. Ichigo's eyes went wide as he saw the enemies that his Vizard companions had stayed back to delay.

"That can't be!" Kokutō exclaimed. "You can't have that much power, to affect others' regeneration cycle! It's based on the amount of negative emotion you have, how can you be able to interfere with Hell itself?"

Shuren merely smirked. "Take care of them, but leave Kurosaki Ichigo for me."

Ichigo grit his teeth, drawing his Zanpakutō. "Tear the sky asunder, Zangetsu." As the sword once more shapeshifted into the familiar cleaver, Ichigo brought it forward to his oft-assumed position, black and red reiatsu emanating in wisps from his body. "Now is not the time to hold back! Yuzu, Karin, hang on! I'm coming for you! Bankai!"

Soifon landed next to him and Kokutō a moment later, after the dust kicked up from Ichigo's release of Bankai settled. "I'll take the blob and the giant," Soifon assumed. "Togabito, take out the tentacle user."

"Roger that," Kokutō muttered, disgruntled at how the Shinigami had just taken command, but it was hardly the time to argue over such things. "Ichigo, I'll try to create an opening, you save your sisters."

Ichigo gave him a short nod, eyes narrow and focused on the enemies. Letting loose a fierce battle cry, he and Kokutō leapt forward at high speed towards their respective targets. Shuren merely smirked as he snapped his fingers and created a blade of seemingly-solid fire, slamming it against Tensa Zangetsu to deflect Ichigo's initial attack. Not easily deterred, Ichigo used Shunpo to flicker behind Shuren and slashed at his foe again, only this time to be evaded. Faster and faster he went, being blocked or dodged every time.

"Can't you see, Ichigo, it's useless!" Shuren crowed.

Ichigo screamed in frustration, and suddenly his Gillian mask materialized without being summoned. Deciding to take advantage of the power upgrade and question it later, he threw his left hand forward and fired a blindingly red Cero.

Shuren thrust both his hands in front of him and began releasing so much fire that for a moment, Ichigo wondered if he and Ryūjin Jakka knew each other. But while these flames weren't nearly so hot, they served their purpose of weakening the Cero enough so that by the time it struck Shuren, it did no practical damage.

Meanwhile, Soifon was having a tough enough time as it was. The short and disgustingly fat one, Taikon, was deceptively fast and acrobatic for his stature. While not so fast as to give her a hard time on his own, Taikon also worked well with the giant, Garogai, who fired his enormous fists at her at opportune moments.

Soifon had thought to finish Garogai quickly by using his own attack against him – if he wanted to send pieces of himself at her, she would just strike twice with Suzumebachi and kill him. That would also open up the possibility of ending Taikon without interruption. All in all, Soifon had thought it a decent plan on short notice.

The problem was that Garogai was also protected by Taikon – every time Soifon was in a position to stab at Garogai's hand, Taikon tended to fire his purple explosive reiatsu missiles from a kissing movement, forcing her to dodge out of the way.

_Perhaps a change in priorities is prudent. _"Bakudō 9: Geki!" Soifon barked, making a slashing movement with her left hand in Garogai's general direction. She almost smiled when she saw the giant's body freeze and glow with a red light, and then turned her undivided attention towards the suddenly apprehensive Taikon.

Lunging at him with the speed of Shunpo, she reached out with her right arm to stab him right in his engorged stomach, but when he suddenly smirked and another mouth appeared and opened there, Soifon abruptly had to halt or else risk be eaten. _Alright, physical attacks are extremely risky. Perhaps Kidō will be more effective._

Hearing the low whistle of air being forced away quickly by a large object, Soifon instinctively flickered away just in time to avoid being crushed into a pulp from Garogai's giant fist coming from above. Reappearing a distance away, she frowned pensively, calculating her next move carefully. _This will be tricky. _

At the same time, Kokutō was dodging and weaving through hordes of tentacles, slicing them off where he could with his wicked onyx blade. Unfortunately, the appendages had a bad tendency of regenerating extremely quickly, making it difficult for Kokutō to get close to Gunjō. Feeling Ichigo's reiatsu skyrocket into Hollowification, Kokutō glanced to the side just long enough to see Ichigo charge a Cero in Shuren's direction. _That would be SO useful right about now. Then again… _

Suddenly inspired, Kokutō hurled his blade at his opponent through the mass of tentacles. Predictably, Gunjō dodged to the side and resumed his attack, but Kokutō smirked. Materializing the Hell-binding chains that he'd attached to his sword a long time ago, Kokutō channeled some of his own reiatsu and yanked hard, while at the same time narrowly dodging the latest onslaught of tentacles.

Kokutō was gratified to feel his blade connect, could not help but smirk victoriously when he saw that not only had he managed to get Gunjō, but he'd actually managed to cut off the bastard's head. It was a lucky shot, he knew, but sometimes that's all one needed. Now that that was done, Kokutō ran as quickly as he could towards Ichigo's sisters. _They can't have long left! _

"Kokutō!" Karin gasped as he stood underneath the cage. "Please hurry, Yuzu's unconscious and I can't wake her up!"

"Got it!" Leaping up towards the cage and utilizing the air-walk technique, Kokutō gathered his strength and sliced through the bars in two places. Sheathing his sword, he reached to take Yuzu under his arm when he suddenly felt a rush of fire coming towards them. Unable to move for fear that Ichigo's sisters would be killed, Kokutō had no choice but to stand and bear it. He grit his teeth in pain as fire scorched his back, but luckily the fire was cut off quickly. A little more shakily, Kokutō grabbed both twins and leapt down to safety behind one of the stone pillars. Setting them down, Kokutō reached out with his power and opened a portal to the living world.

… or tried to. He was being blocked? _Fuck. _Putting on a brave smile for the ones Ichigo had come to save, Kokutō tried to reassure them. "Alright, Plan A didn't work, but don't worry, we'll get you out of here."

"What's Plan B?" Karin demanded.

"Plan B is to kill the ones who kidnapped you, wait for your brother's friends to rejoin us, and use their signal to get our friends in the living world to bail us out," Kokutō made up on the spot. "I'm going to stay here and make sure you don't get hit by any stray shots, so sit tight. Your big brother'll be done soon."

* * *

Yoruichi cursed as she raced alongside Rukia, Renji and Hitsugaya down through the second level of Hell with Masaki on her back. The Vizard had all Hollowified and were chasing them, sending horrifyingly powerful Ceros at them, or attempting to intercept and slash at them. None of them seemed to have a Zanpakutō, so there was at least some small blessing there.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyōrinmaru!" Hitsugaya called out, before promptly using his Shikai to send a few ice dragons at his Hollowified comrades.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki! Some no mai: Tsukishiro!" Rukia intoned, creating a pair of ice pillars that temporarily encased two or three of the Vizard – she was too busy running to look for details. She heard the pillars shatter with the terrifying screams of challenge, and pushed more reiatsu into her legs.

"We've got to get down to the next level!" Renji yelled.

"Well, we went down on the last level, maybe we have to head down again?" Hitsugaya suggested.

It was as good a thought as any, Yoruichi figured. "Hold your breath," she ordered Masaki, before diving beneath the waves, followed shortly thereafter by her companions. Sure enough, after a few painful seconds of wondering if they'd made mistake and would accidentally drown Masaki in the process of rescuing her, they broke through to the next level, but she couldn't sense Ichigo, Soifon or Kokutō here either.

Activating the beacon on her wrist again, Yoruichi spent a moment extending her spiritual sense, looking for a portal. Not sensing any, she sighed. "Still no good. Let's keep going. Down again," she ordered, and not a moment too soon. The second they moved, a very powerful Cero obliterated the spot they'd been standing. The Vizard had followed them!

It was only a short distance down this time, and the clash of combat was easily visible even from a distance. Soifon was fighting a short, ugly, hideously obese man who seemed absurdly light on his feet, and a huge muscle-bound giant. Kokutō appeared to be guarding the girls…

But Ichigo… Rukia shivered as she continued to run towards the battle. His Hollowified reiatsu practically exuded desperation and haste. _But he hasn't used Resurrección_... Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when a Cero passed inches by her head. Shunpo-ing forward and up, Rukia twisted around in midair and brought Sode no Shirayuki to her shoulder, water in the air freezing into ice crystals and rising around her as she prepared her technique. "Tsugi no Mai: Hakuren!"

A huge wave of ice rushed into the Vizard, and when the reiatsu cleared, Rukia was extremely gratified to realize that she'd managed to entrap them all in an enormous block of near-opaque ice. But she could sense it would last only seconds… but there was someone who could extend that time a little. "Hitsugaya-taicho!"

"On it! Bankai!" With a burst of icy reiatsu, the diminutive taicho emerged in his Bankai form, ready to use his ice powers to their fullest. Between him and Rukia, their reiatsu was lowering the temperature of the air drastically. Flapping his ice wings, Hitsugaya lunged towards the rapidly-cracking ice and thrust Daiguren Hyōrinmaru into it. "Ryūsenka!"

The air abruptly went from merely cold to downright freezing as from the point of impact even more ice emerged from the point of impact and wrapped around the entire frozen structure, further entrapping the Hollowified Vizard.

"One thing left to do, and that's keep them out of the fight as long as possible. San no Mai: Shirafune," Rukia intoned. As Sode no Shirayuki absorbed the ice particles around Rukia and reforged itself, the heir to the Kuchiki gently pushed the tip of her Zanpakutō into the desert beneath her. A thin trail of ice crackled into existence across the sand, connecting Rukia to the prison that she and Hitsugaya had trapped the Vizard in. "Go, I'll maintain this until you get back."

"I'll stick around, just in case any more Togabito turn up," Renji volunteered, concerned.

"You two sure?" Yoruichi asked.

"I'm sure. Go help Ichigo!" Rukia ordered. "Humans can't last long here, remember? Ichigo's sisters probably don't have long left, and we can't afford to waste any time! I'll keep the Vizard here! Now GO!"

Hitsugaya nodded shortly, a glimmer of respect flickering in his eyes as he turned away from her and Shunpo-ed away. Yoruichi followed suit. As soon as they left, Rukia heaved a sigh and sat down. _Shirafune always takes so much out of me… I hope they don't take too long. _

_Have faith in them, Rukia, _Sode no Shirayuki advised. _They are strong. _

_I know. I'm just worried about being trapped here… we don't know the spell to open the portal, and Urahara is either not receiving our signal, or is being attacked. _

The ice structure cracked a little, and Rukia channeled more freezing energy into it. She knew she was lucky that Hitsugaya-taicho had been there to increase the power and reinforce her prison. Otherwise, the Vizard would surely have escaped by now. Though she wondered why none of them had thought of using Cero thus far to break out…

Rukia blinked and peered deeper into the ice. There was something strange going on, that was certain. None of them had been hit in any way by the Vizard's Hollow selves. Not even a scratch had been rendered. _The improbability of that… I'm not even fukutaicho level, and they are taicho and fukutaicho level BEFORE Hollowification. And I shouldn't be able to hold them like this, unless they're not using their full strength… But they seem berserk. _Rukia shook her head. Something just did not add up, but she had no idea what it could be.

Renji's thoughts were far simpler – he was in full-on combat mode, and was warily watching and listening for any sign the Vizard were breaking out, or if a Togabito was coming their way.

* * *

Hitsugaya and Yoruichi materialized with Masaki right next to Kokutō and the twins, gently but quickly shrugging Ichigo's mother off of her. Once more raising her wrist, Yoruichi pushed the button three times quickly. When nothing happened yet again, she sighed in frustration.

"What's wrong?" Kokutō asked.

"I'm not getting through," Yoruichi related. "I've been sending the signal, but we haven't felt any portals open. Can you get one open?"

The Togabito shook his head negatively. "I've already tried a few times. Someone or something has closed off Hell from the other dimensions."

"Damn it," Hitsugaya cursed. "There's got to be another way out!"

"I might have better luck on one of the higher levels of Hell," Kokutō suggested, though his tone said quite clearly that he didn't think that would be the case. "If that fails… well, we could break down the door, so to speak."

"What?"

"Destroy the Gates of Hell. They regenerate, so it wouldn't be permanent, but we could get an opening long enough for us to get through," Kokutō offered.

Yoruichi blinked. "Is there even enough power to destroy those gates?" she asked skeptically.

"If anyone has enough power, it's Ichigo," Kokutō stated simply.

And that, the Goddess of Flash could not refute. "Alright. Let's take care of the last of the enemies here, so we can get out of here."

"Go. I need to stay here to protect them, but you need to hurry," the bandaged man added. "Look at the girls."

Yoruichi did so, and frowned. Yuzu appeared unconscious, and breathing haggardly. Both Masaki and Karin were pale and weakly hugging.

"The air of Hell is lethal to everyone not of Hell themselves," Kokutō explained. "People with more reiatsu are better protected, but as you can see, Ichigo's family doesn't have long until they die and are damned to Hell themselves."

Yoruichi flickered away without another word, not caring as Hitsugaya volunteered to help protect the girls. Appearing behind the fat tub of lard that Soifon was fighting, Yoruichi was in no mood to play. "Shunkō!"

"What the…?" Taikon was hit by an incredibly powerful kick and went flying horizontally across the desert, just before Yoruichi proved her status as Goddess of Shunpo by flickering behind him and calmly, brutally swinging her Kidō-enhanced arm into and through his fat neck, instantly decapitating him and sending his head and body rocketing in different directions across the sands. A wordless blast of purple Kidō later, even those were incinerated.

Soifon took instant advantage of the new opportunity and within seconds, Garogai had been dispatched as well. There was not even a trace of his body remaining. "Yoruichi-sama!"

Her old taicho flickered next to her, without a trace of a smile. This was not the happy woman who loved to mess with her subordinates. This was the merciless leader of the Onmitsukidō, the ultimate assassin. "Come, Soifon!"

Without hesitation, Soifon nodded. "Hai!"

Mere moments later, they were just outside the range of Ichigo's fight with Shuren. "Ichigo!" Yoruichi called out sharply.

"_**Yoruichi! Is everyone ok?" **_Ichigo demanded, blasting away another powerful burst of flame with Tensa Zangetsu.

Yoruichi materialized next to Ichigo as Shuren leapt back, apparently trying to think of a better tactic. "We found your mother, and your sisters are out of the cage, but Kisuke isn't responding to the signal, and Kokutō can't open a portal to the living world due to some sort of interference. We need you to blast open the Gates of Hell up on the top level, and quickly. Your family won't last much longer here in Hell, so we'll need to move quickly."

Ichigo growled, a sound that made Soifon shiver as the Hollowification made his voice even more chilling. _**"Small problem. This bastard can resurrect Togabito from that pool. We leave him alone, he brings back everyone on his side, and then we have to fight them all over again." **_

"True, but right now I have other plans," Shuren cackled from a distance away. "Can't you feel it? Can't you hear it? The Kushanāda are coming!"

And suddenly, Ichigo could feel it, the enormous combined reiatsu of several… dozens… _hundreds… No way, thousands of them? _They were starting to float down from the sky, climb up from the sands, emerge from the far off cliffs… they were everywhere, as far as the eye could see!

"They can sense you, Kurosaki Ichigo! They know you have the power to shatter the bindings holding us to this wretched plane!" Shuren cried. "And they will eat everyone! If you will not free us, then you and your family will join us in Hell!" He rushed at Ichigo, who once more raised Tensa Zangetsu to slash against Shuren with a Getsuga-enhanced strike.

It shattered Shuren's flame sword and landed a glancing blow to his shoulder, but Shuren didn't seem to care. With his other hand, he suddenly had an orb of fire ready, which Shuren promptly thrust into Ichigo. The sphere exploded on impact, and Ichigo grunted in pain as he was sent flying up into the air, until he got his bearings and used the air-walk technique to launch himself back at Shuren. _**"Getsuga Tenshō!" **_

Shuren unleashed a torrent of flames that only just redirected the Getsuga to his side. The energy blast promptly cut through half a dozen Kushanāda. Ichigo blinked as he suddenly felt hundreds of eyes focus on him. _Well, shit. _

"ICHIGO!" Karin screamed out. Ichigo almost gave himself whiplash as he twisted to turn towards the sound. Hitsugaya was having a rough time, sending waves of ice daggers, firing ice dragons, and otherwise just doing his best to keep himself and his charges alive. Kokutō was fighting four Kushanāda who were apparently targeting him, and he was losing ground quickly. Suddenly, Kokutō's chains were materialized and gripped by two of the Kushanāda, and he was jerked up into the air, a third Kushanāda reaching with its enormous hand to grab him.

"Hadō 63: Raikōhō!" Yoruichi bellowed, sending lightning crashing down upon the Kushanāda, giving Kokutō just enough time to regain his balance and swipe down with his obsidian blade, cutting its head in half. But it had been enough to get Kokutō away from Ichigo's family, and Hitsugaya was suddenly cut off from being able to protect them, surrounded by several more Kushanāda.

"No!" Masaki cried out, leaping in front of her twin children. "You will not have them!"

Ichigo's eyes widened to their limits, and then shock gave way to action. In that moment, all other priorities were non-existent. He savagely ripped his Adjuchas mask into existence, flickering into Shunpo, only to be attacked by Shuren. Despite being engulfed in flames, Ichigo was hardly aware of Shuren's existence even as he sent the Togabito, who had attempted to blindside him through the fire, flying with a single powerful stroke of Tensa Zangetsu.

The flames vanished, but Ichigo paid it no mind as he made his way to Masaki as fast he could. He didn't notice that his mask was growing over his head, or that his hair was getting steadily longer, or that at his neck and wrists he now sported crimson tufts of hair. Several Kushanāda managed to get between him and the one that held his mother, but Ichigo was beyond all rationality.

Charging a Cero in his horns as his Shunpo gave way to Sonido, Ichigo let loose a powerful blast that obliterated every Kushanāda in front of him, even the one that held his mother. The hand that had gripped her was starting to fall, but Ichigo sliced off the fingers before Masaki could blink, freeing her.

Masaki blinked and looked up at her son – she'd suddenly been shifted to beneath his left arm, as his right was holding his Zanpakutō. But she was not prepared to see the mask of a Hollow on her darling Ichigo's face. If she did not know that her son was in there, Masaki knew she would be terrified.

"Ichigo?"

Ichigo screamed out a wordless challenge loud enough to echo in the vast desert of Hell, all reason and rationality gone, given way to the instinctual power he'd drawn on. Not far away, Rukia gasped as suddenly the ice that she'd been maintaining began to glow with a terrible light, and then it began to crack rapidly. "No!" She shunted more and more reiatsu into preserving the ice, but to no avail. With a unified scream, the Vizard shattered the icy prison they'd been in.

"Shit!" Renji swore and he and Rukia fell into defensive stances, but the various Hollowified Vizard did not seem to be interested in them. Instead, all of them vanished away at once in a burst of Sonido.

Soifon watched in silent terror as she watched Kurosaki Ichigo charge the trademark Hollow attack, and then a Cero more powerful than any she had ever conceived of erupted, disintegrating heads, arms, entire Kushanāda in front of him as a pulse of reiatsu blew the rest of them backwards – Soifon could barely breathe, let alone stand even from the distance she had put between them, and watched in horror as Kurosaki swung Tensa Zangetsu once, slaughtering hundreds more Kushanāda in the direction of his swing as an enormous Getsuga Tenshō ripped through them. Purple blood sprayed across the landscape, painting the sands of the desert with the remains of the Kushanāda.

And then the rest of the Vizard suddenly appeared a short distance behind Ichigo but in front of a shocked and terrified Karin, standing in a line. Again, Ichigo shrieked his rage. But it seemed that the wordless vocalization had meaning, as all seven of his Vizard companions took stances and began charging Cero. The Hollow that Ichigo had become lowered his horns and began charging one himself. And all eight of them fired with a unified bestial scream against the Kushanāda army. Another Cero rocketed from Ichigo's horns, this one a sustained beam of annihilation that Kurosaki moved with his head, utterly destroying countless more of the bearers of Hell's Will.

Fire and explosions rocked the wasteland as waves of Kushanāda ceased to be under the might of such power. Again, Ichigo screamed and they let loose a second volley, eradicating hundreds more.

Kokutō, Hitsugaya, Rukia and Renji rejoined Yoruichi and Soifon in the air above the scene, all but the Togabito watching in stark horror of the situation. Ichigo had completely Hollowified again, and once more he was no longer in control. His family was dying every second, and the two plans they'd had for escaping had failed. Urahara was unable to reach them, and Kokutō could not make a portal out.

But while the others were horrified, Kokutō was warring with himself. The Cero of eight very powerful Vizard would surely be more than sufficient to break his chains. But if he took the opportunity to be free from Hell, then there was no guarantee that he'd be able to open a portal out if whatever was interfering with his attempts was canceled. Who knew what would happen? _It's not like anyone's actually escaped Hell before… I might just be reincarnated immediately after the chains are gone. I might ascend to Soul Society. Or Hell might try to rechain me. Who knows? _All Kokutō knew was that he wanted freedom, but he also wanted to help Ichigo to save his family when Kokutō himself had failed.

A loud tremor on the earth below and in the cliff that he and Ichigo had climbed down attracted Kokutō's attention, just before his eyes opened wide in shock. He could sense the living world. "Oh Kami-sama…" Kokutō uttered, getting everyone else's attention. "The Gates! They're open!"

* * *

And that's it for this chapter. I know, it's a little short... Ichigo is able to command the Vizard because he's an Adjuchas and the Vizard are Gillian or lower, but they've all gone berserk and are attacking the Kushanada.

Now Ichigo's family - save Isshin - are together. Masaki and Karin are witnessing the true brutality and horror of Ichigo's Resurreccion, while the others are seeing just what kind of power Ichigo's "army" has access to.

Now for the Spoiler rant!

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... Lot of interesting things since I last updated. I am now unsure who has the most broken power: Aizen or Tsukishima. Aizen could fuck you up with illusions, while Tsukishima can with a single stray scrape of his sword learn everything about his surroundings and his opponent, plant ideas and memories that for all intents and purposes happened because both he and his opponent remember them...

Kinda says a lot about Byakuya for him to be willing to cut down a close friend (which is pretty much how he sees Tsukishima by the end of that battle) because he was Ichigo's enemy. And he apparently had a moment of Kenpachi-ism... he actually enjoyed a battle for once?

Wondering what happened to Riruka...Did she trap herself in Rukia somehow?

Ichigo and Ginjo are duking it out, and Ginjo stole Ichigo's Getsuga. Given the previous conversations, it's said that Ginjo had some of everyone's Fullbring, and everyone had some of his. Makes me wonder if he's going to pull a "All our powers combined!" form or technique.

I still think Ginjo's Getsuga is inferior to Ichigo's... after all, he's got Zangetsu helping him out.

Anyway, that's it for now. See ya!

NeoRyu777


	47. Breaking Barriers

It has been quite some time, ne? Two whole months. All I can say is that life really decided to keep me extraordinarily busy, with so little time for anything but eat, sleep and work.

That said, I've worked on this while I could, but I had a couple of problems - my computer crashed so hard I lost all the work I had on my chapter last month. And then the chapter started fighting me.

A large part of what took so long was figuring out how to describe the Vizard's full Hollow selves, particularly for those who don't have a Hollowification form displayed from the "Turn Back the Pendulum" arc. Keep in mind that none of the Vizard - save Ichigo - can use Resurreccion and keep their weapon yet. I did get a few questions about that as well, so let me answer that.

Ichigo beat Cazador, took his sword, and claimed it as his own. He sacrifices that sword to use Resurreccion. The Vizard haven't acquired their Hollow's blades, so they sacrifice their own Zanpakuto.

First up as always, review replies:

Several people have commented on how Ichigo still has not unsealed his power. There's a reason for that. The more turbulent his emotions are, the more he struggles to keep it on an unevolved form. With more power comes more instability. Since he KNOWS he'll be attacking people here, he doesn't want to be in a situation where he can't touch his family to move them to safety. He learned his lesson in Soul Society when he couldn't save his mother and friends while Aizen was evolving.

I also have questions on whether I'm going to incorporate the Fullbringer arc. Maybe eventually, but that's a ways down the road. But I got a kick out of realizing that Ichigo manifested his powers in his human form for the first time in my fic during a time where he didn't have his badge to regulate his reiatsu. How amusing is that? I apparently knew the badge's power even when I didn't.

Anyway, new terms, and reminders for infrequently used ones:

Hadō 58: Tenran (_Swelling Storm_) - Relatively simple spell that summons a tornado-like blast of wind.

Bakudō 77: Tenteikūra (_Heavenly Void Net)_ - communication spell, used by Ise-fukutaicho in canon in order to convey Aizen's betrayal to everyone in Soul Society during the Soul Society Invasion arc.

Bakudō 73: Tozanshō (_Inverse Mountain Crystal_) - barrier spell, it creates an inverted light blue pyramid around the caster capable of withstanding most attacks

Hadō 88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō (_Flying Dragon-Striking Heaven-Shaking Thunder Cannon_) - extremely powerful, destructive wave of lightning

Hadō 91: Senjū Kōten Taihō (_Thousand-Hand Bright Heaven Culling-Sear_) - remember the spell that Urahara used on Aizen? The one where he cast spears of light into him and caused an enormous explosion? This is it.

Let's move on to the chapter! And here's a hint... this chapter we definitely break away from the movie storyline.

* * *

Chapter 47: Breaking Barriers

_This has not been a good day, _Urahara Kisuke privately admitted to himself as he carefully kept his guard up in the mist he was trapped in. The watch on his wrist beeped five times in quick succession once again, and the former assassin allowed himself a sigh. _I know, Yoruichi. Sorry I'm late. Again. Why is it that everything happens all at once, rather than in reasonable chunks?_

Not even an hour ago, Urahara had sent Ichigo and his team to Hell in order to rescue Ichigo's family. But mere minutes later, a veritable army of Hollows had suddenly emerged in Karakura, forcing Urahara to deploy all available fighters – namely himself, Tessai, and Hachi. Ururu and Jinta had been left at home – while strong, they were still children and Urahara would _never _bring children into this kind of fight if it could be avoided.

The strangest part though, was that the Hollows seemed to be out for three people in particular… a pair of Shinigami and a little girl dressed in colorful, ornate, very expensive-looking robes. The girl appeared to be their charge, if the way the Shinigami had promptly abandoned the fight while yelling about getting to safe house. _A noble then. I hate getting into political matters, _Urahara grumbled.

And then while they had been busy taking out the Hollows – while they weren't very strong at all comparatively, they did have overwhelming numbers to work with – someone new had come along and blanketed the area in reiatsu-flooded mist, making it far more difficult to Tessai and Hachi to deal with the Hollows. They were Kid ō types through and through, and not well suited to fighting virtually blind. There was Hollow reiatsu everywhere, making it difficult for them to track with their spiritual sense, and neither wanted to accidentally cause casualties among the living humans.

But the mist meant little to Urahara Kisuke, former assassin of the Onmitsukidō. Mere mist meant nothing to someone who had been trained to kill without the use of any of their senses save spiritual. Closing his eyes, Urahara had been destroying Hollows left and right before instinctually blocking a sword that seemed to be wielded by the mist itself.

"Surprising," a voice that echoed in the mist congratulated as dark shadows began to appear around Urahara, unknown to the exile. The sword itself wisped back into mist a moment later. "You are quite at home here without your sight."

"Same to you, assassin," Urahara replied with a thin smile. "Why are you targeting that noble girl, and why are you working with these Hollows?"

"That is not for you to know."

_Ah, confirmed. She is a noble, and he is working with them. _"But I already know so much," Urahara complained affably. "You are after that little noble girl, who I presume came here to escape your employer with her two bodyguards. You or more likely your employer has some connection with Hollows, perhaps a treat to entice them towards her. That means she's dangerous somehow, so probably an heir.

"Your sword, while similar to a Zanpakutō, does not convey your spirit, nor does it have quite the right, shall we call it 'flavor', of reiatsu. It is artificial, yet it has powers very similar to that of a Zanpakutō. That's practically unheard of as it would give practically anyone the ability to become pseudo-Shinigami, and possibly give existing Shinigami a second set of abilities. That would make it almost certainly forbidden knowledge, so only true masters of weapons forging could have even known about the process, let alone properly forged your weapon.

"If my memory serves me correctly, then the Kasumiōji are the only nobles primarily associated with specialty weapons manufacturing," the shopkeeper continued, musing aloud. "That leads me to one of two conclusions: either you, or your employer, has or have had relations with the Kasumiōji. Given all that, it's a reasonable guess that the little girl is the heir to the Kasumiōji."

There was a moment of silence. "That's actually quite impressive," the unnamed assassin in the mist admitted. "My sword is known as a Bakkotō, and it is indeed forged with forbidden techniques of the Kasumiōji. So tell me, who are you, and why do you inhibit me?"

"Me? I'm just the humble owner of a small shop that caters to the spiritual side of things," Urahara replied loftily. "And while normally I don't involve myself in the matters of Soul Society…" His voice lowered slightly as he began to smirk. "… we are not _in _Soul Society, and I would like this place still standing next week."

"What do you mean, 'shopkeeper'?" the attacker queried with a mocking lilt.

"You would be well advised to know Kurosaki Ichigo calls this place home," Urahara answered. "Perhaps you've heard of him? Orange hair? Giant sword? Invaded Soul Society a few months ago to save a noble girl from execution? Killed Aizen, which not even Yamamoto-sōtaicho managed? Is the name ringing any bells yet?"

"What does he have to do with anything?"

"He went to war with against Soul Society for the sake of one noble girl he barely knew before. Can you tell me why he wouldn't again?"

There was silence for a moment. "For all his reputation as the defender of Karakura, Kurosaki Ichigo certainly hasn't made an appearance despite all the Hollows. He isn't here, is he?" the voice asked shrewdly. "After we all felt his reiatsu at the Berean mansion, it suddenly vanished. I thought he had returned to the living world, but apparently for once it seems the rumors flying around about him have some substance behind them."

Urahara swore under his breath. He knew where this was going.

"Kurosaki is currently in Hell, rescuing his mother," the assassin guessed, before laughing assuredly. "Even if he manages to escape from Hell, he'll probably still go to war against Soul Society anyway for threatening his family! My actions here won't hurt _that _situation at all. In any case, I've wasted enough time here."

"So have I. Sorry," Urahara replied in a too-calm voice, "but I can't afford to play with you anymore today. Awaken, Benihime."

"You're a Shinigami!" the mist user exclaimed. "No matter. My body does not physically exist in this mist unless I will it."

"You are mistaken. Your body _is _this mist until you consolidate yourself," Urahara corrected. "Time to recompose yourself, or die. Hadō 58: Tenran!"

The moderately powerful Hadō, in the hands of Urahara, blasted the majority of the mist up and away from himself and towards the fray of various combat spells being used by the Kidō masters Hachigen and Tessai. Urahara could see several bursts of Byakurai and Shakkahō, with a few Raikōhō tossed in as well.

Suddenly from within the mist, a shadow emerged, and then a whole body materialized, with some mist still emerging from the sword it wielded in its right hand. The assassin dressed all in black – long-sleeve black shirt, black pants, black facemask that covered his nose and mouth… the only things not in black were the dark pink armor he wore on top of the shirt, and his brown hair. He promptly flickered down to a short ways away from Urahara. "I shall have to remember that tactic in the future," the man complimented. "My name is Kuzu Ryū, assassin. May I have yours?"

"Urahara Kisuke, exile."

Ryū nodded. "As I have no real strategy against someone who can counter the mist, I will retreat for now." And he Shunpo-ed away.

Urahara did not bother to follow. He had bigger problems – Yoruichi needed a portal back to the living world several minutes ago. He too vanished and reappeared back in his shop, before Shunpo-ing back down to the underground training room and immediately casting the same spell that had opened the portal to begin with.

He could feel the spell take hold, could _taste _Hell's reiatsu, yet for some reason the portal did not open. Releasing the spell and attempting it a second time, with the same results, Urahara frowned and turned to his computers that were monitoring Hell and its connection to the living world. "Hell is just as close as before," he muttered. "But there's… damn."

If the founder of the R&D Institute was reading the data correctly, he'd found the source of the problem. Mayuri had managed to set up a barrier between the two worlds that severely inhibited the use of dimensional travel between them through use of any means save the purification inherent in a Zanpakutō. And to add insult to injury, Mayuri had used the very same principles Urahara had implemented for swapping Karakura with its fake in Soul Society!

Urahara took off his hat and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. His old colleague could _not _have had worse timing. It was now impossible for him to open a portal to Hell except for finding a Hollow whose old human life had been evil enough to warrant Hell. _Or killing such a human myself, _Urahara corrected absently, but he had no such intention.

Hachi and Tessai walked in then, each a little tired from having defeated the onslaught of Hollows. "What has happened, Urahara-dono?" Tessai immediately asked, seeing Urahara's pensive expression.

He quickly explained what he'd learned in the last few minutes. "We're going to try to break through anyway."

"How?"

"We attack the weakest link in the barrier. The Gates of Hell. Mayuri had to leave the barrier there intentionally weak in order to allow for Hell-bound souls to make the transition," Urahara outlined. "Once we summon the Gates, they should open on their own, but if they don't, we all attack with our most powerful Hadō and force it open."

"What if that doesn't work?" Hachigen couldn't help but ask.

Urahara was silent as he traversed the room to a box he rarely kept out of his sight. He picked it up gingerly, knowing what was held within. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. One way or another, the Gates will open. After they do, Tessai, you need to use Bakudō 77: Tenteikūra to tell Ichigo and Yoruichi to return to the Gates. Hachi, your job will be to make sure the Gates stay open. I'll deal with whatever tries to interfere."

"Understood," the two Kidō masters acknowledged.

They left the shop for a nearby field – the Gates of Hell were simply too large, even for Urahara's underground training room. The three of them stood evenly spaced in a triangular fashion, with Hachigen as the focal point. Hachi summoned his Hollow mask, and as one, they began to chant the forbidden incantation, each of them focusing on summoning the Gates of Hell.

They summoned the bottom of the doors first, the barrier fighting them, but they repeated the chant, over and over, devoting more and more reiatsu. It took several minutes of non-stop chanting and a great deal of reiatsu, but the Gates of Hell finally materialized. As there was no damned soul to claim, they stood steadfast, refusing to open.

Taking a breath and attempting to recover from the effort of summoning the Gates through the powerful barrier Mayuri had placed, Urahara took his hat off and wiped the sweat from his brow, just before an intensely familiar reiatsu rocked through the vicinity. He turned to see Mayuri, Kyōraku, Ukitake, and Yamamoto stepping through a Senkaimon.

Mayuri was showing off every one of his white teeth in a gleeful smile, while Kyōraku and Ukitake looked rather concerned and uneasy. Yamamoto, however, wore an expression of thunderous anger. "Urahara Kisuke!" he roared. "You dare to disrupt our solution to protect the living world from Hell itself?"

Urahara found himself standing straight, looking icily at the sōtaicho as he endured and ignored the fire-oriented reiatsu of the millennia-old Shinigami. "Yes," he replied softly, coolly. "I dare. I dare to take the high ground and do what I feel is right. I dare to do whatever is in my power to those I care for from Hell. I dare to place my faith in Kurosaki Ichigo, and damn the consequences!"

The words seemed to strike a chord with Kyōraku and Ukitake, who glanced at each other significantly before walking quietly to Urahara's side, turning to face Yamamoto, whose body language shifted in surprise for a moment. "Both of you," he stated more than asked.

"Both of us," Kyōraku confirmed anyway. "Ichigo-kun has always defied the odds, Yama-jii. I won't be the one to take away his chance to save his family."

"Ichigo has done us a great service, sensei," Ukitake pleaded. "He has grown so strong, stronger than any of us. If anyone can venture into Hell and save his family, he can. We owe it to him to let him try."

"You fools," Yamamoto muttered, before raising his voice. "You cannot understand! By entering Hell he has doomed himself! Hell does not so willingly let its souls leave! By now Kurosaki Ichigo's sisters and mother have fallen to its effects and become Togabito themselves, if they had not already been eaten by the Kushanāda! The air itself will force his Hollowification and he will lose himself!"

"Yet he has recovered from full Hollowification not once, but twice without ill effects," Urahara corrected with narrow eyes. "He has since been able to fully Hollowify without losing his mind, case in point in his battle against Aizen in Soul Society!"

"You do not know… you could not know what having such a powerful person in Hell will effect! It is forbidden knowledge, far beyond the clearance of taicho! I only gained clearance from the Zero Division after I became sōtaicho!" Yamamoto bellowed angrily. "The _best _case scenario is that Kurosaki and his family all die in Hell and remain trapped there!"

"You must be joking, Yama-jii," Kyōraku commented, shaking his head. "If that's the best case scenario, what's the worst?"

"Complete annihilation of the living world by Hell itself."

"All the more reason to get Ichigo out of there before that happens!" Urahara decided. "Hachi, Tessai! Get those Gates open!"

"Hai!" they replied in unison.

"You youngsters need to learn your place!" Yamamoto growled as his cane's outer shell promptly incinerated, revealing his Zanpakutō. "Kurotsuchi-taicho, deal with Urahara Kisuke! Reduce All Creation of Ash, Ryūjin Jakka!"

Kyōraku and Ukitake wordlessly brought out their own Shikai – each of their incantations were far too long to properly incant when fighting their sensei. "You are wrong, Yama-jii!" Kyōraku called out strongly.

"Ichigo has been wronged far too long for us to deny him a chance to save his family!" Ukitake joined in.

Kurotsuchi's smile was impossibly wide as he drew his own Zanpakutō. "You have no idea how long I have wanted this, Urahara Kisuke."

"I beg to differ, Mayuri-chan," Kisuke murmured, taking off his beloved bucket hat and tossing it away. He could not afford to be an eccentric shopkeeper for this fight. His eyes hardened as they met his successor's gaze. Urahara was once more the taicho-level assassin of the Onmitsukidō, genius founder of the Research and Development Institute.

"Rip asunder, Ashisogi Jizō," Mayuri murmured almost lovingly, his blade warping into a golden deformed trident, with curved blades, the middle one being longer than the other two. Where the blades met the handle was a golden baby's head with eyes half-open.

Urahara promptly vanished and reappeared a scant moment later directly behind Mayuri, releasing his Shikai wordlessly as he charged it with energy. "Shibari, Benihime!"

Mayuri smirked, not bothering to move. "Bakudō 81: Dankū."

The black-and-red webbing hit the invisible barrier before falling to the ground, useless. But Urahara was already gone, Shunpo-ing a short distance away. "Kamisori, Benihime!" He unleashed a small, but powerful crescent of red energy that sliced its way through the air towards Mayuri.

Urahara's successor shook his head. "Useless. Bakudō 73: Tozanshō." Just before the attack could hit him, an inverted azure pyramid materialized around Mayuri, the bottom buried in the ground he stood upon.

Urahara scoffed at the snap judgment. "Tozanshō, Mayuri? Is that really how you want to play this?" Shunpo-ing once more above, Urahara flashed to above Mayuri's position. He snapped his left hand up with his palm facing the exact center of the pyramid, where he knew it would be furthest away from the five points of power that made up the spell and therefore should be weakest. Urahara instantly lined himself up behind his hand, as though as though to shield himself, while making subtle movements with his right hand. "Hadō 88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"

For only a moment, Urahara's left hand glowed bright electric blue with swirling reiatsu, before a truly massive typhoon of lightning-infused reiatsu, more than twice as wide as Urahara was tall, erupted with enough light to nearly blind the scientist. _No wonder Tessai always wears those sunglasses when he casts this, _Urahara couldn't help but think, just before the spell crashed down on the pyramid barrier.

Unable to withstand the raw power, the Tozanshō cracked, splintered, and then finally shattered, allowing the rest of Urahara's Hadō to hit the ground. There was hardly any more power left in the spell after breaking the barrier, however, and all it did was leave an admittedly large scorch mark in the ground.

Urahara frowned – Mayuri had disappeared, but he knew that the taicho would not abandon his chance to silence his predecessor so easily. _But where is he…? _

He was suddenly taken by surprise as a hand clasped his shoulder, before promptly exploding on contact. As the smoke from the explosion began to fade, a camouflaged figure walked forward from on the ground behind Urahara, his skin flaking away to reveal Mayuri's usual appearance, minus his left arm. "Did you forget about my Nisehada and Jabarakaina, Urahara?"

"Not at all," came Urahara's voice from the smoke as the last wisps were taken by the wind. He was completely unharmed. "Did you forget about my portable Gigai?"

"Hmph. Hardly," Mayuri scoffed, casually reaching into his coat and pulling out a vial of green serum, injecting it into his shoulder. Immediately, his whole arm regenerated, taking mere seconds to return him to full functionality. Stretching it experimentally, he shook his head. "You truly infuriate me, Urahara Kisuke."

"I live to serve," Urahara mocked. "Shall we continue? Wait, I'm sorry. We're already done."

"What?" But suddenly Mayuri was caught in the webbing of Urahara's first technique, Shibari, wrapped from head to toe. He fell to the floor painfully, glaring up at Urahara as the former assassin landed gently on the ground. "You purposely left your technique active," he accused. "You quietly fed it reiatsu and made it spread across the ground while I was inside my barriers, and talked to me to buy time to finish the job!"

"Guilty as charged. Now, I don't deny your ingenuousness, so I'm sure you would figure out a way out of the webbing sooner rather than later. So I'll give you a choice." He placed Benihime just above one of the links of webbing that were spread along the ground. "Either you use your useful turn-to-liquid trick, or I blow you up."

Mayuri growled at the former assassin angrily. "Damn you, Urahara Kisuke!" Sealing Ashisogi Jizō, Mayuri managed to pierce his side slightly with his sealed Zanpakutō, before promptly turning into a pea-green liquid and easily passing through the webbing.

Urahara let the Shibari spell collapse, before Shunpo-ing away – there was little time, and he could tell that Tessai and Hachi had not yet managed to open the Gates of Hell! He could tell that Kyōraku and Ukitake were fighting Yamamoto still, judging by the rapidly rising heat in the area, but they were apparently keeping him busy.

Reappearing next to Tessai, who was in the middle of quietly chanting the full incantation of what was no doubt an extremely high level spell, Urahara channeled a large portion of his remaining reiatsu into Benihime, charging up for a powerful attack to add to Tessai's own. Urahara quickly recognized some of the lines that Tessai was chanting, and he began to smirk once he realized what Tessai was doing. _Master of Kidō indeed. _

Suddenly, surprising Urahara and Tessai and nearly making them lose their concentration, Ukitake appeared next to them in the tell-tale flicker of Shunpo. "Whatever techniques you're using, use them now!" he cried out. "Now, Sōgyo no Kotowari!" He thrust forward with his right hand, unleashing an enormous blast of flames…. Yamamoto's flames.

"Nake, Benihime!"

"Hadō 91: Senjū Kōten Taihō!" Tessai bellowed, throwing both hands up to aim at the Gates. "Hadō 88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!" From his left hand came the same powerful lightning attack that Urahara had cast mere minutes before, and from his right more than a dozen pink spears of light shot into the lightning, merging and changing it. The lightning wave broke up into several smaller pieces, each piece coating the highly explosive spears of light with its electric blue energy, which then turned a vibrant violet as they shot forward towards the Gates of Hell. "Combination Hadō: Lightning Crash Destroyer of Heaven!"

The three attacks coincided at the barrier guarding the Gates, and then there was silence for a brief moment before the world as Urahara knew it exploded.

* * *

Meanwhile, down in Hell, Ichigo and the Vizard were finishing their genocide of the Kushanāda. Very few yet remained after the breathtaking display of raw power had annihilated their brethren. Perhaps a couple of dozen had survived due to various outcroppings and sheer luck, but they made no attempt to move forward and continue the attack. Instead, they were… retreating? _Yes,_ Yoruichi observed, _they are. But to where? _

The Hollow Ichigo had become screamed his triumph, the Hollowified Vizards behind him echoing it briefly before falling still. With his main priority complete, Ichigo lifted his mother to his eye level. She had fallen completely limp.

Ichigo made a querying noise, a blend between a grunt and a thoughtful hum. Getting no answer, Ichigo turned around and walked past the Vizard, who parted for him without a sound. Karin stared at Ichigo as though seeing him for the first time, but she didn't move. For the moment, Ichigo deposited his mother in front of her, and then turned his attention to Yuzu.

Yuzu was on the ground, lying still. Too still. Ichigo stabbed Tensa Zangetsu into the sand, then knelt and picked her up. The clink of a chain caught his ear and he twisted her around until he could see the cause. There was a chain coming out of her chest. He did not know why, but he suddenly hurt. Inside him, there was pain. Why? Why was the chain bad? Why did the girl not move?

He yelled wordlessly at her, trying to provoke the girl into moving. She did not. He did not understand. Why did he hurt? Ichigo made a frustrated noise. He felt as though he should know this.

… _**What the hell did you get yourself into this time, King? **_

What? Noise in his head! Ichigo spun on the spot, quickly dropping the girl off with the others, and brandished Tensa Zangetsu in a defensive fashion.

_**Huh. Weird… Ichigo, you there?**_

More noise! Was this an attack?

_**OK, seriously, answer me! And what's with the reiatsu? **_

It didn't sound like an attack… just more noise. More questioning than anything else. Ichigo grunted and decided to ignore it till it went away.

_**Ichigo, I swear that if you don't start talking THIS INSTANT I will take over! Right now! I'm serious! Fine, you asked for it!**_

Cazador de la Luna opened his eyes, blinking a couple of times as Ichigo's body changed slightly to reflect the change in ownership. He dismissed the Resurrección, not sensing an enemy nearby, but he got the nagging sense something was wrong. He turned around, and spotted Ichigo's family. One of them just continued to stare creepily at him until he shifted around uneasily. "Oi. Karin, right?"

"I-I-Ichigo?"

"No. I'm the Inner Hollow, Cazador."

Karin suddenly got up, her apparent state of shock and surprise giving way to genuine anger. "Let me talk to Ichigo!"

Cazador backed up a pace. "Hey, I would if I could! He seems to have checked out, though, and I've got no idea what the Hell is going on. Mind filling me in?"

"Now's not the time, Cazador de la Luna," Yoruichi's voice replied instead, walking towards him alongside Soifon and someone Cazador didn't really know. _Damn, what did I miss? _"We've got to get out of here before she dies too."

"What?"

Yoruichi looked at Cazador stone-faced. "Kurosaki Masaki and Kurosaki Yuzu are dead and have been claimed by Hell. Check their chests – there are Hell-binding chains. If Karin dies in Hell as well, she will be claimed too. Let's move."

Cazador's head whirled, and he felt a distinct ache in where his heart should be at the news that his mother and sister were dead, but he knew he had to protect the remainder of his family. _Protect first, vengeance later. _

But then a rumble started nearby, the reiatsu that lingered in the air suddenly intensified a hundred-fold. Cazador shivered – something was coming, and he had the sinking feeling that it was coming for him. "Hey, you!" he pointed at one of the Hollows – who were they anyway? This one had a very familiar-looking mask, like an Egyptian pharaoh. His body was yellow-white as desert-scorched sands, his bone-straight blond hair down at shoulder level. The Hollow was also wearing an ivory sleeveless robe-like garment. For a few moments, Cazador could swear that there was something appearing and disappearing on the robes, but it was either too soft to see, or he was hallucinating. "Take Karin, Yuzu and M-Masaki." He stuttered on the last name, instinctually wanting to call her Mom but with Karin not recognizing him as part of her brother, that didn't feel like the best time to bring up _that _can of worms. "Follow one of them to the living world and guard them till I get there." He didn't know how he knew, but he could feel deep in his bones that they would obey his orders.

The Hollow nodded, picked up Karin bodily, ignoring her protests, before shifting her under an arm so he could take the other two under the other. Then he looked at Yoruichi expectantly. "Soifon, you show him the way back up," Yoruichi ordered after a moment.

"Hai, Yoruichi-sama!" She Shunpo-ed away, and the Hollow Sonido-ed quickly after her.

Yoruichi looked at Cazador curiously. "Interesting choice, picking Shinji."

Cazador blinked. "Wait, that was Shinji? Hirako Shinji, as in the Vizard?"

"Yep."

Cazador immediately took another look at the other Hollows. Now he could see the connection between the Hollows and their Vizard selves. Kensei seemed to have bulked up in size a fair amount, and had several thick white cylindrical things sticking out of his back. His hands had grown even bigger in proportion to the rest of his body, and was covered in a white armor. His mask, which usually took the form of a hockey faceguard of sorts, had grown to cover the top of his head as well.

Love, who Cazador could identify only by his enormous afro and mask, seemed to have taken the Oni motif to its logical conclusion. His Shikai, though not visible at the moment, was a gigantic spiked bat, his mask was that of an Oni, so to Cazador it was rather predictable that Love's transformation had completed the process. Love had become more broad-shouldered, but not as large. His skin had turned dark blue, much to Cazador's private amusement, and his shirt was irrevocably torn up, giving him a savage look. He too had formed claws and talon-like feet.

Rose, as opposed to Love, had grown in a hard-to-predict way. His mask prior to Resurrección had, to Ichigo's thoughts, always resembled the mask a doctor from the Renaissance era would wear to prevent themselves from falling ill from whatever was ailing their patients. It had been a class assignment once, Ichigo had explained later, and he truly could not think of anything else it could be.

But Cazador knew that Zanpakutō and Hollow were inextricably linked within the Vizard, and shared a common theme. Cazador himself centered around the theme of the moon with Zangetsu. And Rose's Zanpakutō, did _not _look like something a doctor would use. Rose's Shikai was a golden, flower-tipped, whip-like weapon, and Ichigo had first-hand experience in its musical abilities. Music was the theme here – Rose was a pianist. So while his Zanpakutō had become the instrument of death, Rose's Hollow took the pianist's features to their extremes.

Instead of growing in size, Rose had instead become almost skeletally thin, his bone-white arms and fingers growing longer, sharper almost. His thick, long, wavy blond hair straightened somewhat and reached past his shoulders, and his own Hollow hole appeared in the middle of his torso, underneath where the heart would be, about where the diaphragm was. His Hollow mask, too, had grown to cover the entirety of his head, giving him a distinctly disturbing look.

Mashiro, however, had never showed Ichigo or Cazador her Shikai. All Cazador knew about the nature of her powers was that she had a hornet mask. To Cazador's disappointment, even her Hollowification did not reveal very much – her legs and waist had grown white armor, now appearing very insect-like from the segmentation of the armor. Her mask had not grown around her head like the other Vizard, either. When he looked harder, Mashiro's hands had also acquired a little white armor, but all in all there was little to be gleaned.

Lisa had apparently become a Valkyrie, if Cazador's first impression was correct. Her original mask had been diamond-shaped with two slits, one horizontal and one vertical, which came together to form a cross. Her Resurrección mask, like most of the others, had grown around her head, but hers had left the top of her head open, which to Cazador was rather unusual. _**Then again, nothing is usual about this. **_

Remembering Lisa's Shikai, a very large and long pole arm with a monk's spade on the end, Cazador noted that her Resurrección had almost completely covered her old clothes, garbing her in a highly functional bone battle skirt and an ivory breastplate.

Cazador was completely unsurprised about Hiyori's transformation – she was all about offense, so of course she'd gained more weapons from her body. But was Cazador _was _surprised about, was that not one of his fellow Hollowified Vizards-turned-Arrancar still had their Zanpakutō.

But there was no more time to think on it, as the sands no more than a dozen yards away from Cazador exploded upwards, the reiatsu of Hell becoming stronger and thicker once again. "Who are you?" Yoruichi demanded.

The sands fell, and Cazador could now see the being. He appeared human, light-skinned with shoulder-length, blood-red hair. He was tall, and broad-shouldered, though his muscles looked deteriorated, as though he'd recently gone through a very severe starvation. Dressed only in rags that barely covered his legs, his red eyes nevertheless glittered with arrogance and malice. "I should thank you, Hollow," he said with a mocking bow, ignoring Yoruichi entirely. "You have resurrected me after thousands of years of torment. I think I will make you a general in my new army. Mm, yes, I'm feeling quite generous, I'll even let you keep your own soldiers."

"Just who the hell are you?" Cazador questioned forcefully.

The being laughed. "Oh, funny with words are you? Even better. I'll give you a hint. You've just slaughtered and freed thousands of fragments of my soul and will, allowing them to rejoin and give me form and power once more."

The ally who Cazador still did not recognize looked particularly taken aback as he connected the dots. "No… you can't be…!"

The reiatsu grew once more, alongside the stranger's brutal grin. "Oh yes. I am Hell, and welcome to your damnation."

* * *

Hahahaha! How's that for breaking from canon? There is a HUGE backstory to Hell that will be explained... in later chapters!

Cazador doesn't have access to Ichigo's recent memories because, well, Ichigo seems to have checked out. You'll see what happened to him later, but it has to do with why Cazador kept his sanity while the rest of the Vizard-turned-Arrancar didn't.

I really struggled to set up the Hollow versions of the Vizard. I think my best work was with Rose, if I'm honest, or maybe Lisa.

Anyway, time for canon rant!

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So, Ichigo's looking pretty badass lately, Ginjo's dead, the surviving Fullbringers have either lost their powers and/or are on hiatus, waiting on child billionaire to build up his company more and come back for them. The badge Ukitake's idea, to help control Substitute Shinigami if it became needed. Ichigo doesn't care. That about cover it?

I like Ichigo's new Bankai. Looks more mature and wicked than his original one. Definitely gonna have to incorporate that at some point.

Ichigo using the phrase "mere Substitute Shinigami" was an interesting choice. He's setting himself apart from Shinigami, making himself "lesser" in the relationship. Which is strange, considering that he's pretty damn strong and he could easily have gone back to the old status quo.

Some of the Vizard have been invited back in? Veeeeeeeery interesting. I didn't think they'd ever want to rejoin after their betrayal. They seemed very standoffish against Soul Society while teaming up against Aizen. Hmm. Did they have their Hollows sealed? And I wonder where the rest are?

Anyway, that's it for now. Until next time,

NeoRyu777


	48. Matter of the Soul

OK, this chapter really flowed quick. While it's shorter than usual, I couldn't really continue it. This chapter is a bit of recap for Cazador's benefit, a lot of planning, some character development, and the reveal of what happened to Ichigo.

Review replies are first, as usual.

Metal Dragoon - Oh yeah, much suffering will be inflicted if everything is not resolved to Ichigo's satisfaction.

Rathanel - Sorry, super-long backstory has to take place before tension can be resolved. Gotta know where Hell came from before he can be killed, you know. And the Kasumioji thing, that's not gonna be resolved in one or two chapters.

freeprincess - Kokuto is not Hell, Cazador is just very confused about who he is since he wasn't awake when Ichigo met him.

No new terms this time around, so let's just get to the story shall we?

* * *

Chapter 48: Matter of the Soul

Cazador shook his head, trying to make sense of it all. "Wait just a Kami-damned minute! Last thing I remember is going to sleep in Ichigo's soul during his vacation to the beach. Next thing I know, I'm in Hell, Ichigo's not answering, his mother and sister are dead, his other sister nearly so! And apparently I've been doing some killing, which somehow freed up Kami knows how many soul fragments! Those soul fragments recombined and made that guy! Can someone please either wake me up, or explain just how the fuck this happened?"

"Ichigo's sisters got kidnapped by Togabito, residents of Hell. His mother got banished to Hell by some nobles in Soul Society," Yoruichi bit out tersely, not taking her eyes off Hell.

"Ah." The dots were beginning to connect. "OK, so Ichigo decided to go to Hell, apparently with our good friends the Vizard here, you…" he looked around, doing a headcount. "Tōshiro, Rukia, Renji, and new guy whose name I don't know. Wow, a lot of muscle here. Somehow along the way, the Vizard Hollowified I take it."

"That would be my doing," Hell claimed. "This is my dimension. My reiatsu tends to have… _side effects_ on Shinigami-Hollow hybrids if they stick around too long."

Cazador looked at him incredulously for a moment, but then sighed and shook his head. "Naturally, Ichigo takes us to the one place we can't be the strongest thing around. Of course. So off we go to Hell. We obviously find everyone. Shit happens, we get attacked by that guy's soul fragments, we kill them all and go insane in the process. Masaki and Yuzu die and are apparently claimed by Hell. And here we are."

"And here we are," Hell agreed, spreading his arms as if saying "what can you do?" "But I admit to having a question of my own. You are a Shinigami-Hollow hybrid, correct?"

"Yeah, I'm an Arrancar. So?"

"I thought as much. Arrancar, just by being here, normally enter a heightened state of aggression, to the point of attacking the first thing they see," Hell explained. He started to walk around Cazador, inspecting him like he would an experiment. "Yet, instead of attacking me, you instead demand answers. Instead of madness, you instead gained rationality. Interesting."

"Will you let Kurosaki Masaki and Kurosaki Yuzu free?" Yoruichi questioned steadily, interrupting Cazador's and Hell's thoughts. "They are not yours by any action of their own, and Yuzu is still human, not a spirit."

Hell laughed softly, but it still gave Cazador goosebumps. "Let them free? Why would I do that, Shinigami? Their souls are mine now – that is the price of my dimension. Those who die here are endlessly reborn as my tools and slaves. How they came to be here is none of my concern."

"I see." Her face betrayed no emotion. "And will you let us go without accosting us?"

Hell smiled. "As I said, I am in a very, _very _generous mood. I have just been reborn, after all, and I have you all to thank for that kindness. You are not mine, so I have no reason to keep you. You may all leave. In fact, let me help you out."

With a dismissive wave of his hand, an oval-shaped portal opened up, clearly showing the real world, where Urahara, Tessai , Hachi and Ukitake all looked stunned. Yoruichi stepped through without hesitation, rushing to Urahara's side. Hitsugaya quickly did the same, joining Ukitake. Rukia and Renji spared each other a glance and followed as well.

Cazador looked at the ally who still hadn't given his name. "What about you? You coming?"

He sadly shook his head. "I am Togabito as well. I cannot." He held up his left wrist, from which a chain dangled a short ways. An instant later, the chain shimmered, and Cazador could see how it linked him to Hell – the person, and the dimension both. "If you ever reach Ichigo again… tell him I will wait as long as it takes."

Cazador blinked, confused, but he nodded nonetheless. Then he turned to Hell. "What price would have to be paid, in order for you to release Kurosaki Masaki and Yuzu?"

"Hmm." Hell considered a few moments, and then let out a low, but rough, pulse of reiatsu. The Togabito shivered as it passed through him. Then Hell whistled lowly. "My my, what pure souls they have. You're quite right, they should not have come here at all, but I will not deny such a gift when it is given so freely. I would require two souls of equal pureness in exchange," he finally declared.

_**Oh boy. Ichigo is NOT going to like this…**_

"Hollow," the Togabito spoke up. He swallowed, apparently gathering his courage. "The chains can be-" He was suddenly cut off, by what was unknown, but he seemed to be choking. If Cazador was reading the impressions on his neck correctly, then his own Hell-binding chain was choking him.

He gave a questioning glance to Hell, who merely smiled. "Off you go now. Unless you want to join me, of course."

_**No,**_ Cazador thought, _**that's really not something I want. **_In all honesty, he was more worried about what had happened to Ichigo. What could have happened that would keep Ichigo from responding to him? Could Hell's reiatsu have somehow buried Ichigo deep within his own psyche? Cazador resolved to enter his Inner World at his first opportunity to demand answers from Zangetsu.

Cazador hurriedly stepped through the portal, and Hell looked mildly disappointed as the Vizard followed suit mindlessly. With another gesture, the portal vanished. Refocusing his attention on his surroundings, the Arrancar noticed that Urahara was being helped to his feet by Yoruichi, while Ukitake was coughing weakly and being supported by Hitsugaya. Shinji had apparently made it out with his cargo, who were still being carried, with Karin seeming to gain a little more color in her face now that was out in the living world. Soifon stood to the side appearing slightly awkward, not knowing what to do next.

Yamamoto appeared out of nowhere, his Zanpakutō alight with the fires of his reiatsu. Cazador nearly jumped back in surprise, while Rukia and Renji trembled under the pressure of the sōtaicho's presence. "You fools!" he roared. "Shunsui, come _here_!"

Kyōraku Shunpo-ed next to him, lowering his twin blades. "Ichigo," he greeted, then took another look and frowned. "Wait. You're his Hollow, aren't you?"

"Yo," Cazador acknowledged, raising a hand in greeting himself.

"Cazador de la Luna," Yamamoto rumbled angrily, "where is Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"I'd like to know that too, Yamamoto. I only just woke up about 5 minutes ago," Cazador confessed.

"Inner Hollows _sleep_?" Soifon murmured under her breath, a little taken aback. Cazador didn't bother to answer that.

"And who are these Hollows?" Yamamoto demanded, pointing his sword at them. The Vizard didn't even flinch.

"They're the Vizard," Cazador answered. "Apparently their Resurrección was forced on them by Hell. But luckily for us all, Hollows of any evolution obey higher evolutions. That's a matter of Hollow instinct. As I'm an Adjuchas Arrancar, they obey me, and that'll probably continue until I dismiss them or until they regain their sanity."

Yamamoto appeared to make a snap decision, and suddenly his blade lost its flames, returning to a sealed state. He pushed it into the air before himand opened a Senkaimon. "Come with me to Soul Society, all of you. You must know what you all have unleashed with your actions."

"What about Masaki and Yuzu?" Cazador asked. "They've got the Hell-chains attached."

"It is too late for them. The chains cannot be broken," Yamamoto declared solemnly. "As they are out of Hell, they will not revive, but neither can they be saved. The kindest thing to do would be to burn them, destroy their soul so as not to suffer an eternity of torment in Hell."

"Like hell you will!" Karin yelled, wriggling out of Shinji's grasp. "That's my twin sister and mother! How do you know they can't be saved? How can you know if you haven't even tried! Kokutō said Ichigo had the power to break those chains!"

Cazador's head snapped towards Karin. Now he finally had a name for that Togabito guy. _That's probably what he was saying. 'The chains can be broken!' _

"Kurosaki Ichigo's status is unknown," Soifon answered the girl ruthlessly. "And Hell will come for their souls soon. Would you gamble your brother miraculously returning and having the power to break those chains against an eternity of torment?"

"Yes!" Karin shouted angrily. "Ichigo has never, ever let any of us down! We are his family, and he will come for us!"

"Failing that," came a new voice as he entered the clearing, "I will." Kurosaki Isshin entered the field in his Shinigami form. "I have failed my family too long. Should Ichigo be unable to break the chains, I will."

"And how will you do that, Isshin?" Yamamoto questioned quietly, but intently.

"You know perfectly well that I have completed Jinzen," Isshin answered calmly. "And there is nothing the Final Getsuga Tenshō cannot destroy. While I would lose my powers once more, it would be worth it to resurrect my daughter and my wife."

There was a moment of silence before the leader of Soul Society nodded assent. _It would be a fitting end, _Yamamoto mused. _An exile losing his powers, in the process of restoring the rightful place of two souls who were not destined for Hell. Everything fitting together neatly. _"Very well. We will place barrier Kidō to store them and monitor them. That should delay Hell from locating and retrieving them. Now come; we must discuss the consequences of your descent into Hell."

"Tessai and I will stay here in the living world," Urahara volunteered. "Hell must still be monitored, and Hollows exterminated. Plus, I don't think your Senkaimon has a matter converter, so Karin and Yuzu would need to stay behind in any case. Hachi can stay as well to set up his special barriers to store Yuzu and Masaki. Yoruichi will fill me in on the details when you're done." The Goddess of Shunpo sent him a dirty look, but nodded anyway. As these were all valid points, Yamamoto nodded again, allowing the deviation.

* * *

An hour later, the Hollowified Vizard, all the taicho and fukutaicho, and Cazador de la Luna all stood in the taicho meeting chamber. As Ukitake had no fukutaicho, Rukia stood next to him. Gin was absent, as he was in a medical coma induced by Unohana. Cazador stood in front of the Vizard, clearly indicating that he was their leader, while all the fukutaicho stood next to their respective taicho. Hinamori looked torn between confusion and fear, casting aside glances at Cazador. Isshin stood next to Cazador as well, looking calm but serious.

Yamamoto slammed his cane into the floor, calling all attention to him. "We have a crisis," he announced. "Perhaps worse than that of Aizen Sōsuke. Hell has arisen."

"Ah, forgive me Yama-jii, but I'm confused. I thought Hell was the dimension, and we've already known it exists for some time now…" Kyōraku commented.

Yamamoto nodded. "Hell is the name of the dimension for a single reason: the dimension is an extension of its creator."

"How is that possible?" Kurotsuchi asked, clearly very intrigued. "The amount of reiryoku needed to create even a small pocket dimension is enormous, to create and maintain a dimension with diverse environments would be astronomical!"

"Or his power was evolved," Cazador pointed out loudly. "He went and upgraded didn't he? He kept getting stronger and stronger, evolving beyond whatever he started out as. Then he created a dimension for himself!"

Yamamoto nodded. "That is what the records state. The rest of what I am about to tell you is a state secret, and cannot be told to anyone under penalty of death, both to you and whomever you told. I am authorized by the Zero Division, and the Berean family, to share this information only under the direst of circumstances."

"The Berean family?" Hitsugaya repeated, connecting the dots. "Didn't Ichigo…?"

"Yes," Yamamoto answered Hitsugaya's unasked question. "Though it is not widely known, the Berean family was charged by the Spirit King to collect and maintain records of all forbidden knowledge, including Hollowification, and all things pertaining to Hell. The ones who banished Kurosaki Ichigo's mother have already been caught by Kuchiki-taicho and Kurosaki. They are currently imprisoned and will be interrogated to uncover the rest of the conspirators. However, the Head of the Berean family has shared their records of Hell for the duration of this crisis.

"To return to the topic at hand, long ago, there was a three-sided war between the Spirit King, the King of Hueco Mundo, and Hell. The Spirit King successfully purified the King of Hueco Mundo, but Hell had designed his dimension so that whomever perished while within it became under his rule. He remained in his dimension and sent his forces out to the living world and Soul Society to perform his work. Whenever his forces died, he called them back to Hell via their Chains of Fate, which he had perverted into the Chains of Hell.

"As a result, Hell could never be truly conquered – he would resurrect upon his death, with no damage to his power or his memories. The Spirit King could not simply destroy Hell's soul – that would destroy the dimension, and the Spirit King was forced to admit that it provided a necessary service; it took the truly evil of humanity, leaving Soul Society the final destination of ultimately good souls.

"So the Spirit King shattered Hell's soul into thousands, millions of pieces. Those pieces became the beings we now call the Kushanāda, Hell's Will. Due to Hell's own rules, he cannot truly die. When a Kushanāda would die, it would revive with its soul fragment. The Kushanāda would always seek out and eat the strongest within its realm to attempt to regain the reiatsu it needed to return to their original form, and would as a result prevent any from growing strong enough to kill more than one at a time. This, the Spirit King felt, would be Hell's eternal prison, where he would be trapped within his own rules forever.

"But that ended today, when Kurosaki Ichigo, Soifon-taicho, Hitsugaya-taicho, Abarai-fukutaicho and Kuchiki Rukia entered Hell with the exiles known as the Vizard to save Kurosaki's family. Countless Kushanāda were killed simultaneously, allowing their soul fragments to rejoin and resurrect Hell, albeit as a shadow of his former self.

"We can assume that Hell will once again launch a campaign to take total control over all dimensions while seeking out the remaining pieces of his soul. We must take measures to counter this threat. Kurotsuchi-taicho, all current research projects are hereby suspended. Focus all efforts towards strengthening the barrier surrounding Hell, and restricting interdimensional travel. Kyōraku-taicho, Ukitake-taicho, Kuchiki-taicho, you will go through the Berean records and attempt to determine the method by which the Spirit King shattered Hell's soul.

"Hitsugaya-taicho, Abarai-fukutaicho, Kuchiki Rukia you are hereby reassigned to the living world. Aid Urahara Kisuke in guarding the living world. Cazador de la Luna, work with the Vizard – at this point, all strength is needed. Consider all laws considering Shinigami-Hollow hybrids under suspension, do what you must in order to regain their sanity and convince them to work with Soul Society. Also, determine what has happened to your host, Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Zaraki-taicho, I understand Madarame Ikkaku has Bankai. Make him as strong as you can – he will be one of primary assault when the time comes. Soifon-taicho, Komamura-taicho, step up your training – your Bankai will be needed to cut through and blast away the armies when we assault Hell in his own dimension. Tōsen-taicho, you will accompany Cazador de la Luna and the Vizard to improve your Hollowification. Unohana-taicho, continue to train your Division in the healing arts, and scout the other Divisions for those with healing talent – they will be needed.

"All fukutaicho, you are to take over and delegate as many duties of your Division as needed, and then train under your taicho when time permits. I will contact the Zero Division and request an audience with the Spirit King. Any questions?" There was silence. "Dismissed!"

* * *

A short while later, Cazador returned to the living world with the Vizard, the various taicho, Rukia and Renji. Not particularly wanting the taicho to know where the Vizard warehouse was just in case he had to hide there on a later date, Cazador led them all to Urahara's shop and immediately was granted access to the underground training basement.

Isshin, Rukia and Renji stayed upstairs with Urahara, not wanting to be in the blast radius of Vizard training just in case one of them woke up or went berserk. "Cazador de la Luna," Tōsen began, "I admit to some confusion from the sōtaicho's order. How am I to improve my Hollowification?"

"When you enter Resurrección, do you still get to use your Bankai?" Cazador asked bluntly.

"No… I merge with Suzumushi to enter my Resurrección," Tōsen replied. "How would I still use Bankai when my Zanpakutō is merged?"

Cazador sighed. "You skipped a step. You have to beat your Inner Hollow and take his Zanpakutō. Then you merge with _that _Zanpakutō." To prove his point, he materialized Ichigo's black Tensa Zangetsu. "See?"

Tōsen appeared interested. "While I am blind outside of my Hollowification, I believe I do understand. I sense Hollow reiatsu from one blade, and Shinigami reiatsu from the other. The differentiation allows you to use both Resurrección and Bankai simultaneously. Very well. I will begin my meditation immediately."

With that, he sat down, crossed his legs, and laid Suzumushi's sealed form across his legs. Cazador recognized the stance – he was undergoing Jinzen to talk to Suzumushi, and his Inner Hollow. _**Suppose I should do the same… **_He twisted around to face the Vizard. "Sit down, will ya? And don't do anything until I say."

As one, the Hollowified Vizard all sat down. Satisfied, Cazador settled down to the floor himself and focused on his Inner World, pulling himself in almost immediately.

He looked around. The blood-red moon was in the sky, the skyscrapers were still around, there was no scene of mass destruction that could possibly explain why Ichigo would be buried within his own mind. "Oi! Zangetsu!"

"I am here." Cazador turned to the side and saw Zangetsu pensively sitting on a flagpole, staring at him.

"What the hell happened to Ichigo?" Cazador demanded. "Where is he? Why am I awake? And why the fuck isn't he answering me?"

"The answer to all those questions is the same. Ichigo buried himself deep into his own soul, and pushed you into control. He cannot hear you."

Cazador growled. "Then why can't I just pull him up? Right now this is _my _soul!"

"Because I will not let you."

"What?"

Zangetsu jumped down from his flagpole and began walking to Cazador, drawing his blade. "Look into the blade's reflection, and you will see your answers." 

Cazador peered into the dim moonlight reflecting from the magnificent cleaver, and then saw Ichigo's face contorted into a ferocious snarl as he swung his Shikai against… himself? The image was too quick to get a good look, but it looked like Ichigo was somehow fighting himself. "I don't understand. Who is Ichigo fighting?"

"Himself. Or rather, a manifestation of himself. That manifestation represents the person he could be, should he embrace Hell's ideals. That is the reason you were not affected by Hell's reiatsu. Ichigo was taking it all into himself, trusting you to take care of his family." 

"How is this possible?" Cazador demanded.

Zangetsu gave a half smile. "Ichigo realized as the Resurrección finished that Hell's reiatsu was the cause of his unwilling transformation. He knew he could not win against both his Hollow instinct and Hell's manipulation, so he called you out of the depths of his soul. You are Arrancar, and retain both reason and the ability to control your Hollow instinct. That left Ichigo to handle the effects of Hell. 

"As for why he is within me… You are the one in control, Cazador de la Luna. That makes me and Ichigo the source of your power. Just like you and I normally share one spiritual body when Ichigo is in control, he and I have the option of sharing one body when you are in control. To keep you from being unduly affected by the Hell fragment, he pulled himself and his Hell double into my body. I am, for all intents and purposes, the buffer while they battle. Admittedly, it is not a pleasant feeling." 

"But we've left Hell!" Cazador protested. "Why is the battle still going on?"

"An unexpected side effect," Zangetsu admitted. "I am uncertain of the consequences as of yet, but I have faith Ichigo will win. It is simply a matter of time."

* * *

Meanwhile, within Zangetsu, Ichigo skid back from a kick he'd just received from his opponent. Using the air-walk technique to slow down, he readied Zangetsu into a defensive position, glaring intently at his doppelganger. Hell Ichigo was dressed similarly to Ichigo himself, with chains attached to each ankle and wrist. His hair was no longer the orange of Ichigo, but instead was deep obsidian, reaching to his shoulder blades. Hell Ichigo's eyes too were different, a blood red iris with midnight blue sclera.

"Why do you fight me?" Hell Ichigo pleaded in what sounded like genuine distress. "I want the same things you do! I want to protect my family, I want to make sure they can't be hurt anymore!"

"I do want those things, but you… you would pervert that desire!" Ichigo rebutted.

"How is it perverting our desire to protect Yuzu, and Karin, and Mom, and everyone else if we make a few examples of what happens if you try?" Hell Ichigo demanded. "Those nobles, the Berean, they deserve to die! They sent Mom to Hell! An eternity of torment! We would be showing _mercy_ by not granting them the same fate but merely killing them!"

"I want to kill them just as much as you do, you know that, but we can't be the ones who decide who lives and who dies!" Ichigo protested. "We have so much power, it'd be easy to fall into that trap, but we'd become a spiritual dictator! An object of oppression!"

"It's only oppression if we oppress them!" Hell Ichigo yelled, trying to make his point. "A dictator who rules well is loved as a king! We could rule justly, and wouldn't that be worth it? To protect those who deserve protection, to save those who need saving… Don't you want to prevent more Quincy Massacres? More Bount and Mod Soul exterminations?"

"Of course I do, but killing my way to the top isn't the answer!"

"You would only have to kill a few people," Hell Ichigo pointed out reasonably. "The Berean for threatening your family. That won't be murder, that's _justice_. Yamamoto thinks you're unstable and out to get him anyway, he'll try to kill you. If you wait for that, then it's self-defense. After that, you'll be the poor hero who was so misunderstood by Soul Society's leaders. Probably be made a taicho, maybe even sōtaicho."

"Shut up! I don't want to hear this!"

Hell Ichigo ignored him. "From sōtaicho to Spirit King using the already-existing Ōken, that would make you the leader of two realms right there. With your power, it'd be easy to blackmail and threaten a couple of the living world leaders, so then the living world wouldn't pose a problem. You're already King of Hueco Mundo. That's three for three, right there. See, you wouldn't even have to murder anyone, and it's just a couple of kills that you wouldn't even be at fault for. Kill the few to save the many. You made that decision once already, remember? Or have you already forgotten Aizen?"

"Damn you!" Ichigo growled, rushing at his double with Zangetsu at the ready, a Getsuga already rushing down it.

"Too late," Hell Ichigo replied bitterly, meeting Ichigo's attack in kind. The twin Zangetsu clashed against each other, grinding and fighting for dominance over the other. "The temptation, the wishing that you were in charge; I can see it in you, Ichigo! Accept it! Why do you fight your destiny to rule, to protect your family? Don't you want to keep them safe by any means necessary? Didn't you swear that you would descend to the pits of Hell if you needed to?"

Ichigo screamed his frustration as he purposely let up the pressure behind Zangetsu, spinning around the incoming blade and swiping at his Hell self, who easily leapt back and avoided it.

"Work with me, Ichigo! Between us, we can keep them safe!" Hell Ichigo begged. "You've accepted being a Shinigami, you've accepted being a Hollow, why can't you accept being a Togabito as well?"

"Because I don't want that power, the consequences are too dire! Hell would take me and then I wouldn't be able to protect them anymore!"

"And who says Hell would be able to hold you?" Hell Ichigo pointed out. "Even without my power, you slaughtered everything in front of you! All those Kushanāda, gone! The Togabito, defeated! My power would just make it easier!"

"That just proves I don't need your power, and I don't want it! Get out of my soul!"

"Not a chance! If you won't accept the truth, I'll have to do it for you! I'll save you from your own stubborn naïveté!"

* * *

And that concludes the chapter. Again, shorter than most, but it really wanted to end itself there. So now you know what happened to Ichigo. Battling with the temptation of a version of himself where he succumbed to Hell... Cazador trying to figure out how to bring the Vizard back, Tosen learning more about his Hollowification...

Yamamoto is a wartime commander, let's get that fact perfectly clear. You may have noticed that he gave instructions for pretty much everyone according to their strengths. And I may even include the meeting between Yamamoto and the Spirit King in a chapter or two. Maybe.

Hell seems fairly amiable doesn't he? Until you hear his backstory. Hell thought he had it made - stay in his own dimension where he can't be killed permanently, send his troops out to do his dirty work. When his troops die, bring 'em back and send 'em out again. Just a matter of time until you've won, right? Apparently not. Ended up being trapped because of his own rules. How's that for bitter irony?

And officially, the Spirit King has proven his worth as a godlike figure. Shattering a soul? Purposely condemning a being to an eternity of soul fragmented torment? Not someone you want to piss off.

Anyway, sine there are no new chapters of Bleach - yes, I know the reason why - I'm going to end the chapter here. Hope you enjoyed!

Read and review!

NeoRyu777


	49. Inversion of Truth

OK, I know it's been two months. My GOD this chapter fought me. And life has not made it any easier. I work 60+ hours per week now, between my full time job and my tutoring.

Because it's been so long, here's a quick summary of past events:

Masaki got kidnapped, with Soifon as the key suspect. Ichigo got involved and was blackmailed into leaving Zangetsu and his Hollow mask in Seireitei while he looked for a quiet place in the Rukongai to stay. So he materialized Zangetsu, who began an investigation of his own.

In the meantime, Karakura was attacked by the Togabito, who targeted Yuzu and Karin to attract Ichigo's attention. Ichigo, Urahara, Yoruichi and the new ally Kokuto all attempted to stop them, but in the end they failed. Ichigo briefly stopped by the Vizard to recruit them for the incoming rescue mission, then went back to Soul Society to get Zangetsu. He then discovered that their paths of investigation both implicated the Berean family. Using the artifact given by the kidnappers, Ichigo watched Masaki be banished to Hell.

Turning to Yamamoto, Ichigo begged for the information he needed to rescue his family. Yamamoto refused but was unable to explain that the reason for his refusal was that Hell's reiatsu would drive Ichigo insane due to his nature as a Shinigami-Hollow hybrid. Ichigo then teamed up with Byakuya and broke into the Berean mansion, catching the perpetrators in the act of closing the portal to Hell.

Ichigo then took them, along with the volunteer Hitsugaya, to Urahara, who was able to use the perpetrators' knowledge to complete the spell needed to open a portal to Hell. Ichigo, the Vizard, Hitsugaya, Renji, Rukia, Yoruichi and Soifon - who had fled Soul Society to escape early judgment from Yamamoto - entered Hell.

Teaming up with Kokuto there, they broke off into two teams. Hitsugaya, Yoruichi, Renji and Rukia split off from the others to locate Masaki, while everyone else went deeper into Hell to find the Togabito who had kidnapped Yuzu and Karin.

The Vizard succumbed to Hell's effects, and were forced into a mindless Resurreccion where neither Hollow nor Shinigami had control. Ichigo held out longer, but fell when he drew on his Adjuchas mask to save Masaki from a Kushanada. Between Ichigo and the Vizard, countless Kushanada were destroyed. After this, Cazador awoke and was able to take control.

However, it was too late. Yuzu and Masaki had fallen to Hell's poisonous reiatsu, which then bound their souls to Hell. Hell turned out to be a person, the owner and creator of the dimension named after him, but he let everyone out but Kokuto. However, he refused to release Masaki and Yuzu unless Ichigo trades two souls of equal pureness.

Yuzu and Masaki were holed up in a barrier created by Hachi, while Cazador and all the Shinigami met in Soul Society to discuss the ramifications of their actions. Hell was an extradimensional warlord on equal footing to the Spirit King and the King of Hueco Mundo, and the Spirit King shattered his soul, creating the Kushanada. Destroying that many Kushanada in succession had resurrected Hell. Yamamoto gave out his orders.

Cazador entered his Inner World to find out what had happened to Ichigo, only to find him duking it out with himself within Zangetsu's spirit. Somehow, Ichigo was fighting a manifestation of Hell Ichigo.

That should catch you up! Next up are review replies.

To everyone asking about Ichigo defeating his Hell self and getting even more power - this doesn't really happen. See, Ichigo doesn't WANT Hell's power. It would make him a slave, and pervert his ideals. On top of that, Ichigo has every reason to believe that Hell Ichigo isn't really a part of himself, but merely an invasive soul fragment from Hell. So no, he doesn't add Hell's power to his outfit.

Hell Ichigo instead just becomes a sort of recurring villain, as the story will detail in later chapters. I am glad I made him fairly persuasive. There's a reason for that, which will be evident later...

Feuer der Nacht - Yes, Ichigo is rejecting Hell Ichigo. He wants to bury Hell Ichigo deep down, because even if it may be part of him - and he's not convinced it is - he still doesn't want to be bound to Hell, and accepting Hell Ichigo's power would give him the chains. But this story is not over yet.

And no, I am NOT revealing what part of Ichigo's personality that Hell Ichigo represents, if any at all! That will be revealed in later chapters!

* * *

Chapter 49: Inversion of Truth

Cazador opened his eyes, looking even more like Ichigo than usual with one of his trademarked scowls adorning his face. _**Great. So Ichigo's fighting some embodiment of Hell reiatsu. I bet he's giving it everything he's got, and I'm not there! Fuck, that's just not fair! Why does some stupid poser get to fight Ichigo right off the bat when I had to wait for Ichigo to get his shit together? You better win in there, Ichigo, I've got a bone to pick with you!**_

Growling, Cazador stood. Tōsen still appeared to be meditating, so he turned to the still-sitting Vizard and pointed at Shinji. "Oi. You, c'mere." The Hollow that was once Shinji rose and walked to Cazador calmly. "Not sure this is gonna work, but I'm gonna give you a direct order and I expect you to follow it. You don't, I hurt you. Understood?"

There was no response. Cazador didn't really expect one, though he privately felt it would've been nice. "Seal your Resurrección," he commanded.

The ivory robe that Shinji sported began to melt and coalesce, retracting as though being vacuumed up into the center of his chest. His skin, too, returned to the same pale complexion as Cazador himself, and then his mask retracted and shifted, leaving nothing covering his face, but instead a circlet that wrapped around his forehead, with a short flowing hood reaching down to cover his neck.

Shinji's clothes had changed somewhat in his transition from Vizard to Arrancar – like Cazador, he wore loose leggings, though his were the same shade of yellow as his Resurrección skin. He was also dressed in a simple long-sleeved shirt of similar color, though it looked slightly loose.

Finally, Sakanade materialized in a flash of reiatsu, and Shinji's Hollow snagged it in midair, before apparently sheathing it behind him in a similar way to Cazador's Zangetsu. "Aaah," the Arrancar sighed in relief. "Thanks. Cazador de la Luna, right?"

Cazador nodded. "And you are?"

Shinji's Hollow shrugged. "I don't have a name."

Cazador frowned. "That's not right. I learned my name after beating Ichigo for the first time."

"Well, I haven't exactly beaten Shinji, ya know," Hollow Shinji replied easily, looking around. "He let me have control to keep us alive when everyone else went berserk. It's also the reason I hadn't left Resurrección; since Hell forced it, and we hadn't earned it, neither of us were in control. Or at least, that's how Sakanade explained it."

Cazador rubbed his brow. He was getting answers, but damn it Ichigo was better at this than he was! _**Give me a fight and I'm good. Otherwise, leave it to Ichigo. **_"So you can't use Resurrección until you beat Shinji?"

"Yeah," Hollow Shinji sighed and scratched his head absently. "Something about Shinji still being the owner of the body, and how until I've beaten him down like he did me then I can't rightfully call on the power that he earned from me."

"Great," Cazador muttered sarcastically. "Let me get everyone else back to normal and then we can have this discussion as a group. Everyone, cancel your Resurrección."

A flare of reiatsu later, and there stood eight fully conscious Arrancar. Before they could even begin to speak, though, Cazador cleared his throat. "I'm sure ya have questions," he acknowledged. "I'll get to them as soon as I can, but right now we got a problem. I'm going to assume that all of your Inner Shinigami are paying attention."

There was a murmur of agreement, so Cazador nodded. "Basically, it turns out that Hell is a person bent on conquering the various worlds – living world, Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, the lot of them. We got some experience with that – Aizen and all, right? How's this for a twist? Hell can't be killed. His dimension resurrects him every time. And he's got anyone who dies in Hell as his slaves. And just because our luck sucks _that much_, he's probably got an army of evil freaks just yearning to get a second chance to wreck havoc.

"So Soul Society's pretty much rescinded all the laws that may or may not apply to us. We'll be protecting the living world for the most part, but that means you all need to be at full strength. Bankai and Resurrección, same as me. Am I right in thinking none of you know your names?"

Nods from his audience prompted one from Cazador as well. "We don't have time for all three of your soul aspects to learn how to trust each other. We can't do this the long way, Ichigo's way, anymore. Now it's time to do it my way."

"And what way is that?" Hollow Hiyori demanded aggressively.

Cazador smirked, and flared his reiatsu, a black and red Getsuga-like aura raging around his form as he raised his ivory Zanpakutō to his favorite position. "The fun way. Tear the sky asunder, Zangetsu."

"Oh, shit," Hollow Rose cursed, eyes wide as reiatsu-infused smoke erupted from Cazador.

Hollow Love gave Hollow Hiyori a very dark look. "You just _had _to ask, didn't you."

Finally, the smoke cleared, and Cazador was in his Resurrección form. He swung Tensa Zangetsu to the side carelessly, the pressure behind the swing crushing an enormous boulder a few dozen yards away to dust. **"This is your test. Get those swords out, kiddies; it's time for Uncle Cazador to give you a lesson in pain!"**

* * *

Hitsugaya felt the reverberations of an ongoing battle underneath them and sighed before taking another sip of the tea Urahara had been gracious enough to offer. _No doubt, Cazador is training the Vizard and Tōsen in Resurrección. Trust a part of Ichigo's soul not to waste time and just get to the point. Perhaps I should do the same. _

For the last several minutes, Hitsugaya had been thinking about something that would surely scandalize Yamamoto-sōtaicho. But this was not the time to waffle about decisions. "Urahara-san, I request training for myself and my comrades for the duration of our stay in Karakura."

Urahara blinked, genuinely surprised for a moment. "Why would you seek training from this lowly shopkeeper?" he asked after a moment.

"You trained Ichigo. He went from no powers at all, to being able to beat me in less than a month. Yoruichi-san continued the training, and he was capable of fighting Kuchiki-taicho in Bankai less than a week later," Renji pointed out.

"Now granted he has Hollow powers, and we don't want that for ourselves," Hitsugaya cut in quickly, forestalling Urahara's obvious reply. "However, we will shortly be fighting Togabito who have been training in Hell for Kami knows how long, and resurrect endlessly in Hell to be sent out to fight again. We need all the advantages we can gain, all the power that can be mustered."

"You were almost a match for Aizen, even after he began evolving with the Hōgyoku," Rukia added. "So, really, who else would we ask? Ichigo?"

Renji could not hold back a snort. "The strawberry's good at fighting, I'll give him that, but the only reason he got as strong as he did was…"

"Stop." Renji fell silent at Urahara's quiet, but powerful command. "I am not to praise, or blame, for Ichigo's rapid growth to power. Yes, I admit, I gave him the tools he needed, but all three of you know the path to power. Communing with your Zanpakutō," he answered, looked at Rukia pointedly, "expanding your repertoire of usable techniques…" That part seemed to be directed towards Renji, who looked abashed. "… and experience." The final words were directed towards Hitsugaya, who looked on icily.

"Ichigo earned every last drop of his power. He gained Shikai of his own volition. He chose the shorter, infinitely harder path of gaining Bankai where had he failed there is every chance he would have died, and even after succeeding using it damaged himself. He became the first Vizard to ever gain Resurrección by taking unbelievable risks with his own soul and identity. He was able to kill Aizen after being forced to make a horrific choice, and finding it within him to sacrifice still more of something precious to him. So don't you _dare_ sully his sufferings and achievements by painting him as a product of what I did to him."

Urahara glared at the three before him. "If you want strength, get it the right way. Earn it. From your Zanpakutō, and from yourself. I refuse to train you. And even had I wanted to, I have little time – I am extremely busy preparing for the invasion and performing research on the Togabito reiatsu samples I have."

Hitsugaya-taicho nodded, giving Renji a cold glare for a moment. "Thank you for your time. With your permission, we would like to wait for Inoue-san, Sado-san and Ishida-san to arrive so we may work out accommodations."

Urahara waved dismissively as he rose and retreated to his secret back room where he was performing his experiments. As soon as he left, Rukia smacked Renji upside the head, hard.

"Ow!"

"Idiot! Fool! Of all the things you could have said, you had to imply that Ichigo didn't earn his power?"

To his credit, Renji did look ashamed. "Sorry. It's just a bit… frustrating. We've all been at this for decades if not centuries, for far longer than Ichigo's even been alive. We've all worked hard. So it just feels so worthless when along comes Ichigo. One year. One lousy year. He went from human with spiritual energy to… what? An ascended Vizard with both Bankai and Resurrección, capable of owning each and every one of us in a fight. What makes him so special?"

"He's still alive," Hitsugaya answered quietly. "Humans have a short life span, remember? Less than a century, usually. They're forced to grow and adapt quickly, whereas we with our millennia-long life cannot. Every year feels to him like a decade or two feels to you."

Renji wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that – on one hand, it meant that Ichigo would continue to grow stronger with his all-too-human growth rate, leaving everyone else in the dust. On the other hand, it also meant that it wasn't any fault of Renji's that left him lacking the power to keep up. _Not that I'm going to let that stop me from trying to catch up, _he thought furiously to himself. Frowning, he shook his head to clear it. "We should get going – I don't want to get caught up in that fight downstairs."

"Are you sure?" Hitsugaya asked unexpectedly, looking at Renji with an inscrutable expression. "I will be joining them shortly – Urahara was correct, I _do _lack the experience of my fellow taicho. Fighting a variety of opponents simultaneously will help tremendously."

Renji shook his head negatively. "My problem is that I have very few tricks up my sleeve. My Bankai has all of three techniques to attack: smash with its head and body, slice with its spines, or blast with Hikotsu Taiho. Urahara was right about me too – I need to learn some variety. I was hoping Rukia would help me with Kidō, if I help her get started on Bankai."

Rukia did a double-take, looking at her long-time friend incredulously. "Me? Bankai?"

"Yes, you, Bankai," Renji asserted firmly. "You'll need to increase your reiryoku reserves a lot, but just the process of learning Bankai will make you stronger in other ways as well. I learned how to use Higa Zekkō while training for Bankai. You might learn another dance from Sode no Shirayuki."

"Shi no mai…" Rukia whispered.

_Yes, Rukia. The last and greatest of my dances, _Sode no Shirayuki murmured within her soul, her voice sounding as though it were carried along an icy wind to Rukia's ears alone. _But to learn it, you must put your life on the line. Are you prepared to risk everything? _

If Rukia was honest, she had to admit that she simultaneously excited and terrified of the prospect. Shinigami who achieved Bankai were rare for a reason. Not only was there a significant reiryoku requirement, but there was nearly always a danger to the prospective wielder's life. To achieve domination over one's Zanpakutō spirit was no small thing! There were cases where failure to achieve Bankai had soured the relationship between Shinigami and Zanpakutō to the point where even Shikai was no longer accessible!

Admittedly, Rukia had daydreamed of reaching Bankai for years, decades. But even in those fantasies, she was far older, admittedly a little taller, facing her brother in a spar. Byakuya-nii-sama would release his grip of Senbonzakura, and his Zanpakutō would melt into the ground to unveil the rows of enormous blades that shatter into his Bankai. "Bankai. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

And then Rukia, dressed in the fine clothes of the Kuchiki, would take a pose – what pose, she'd never been able to make up her mind – and call out her own Bankai, Sode no Shirayuki's pure white ribbon twisting and twirling around her dramatically as her blade began to warp into a Bankai worthy of the most beautiful sword in Soul Society.

But those had been mere dreams, idle thoughts that she had thought had no base in reality. Her levels of reiryoku had never been the greatest unlike Ichigo's or Renji's, and she'd honestly never considered herself strong enough to even aim for that height of power. Could she really reach it? Rukia took one look at Renji, who was looking at her with utter confidence, as if he could see something in her that she herself could not. That steadied her resolve, and gave her courage. "Then let us train, Renji. Show me the way to Bankai, and I will teach you Kidō."

Leaning against the wall just beside the door from the other room, Urahara smiled, tipping his hat over his eyes as he silently moved away.

* * *

When Hitsugaya entered the basement to enter the fray, he was taken aback at the situation. The Vizard-turned-Arrancar were all teaming up against… Cazador de la Luna? Yet Ichigo's Hollow stood his ground easily, without even a scratch, while several of the Arrancar were panting, sweating and bleeding. Shinji's left arm hung uselessly from his shoulder, which bled profusely, while Hiyori was doubled-over in pain, clutching her stomach. Toshirō took a moment to consider his options, and then decided to sit and wait – it was always wise to study your opponents' fighting styles, and while he'd seen Ichigo's, he was curious how Cazador de la Luna deviated from Ichigo in combat styles.

"**Is that all?" **Cazador taunted. **"You'll never beat me like this." **

"Kensei, Hiyori, cover me!"Shinji barked, spinning Sakanade quickly. No one was bothering with adding "Hollow" to their names anymore – using their Shinigami names, everyone knew who was being addressed anyway. "Everyone else, keep him occupied!"

"On it!" Kensei replied, flashing in front of Shinji with a burst of Sonido, charging Tachikaze with his reiatsu.

Cazador laughed. **"You think I'm going to give you the time to confuse my senses? Getsuga Tenshō!" **

Everyone jumped or Sonido-ed well out of the way of the enormous Getsuga, except Shinji and Kensei. Kensei's Zanpakutō glowed brightly for a second before he thrust it in front of him, unleashing a large energy blast, deflecting the Getsuga just enough to miss everyone. "Hurry it up, Shinji!" he bit out. "I don't have many more of those left in me!"

"I just need a few more seconds…!"

"**Too bad." **Cazador materialized right behind Shinji with the low sonic boom of Sonido, snagging Sakanade in mid-revolution and halting its spinning. Easily, carelessly, he snapped the Zanpakutō in half and kicked Shinji into a nearby boulder, which crumbled around him. **"You don't have that long." **

"Shinji!" Hiyori cried, rushing Cazador with her Kubikiri Orochi, only for Cazador to smirk. A moment later, all the Arrancar stood in shock – Cazador hadn't even bothered to block with Tensa Zangetsu. A single finger had been all he put up, and Kubikiri Orochi was halted instantly.

"**Ha! Now I get why Aizen did that to Ichigo!" **Cazador cackled. **"The stupid looks on your faces are hilarious!" **

"You've got to be kidding," Lisa muttered. "A finger? Are we that much weaker than him?"

"Damn it!" Hiyori cursed, backing off to hopefully form a better plan than "Just cut his damn head off." _**He's too powerful! Oi! Kubikiri! What do I gotta do for Resurrección? **_

_You must earn back the right to your Hollow power. That would mean taking it from Hiyori. _

_Fuck that! I refuse to let that strawberry get away with blocking us with ONE FINGER! Earn, nothing, I'll give it to you! Take your power, Hollow, and make him bleed!_

Hollow Hiyori was suddenly rooted in place as a strange sensation within her suddenly grew. She could feel her Hollow power skyrocketing as Inner Hiyori drew her Hollow mask. "Thanks, **Hiyori,"** she said aloud, the tell-tale Hollow echo catching everyone's attention as she flared her reiatsu as high as it would go. **"Let's kick his ass together! Chop Cleanly, Kubikiri Orochi!" **

The dust and dirt kicked up from the fight so far spun around crazily, obscuring Hiyori from vision for a few moments, but when it settled she was back in her Resurrección form from Hell, with one minor difference: her mask was largely gone. Now only the horn remained, though diamond tattoos had appeared on her cheeks. Once again, she still had no Zanpakutō, but Hiyori could feel the raw power in her veins just aching to be unleashed. **"Let's try this again!" **she challenged.

Cazador's grin grew larger and far more bloodthirsty. **"That's more like it! Glad to see at least one of you learned the damn lesson!" **Stabbing Tensa Zangetsu into the ground next to him, he rushed at Hiyori to fight claw-to-claw. A flurry of exchanges later, Hiyori was sent flying into a enormous boulder hundreds of feet away, sending it crumbling around her.

"**Don't you dare look down on me!" **Hiyori screamed, flaring her reiatsu, blasting away the rubble with a cry. Crossing her arms, she gripped the blade-like protrusions from her elbows and snapped them off before rushing at Cazador once again.

Cazador suddenly appeared behind her in the sonic boom of Sonido and kicked her in the back, once again sending her flying. **"Too slow, Hiyori-chan!"**

Hiyori bounced on the floor a few times, clutching her makeshift weapons desperately. Getting to her feet wearily, she took one look at Cazador, who was still completely unharmed. **"Damn it!" **Angrily hurling the blades at Cazador, she was taken aback when they suddenly transformed into cobra-looking snakes as large as she was. The cobras hissed angrily, hoods flared out and jaws unhinged, ready to take huge chunks out of Cazador's hide.

Dodging quickly, Cazador took stock on the new situation. **"You have got to be kidding me!" **he complained, taking a moment to Sonido behind one and rip it to shreds with his sharp claws. **"I haven't learned any of my unique Hollow abilities yet, and you get one in the first few minutes?" **

"I can't really be surprised by that," Shinji said loudly from a small distance away, reiatsu oozing into the air around him in visible wisps as his Zanpakutō repaired itself. "You've never needed your unique abilities, not with your deal with Ichigo. You both are far more comfortable with swinging Zangetsu around, and even without your blade you're faster and stronger than us. You've never been pressed into needing anything more since you achieved Resurrección." He gave a toothy grin, and suddenly his voice regained its Hollow echo. **"You're surprisingly subtle, though, despite all that. Nice lesson, making us invert everything to gain our power back. But Sakanade taught Shinji and I more about reflections than you'll ever know. Collapse, Sakanade!" **

His Zanpakutō suddenly, for lack of a better word, unraveled, transforming into one very long ivory cloth that spun around Shinji rapidly, obscuring him from view before settling down into the sleeveless robe that he had worn in Hell. His circlet, the mask remnant from his pre-Resurrección state, had grown a single upward-curved protrusion in the center, but otherwise remained unchanged.

"**Heh," **Cazador chuckled, telekinetically summoning Tensa Zangetsu back into his hand with a mental call. **"Now things are starting to get interesting." **

_Yes, yes they are. _

Cazador stumbled in shock, then held up a hand. **"Hold on, Ichigo's back. Shinji, Hiyori, spar with the others and try to make them understand what you figured out." **

The two nodded in acquiescence as Cazador Sonido-ed a fair distance away and sealed his Resurrección. A few moments later, he entered his Inner world. Ichigo was standing next to Zangetsu, arms crossed and his perpetual frown on his face. "So, I see you finished up with your new doppelganger," Cazador observed with a smirk.

"Yeah, took a bit longer than I expected, but it's finished. I need control of my body again, and we don't have time to fight this time."

Cazador grinned. "Glad to have you back, King. Don't worry about the fight, we're about to get into the fight of a lifetime. I'll fill you in as you go."

Ichigo nodded as he took control of his body again. Feeling it shift from Arrancar to Vizard once more, he opened his eyes and began to move. He half-listened to Cazador telling him what all had happened in the interim, but in truth, all Ichigo was interested in was getting to Yuzu and Masaki. He'd spent a few moments pouring over his Hollow side's recent memories when he'd awoken in the Inner World, so he knew where to go.

"Oi! Kurosaki!" Hitsugaya called out.

"Not now, Tōshiro. Busy," Ichigo said tersely. Not bothering with climbing the ladder leading up to Urahara's shop, he merely leapt straight up to the top and entered the shop.

"Ah, Ichigo-kun, you're back," Urahara greeted warmly.

"Urahara," Ichigo acknowledged. "Take me to them."

The shopkeeper's smile faltered, before he dipped his head, allowing his hat to shadow his face. "Alright. Can you actually break the chains?"

"Yes."

Seemingly reassured by Ichigo's surety, Urahara led him into a backroom, where Hachigen was meditating and apparently maintaining what appeared to be a complex set of barriers. "Hachigen, let us in," Urahara requested.

Without opening his eyes, Hachi nodded and a man-sized door appeared in the barriers, allowing Ichigo access. He quickly made his way to his mother and sister, quietly assessing how they looked. _They look… dead. _They were both pale, and neither was breathing. It made Ichigo's heart ache. _This is my fault._

_**Yamamoto said they were trapped – not in Hell so they can't revive, but neither can they be saved. **_

_Does that mean that we have to bring them to Hell for them to be revived, before I break the chains? _

_Perhaps Urahara would be the better one to ask. _

Ichigo quickly repeated his question for Urahara, who looked uncertain. "I'm afraid I have no data, Ichigo-kun. They may revive after you break the chains, or they may simply deteriorate as spirits do after death. However, the chances of Yamamoto-sōtaicho allowing you to take them to Hell are slim at best."

"Has Inoue been in to try to reject their being taken by Hell?"

"Yes, I tried, Kurosaki-kun," Inoue's voice suddenly sounded, as she walked into the room, her voice and expression sorrowful. "The Hell chains are too powerful. Even if you were to lend me your power using medical Kidō, it would be too dangerous. Somehow the chains have become part of their being – rejecting them outright would damage their souls. If you can remove the chains, I might be able to revive them, but to bring them back from death might be beyond even my powers. I don't know, and I don't think you want to run that risk on your family, Kurosaki-kun."

"Damn it!" Ichigo cursed, turning back to his family and kneeling next to them. "I'm sorry, Yuzu, Mom. I can't save you yet. But I will."

"Kurosaki-kun?" Inoue asked with uncertainty in her tone.

"The Berean family had the knowledge to send souls to Hell. They'll have the knowledge of how to save them," the Vizard declared, standing up and striding out of the barrier.

"Ichigo, the Berean family is working with us now," Urahara quickly informed him. "I'm not sure what all you've been informed of…"

"Hell is a person, made the dimension; his soul was shattered a long time ago by the Spirit King, now he's back and is probably going to go to war with us," Ichigo summarized succinctly.

"… I see, so you're already aware. The Berean family has already shared its knowledge, and we have three taicho going over their records for any useful information."

Ichigo paused. "Who?"

"Ukitake-taicho, Kyōraku-taicho, Kuchiki-taicho."

The transcendent sighed. "I guess I can trust them."

_**Ichigo, there is one other way… Hell said he would trade them for two souls who are equally 'pure'. **_

…

_**King, are you really going to consider that option? **_For once, Cazador sounded unsure.

… _For my family, I will do anything, Cazador. Anything._

* * *

And that's it for now. I know, a little short, but like I said this chapter fought me hard.

Cazador may not be as good at talking as Ichigo, but he can get the point across just fine. I figured that if an Inner Hollow could lend its power to the Shinigami, why can't the Shinigami lend its power back to the Inner Hollow? Enter Resurreccion. But this has a drawback - it's only available as long as they can work together. Any disagreements or differences will break the coordination and force them out of Resurreccion.

Wow, Ichigo got dark there at the end.

And no, I will not show you the ending of the Hell Ichigo vs Ichigo fight. That is a plot point that will come up later.

Now for the spoiler alerts!

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Huh. Harribel survived and has been captured by the new antagonists? How'd she survive being double-crossed by Aizen? I hope Kubo actually explains that one.

EDIT: I have now gotten no less than 8 explanations that it was in the extra content "Unmasked", where Inoue healed Harribel and her Fraccion. Thank you everyone for clearing it up.

And I wonder what's going on about making Bankai disappear? My best guess is that these are somehow Quincy-Hollow hybrids. Somehow. It would explain the German theme, at least, as well as the desire to destroy Shinigami power.

Wondering if those new characters will actually be worth anything later. And poor Sasakibe. We didn't really get to know him well.

Anyway, that's all for now. Hopefully it won't take me two more months to update.

NeoRyu777


	50. Ice and Snow

And wow, this chapter flowed so very quickly. Faster than I expected, to be honest.

Warning: this chapter is significantly smaller than most, but I really could not find a way to extend it without it seeming forced.

Review replies, as always, are up first.

I received many, many reviews of people explaining how Harribel and the others survived. Thank you.

Once again, I feel I must reiterate, that I do NOT HAVE A PAIRING PLANNED.

K. A. Raith, Love Psycho - Absolutely right. Ichigo's a good guy at heart, but never, ever push him. Like Zangetsu said, he's not afraid to "Blacken the night" and make everyone fear him if that's what it takes.

Dashusi4ka - Yes, Ichigo is still sealing his power. There's really no point to releasing it since he hasn't fought anyone incomprehensibly strong since Aizen

Shisarakage - That was the point about Shinji, by the way. I modeled his appearance after how I would imagine an Egyptian Pharaoh or High Priest. I mean, seriously. His Zanpakuto does optical illusions aka mirages, and his Hollow mask resembles a pharaoh mask.

New terms, and reminders:

Reiraku - Spirit ribbons.

Hyoryu Senbi (Ice Dragon Swirling Tail) - one of Hitsugaya's Bankai techniques. By swinging Daiguren Hyorinmaru, Hitsugaya unleashing a crescent of flowing, regenerative ice. It is stuck in place unless he then uses Zekku (Void Sever), which fires it off, not unlike Getsuga Tensho

Guncho Tsurara (Icicle Flock) - Hitsugaya sends a bunch of ice daggers at his opponent.

Sennen Hyoro (Thousand Years' Ice Prison) - Hitsugaya creates a bunch of ice columns that rotate around the opponent, before crushing him/her in the middle. It does take a lot of preparation, however.

Ryusenka (Dragon Hail Flower) - By stabbing the opponent, Hitsugaya envelopes the opponent in a ice flower.

* * *

Chapter 50: Ice and Snow

Ichigo sighed as he sat, watching the Hollow versions of the Vizard spar. They'd learned Cazador's lesson well enough, it appeared. All of them were now in Resurrección, and looked very similar to how they'd been in Hell, with the exception that their masks didn't cover the entirety of their faces. For instance, Kensei's mask didn't quite reach his eyes, but instead guarded his mouth and nose. Mashiro's was relatively hilarious, leaving her with naught but bone-like feelers atop her head, much to the amusement of Rose, whose own mask remnant was his enormous beak. Luckily for the pianist, the beak had shifted down to be a large ornament on a bone necklace. Love's mask seemed to have combined with his sunglasses to an extent, leaving him with a set of oni horns and shades. Lisa, who was the last to achieve Ressurección, had kept all of her mask except the part covering her eyes, giving her a dangerous knight-looking visage.

All in all, so far it looked like the Hollow and Shinigami aspects of the Vizard were cooperating well. _But it's not enough. The minute one of them feels they could do better in control, they'll fight and weaken themselves. This is just a patch job. _

_**Maybe, but look – no one has lost Resurrección yet. The Shinigami are just as curious about the Hollow forms as their Hollows are. That's a good sign, right?**_

_Maybe… _Ichigo conceded. Regardless, it was about the best that they could hope for in such a short time. There was no way to force true trust between the Vizard and their Inner Hollows, and trust was needed in order to work together. To make them fight for control over each other's blades _now _would shatter whatever trust was building.

The transcendent turned his attention to T ōsen, who hadn't moved an inch since Cazador had told him what steps he'd skipped. There was no way to tell what was going on, as it was obvious that Tōsen was in his Inner World. All in all, there was little he could do.

"Kurosaki."

_Or perhaps not. _"Tōshirō," Ichigo acknowledged, turning around to look at the diminutive taicho who was walking towards him.

Hitsugaya stopped several feet away. "Would you care for a spar?"

_**Just what the doctor ordered,**_ Cazador quipped. _**This'll alleviate the boredom.**_

Ichigo offered a half-smirk. "Why not?" He got up and stretched, popping his neck and rubbing his right shoulder a little to loosen it up.

"Is Bankai against Bankai acceptable?" Hitsugaya inquired steadily, not revealing how nervous he was to be challenging someone who was, frankly, far beyond his level of power.

"Works for me." Drawing Zangetsu, black-and-red reiatsu rushed from the tip down to engulf Ichigo, wordlessly entering Bankai. The long chain of Tensa Zangetsu wrapped around his right arm and hung from his shoulder, ready to be used for anything Ichigo could think up.

"Bankai. Daiguren Hyōrinmaru," Hitsugaya announced, donning his own Bankai form, complete with ice wings, claws and talons.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, before each leapt back and swung their blades at each other horizontally. "Getsuga Tenshō!"

"Hyōryū Senbi!"

The Getsuga met a wave of flowing and regenerating ice, cutting into it with all the raging power of Ichigo's reiatsu before cutting through a few seconds later. But Hitsugaya wasn't there anymore.

Hitsugaya flickered into existence several meters away, behind and to the left side of Ichigo. "Guncho Tsurara!"

Ichigo merely extended his left arm, and suddenly the chain dangling from his shoulder leapt into action, flying between the ice daggers and himself, catching them easily. He allowed a smirk to appear on his face. "As I once told Kenpachi, there's more to my sword than just the blade!"

"And there's more to mine than merely ranged ice attacks," Hitsugaya rebutted, rushing at Ichigo in a straight charge, raising Daiguren Hyōrinmaru above his head for a downward slash.

Ichigo raised Tensa Zangetsu instantly, blocking Daiguren Hyōrinmaru's slash with only one arm. "Too easy." He fired off a roundhouse kick that connected with Hitsugaya's protective wing. The wing broke, but it had successfully muffled the impact to its owner. Hitsugaya was sent hurtling into another boulder with his side bruised, but nothing broken, but not before Ichigo felt a sharp pain in the leg he'd kicked with.

Ichigo looked down, startled, and found that his leg – which was not protected by his Bankai coat – had been stabbed, and ice was starting to creep down to his foot. It was already beginning to go numb. _Sneaky. He must have used his tail while I was preoccupied with his sword, _Ichigo realized as he swiftly chopped the ice off his leg with a precise slash from Tensa Zangetsu.

"Bakudō 61: Rikujōkōrō!" Hitsugaya cried from directly only meters behind him, giving Ichigo no time to dodge as six wide beams of light slammed into his midsection.

Cursing his own arrogance – _How could I forget I was still fighting with these seals on? _– the Vizard scowled and switched his reiatsu to its more evolved state, flaring his reiatsu throughout his body to burn out the connections the Kidō had upon him. As expected, the binding spell shattered, just in time for Ichigo to Shunpo out of the way of three dragon-headed ice streams that Hitsugaya had launched mere moments before.

"You want to play like that? Fine then." Ichigo viciously slashed at Hitsugaya, sending a silent Getsuga only the size of his own body at the ice user.

The Getsuga screamed at a suddenly wide-eyed Hitsugaya, who was barely able to Shunpo out of the way before Ichigo materialized behind him and sent him rocketing to the ground with a well placed elbow to the back, snapping off the ice tail in the process.

Hitsugaya flared out his ice wings, slowing his descent enough for him to regain control over his own momentum, before flipping around with narrowed eyes as he used the water in the air to regenerate his tail. _Dangerous to approach in melee, but his Getsuga is too fast for ranged. I need a distraction._ A sound and resulting flash of a Cero, seen out of the corner of his eye, reminded him that even if he wanted to use his Bankai's greatest power, he could not for fear of crippling his allies. _No matter. I have an alternative. _

Ichigo looked around cautiously, not having been engaged by Hitsugaya for several seconds now. _He's up to something. _He knew that Hitsugaya was alive – the icy reiatsu in the air was enough to be assured of that at least – but he was hiding himself well. However, Ichigo hesitated. While his normal answer would be to start carelessly destroying the environment until his opponent couldn't hide any longer, Ichigo also knew that Urahara meant it when he said that wanton destruction would result in Ichigo being forced to fix it.

So that left alternative methods. _Lucky I already know a tracking method. _Ichigo focused on the reiatsu in the air, and materialized the reiraku, the spirit ribbons. Grasping the one he knew was Hitsugaya's, he smirked. _Gotcha. _He flickered into Shunpo. Appearing behind the taicho, Ichigo leapt forward and stabbed with Tensa Zangetsu as Hitsugaya spun around and spoke, apparently having completed his preparations.

"Sennen Hyōrō."

Dozens of ice pillars shot up out of the ground, surrounding them as the icy taicho lunged to the side, deflecting the stab. "So you have a bunch of ice towers circling around us," Ichigo observed as he locked blades against Hitsugaya, Daiguren Hyōrinmaru and Tensa Zangetsu shuddering against each other. "Just what are they going to do?"

"Simple." Ichigo blinked in shock when a second Hitsugaya stepped out from behind a large rock, outside the range of the towers. "They're going to crush you and my ice clone." The taicho abruptly twisted his wrist 90 degrees, and the pillars zoomed towards him, ready to smash into him from all sides.

Ichigo immediately broke off from the ice clone, but the clone lunged at him. "Ryūsenka!" the clone commanded as it stabbed forwards at its opponent.

The Vizard flickered out of the way, dashing towards the rapidly-diminishing exit, only for the real Hitsugaya to Shunpo in front of the exit. "Hyōryū Senbi! Zekku!" he cried, slashing downward with all his might. This time, the crescent of flowing ice flew from Daiguren Hyōrinmaru, rushing at Ichigo.

Ichigo had to choose between trying to break through what seemed to be an ice version of his Getsuga – which could easily be a trap, considering Hitsugaya's skill with ice – or dodge and try something else. He chose the latter. Flinging himself to the side, the transcendent found himself horizontally in the air, rocketing straight for one of the ice columns that was bearing down upon him.

Then an idea hit. He released his grip on Tensa Zangetsu and began to spin in the air, black flames racing down the chain and enveloping the blade. When he was within striking distance of the column, Ichigo swung downward on the chain with all the momentum he could muster. "Getsuga Tenshō!"

Tensa Zangetsu cleaved the column in half as though it were made of hot butter, the Getsuga promptly obliterating it and giving Ichigo plenty of room to emerge from the ice trap, even as he continued to spin crazily. Managing to slow down his spinning with the airwalk technique long enough to get his bearings and reorient himself, Ichigo called Tensa Zangetsu back to his hand with barely a twitch of the chain, which rewrapped itself around his arm.

"Creative," Hitsugaya commented as he approached, his expression giving off the impression that he was reluctantly impressed. "I really thought I had you when I made that ice clone."

"To be honest, I had no idea you could do that," Ichigo admitted as he lowered Tensa Zangetsu – it appeared their spar was over for the moment. "That'll no doubt be useful. You've got a nice range of abilities."

Hitsugaya shook his head. "Yes, but I need more practice using them, and combining them with Kidō. I should have used a Bakudō to hold you in place while Sennen Hyōrō was being set up. A faster binding to prepare for a more powerful one. I rely too much on my Zanpakutō's abilities."

"Not sure that would've worked on me. Evolved reiatsu and all that," Ichigo pointed out.

"True," Hitsugaya mused. "But the Togabito likely won't have that. Tell me, Kurosaki, why did you not use any Kidō of your own?"

"I don't know that many, and to be honest the Getsuga is stronger than any Hadō I know. And I doubt you would fall for Bakudō 1: Sai." Ichigo muttered the last, turning his head away.

"Nonsense!" Hitsugaya barked, startling Ichigo into looking back at him. The master of ice looked at Ichigo with hard eyes. "My ice is not indestructible, and it has an elemental weakness. Surely by now you have learned Shakkahō or Sōkatsui? Those are fire-element spells, and very effective for disrupting my ice formation. My Bankai relies on water vapor in the air to form its ice. You must have noticed the air becoming drier every time I called on its ice? Remove the vapor in the area by heating the air and my techniques require more reiatsu to use, thereby wearing me out faster. You are incredibly strong, Kurosaki Ichigo, and certainly creative with your Getsuga, but one day you will come across an opponent that for whatever reason cannot be crushed with raw power and speed. Come to think of it, you cannot crush Hell that way – he will constantly revive! You must learn to properly analyze your opponent's abilities for weaknesses, and then exploit them mercilessly!"

Ichigo's jaw dropped for a moment before he hung his head. Hitsugaya was right. He usually left analysis as a last resort. Fighting Renji in Soul Society, he had left analyzing Renji's use of Zabimaru until he was bleeding out. Against Byakuya, he hadn't even analyzed the capabilities and drawbacks of his own Bankai until it was too late. There hadn't been any analysis of Aizen's abilities at all when they continued their fight in the real Karakura Town, merely comparison of brute strength!

_That's my standby. Not enough power to outright crush the enemy? Bankai. Mask. Resurrección, _Ichigo criticized himself. "You're right, Tōshirō," he finally conceded aloud.

Hitsugaya huffed, sealing his Bankai back to Shikai, and then into its wholly sealed state. "Your turn, Kurosaki. What mistakes did I make during our spar, aside from relying too much on my Zanpakutō?"

Ichigo thought back through the fight, and nodded. "When you surprised me with Rikujōkōrō from that close… Instead of taking an easy stab or slash, injuring me, you backed off and used another ranged technique. You revealed that I was fighting a clone instead of remaining hidden and letting the clone keep me occupied so you could finish your technique without my understanding of what it did."

The young taicho mused on those moments before assenting to the comments. "Being overly cautious can be as dangerous as being reckless," he muttered as though reminding himself. "And then I let my pride ruin my trap. Anything else?"

"I was able to track your general position through spirit ribbons," Ichigo revealed. "You left me alone too long."

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow. "Yet if I had attacked you during my preparation, you would've known where I was anyway."

"Not if you had used your ice dragons and made them circle around to another area before coming at me," Ichigo pointed out.

Now the taicho looked thoughtful. "Interesting tactic… thank you, Kurosaki, I will keep that in mind. Now tell me, what has happened to you? You were far stronger and faster when you fought Aizen. When you kicked through my ice wing I should've been crippled at the very least."

Ichigo silently sealed his own Bankai and slung Zangetsu back over his shoulder before tugging on his shihakusho enough to reveal his seals. "I was too strong normally to rejoin my body. So Urahara helped me seal my power. I've got about the same amount of reiryoku as I did when we fought Aizen here in the living world."

_That's a bit humbling, _Hitsugaya thought privately. He'd removed his own seal just before challenging Kurosaki, considering it suicidal to not have all his power available to him. "I see. I assume you can remove it at any time?"

Ichigo nodded. He'd never needed to, but it sounded simple enough. "Just focus some reiryoku, and Gentei Kaijo, right?"

The 10th Division leader nodded. "Good. Allow me be frank, Kurosaki. Hell must not be killed. Even if we find a way to do so, he maintains that dimension, and Soul Society has enough trouble without truly evil souls plaguing it," Hitsugaya admitted. "The only way to fix the situation in a semi-permanent way is to seal Hell or shatter his soul once again.

"If Hell regains enough of his power, he will likely be evolved beyond what any Shinigami can understand. You, Yamamoto-sōtaicho, and perhaps Urahara-san, are the only ones strong enough or smart enough to deal with such a situation. Continue your training in Kidō, Bakudō especially. We may need a transcendent-powered seal," Hitsugaya ordered.

Ichigo swallowed. His diminutive friend made sense, but it was a very tall order. He struggled with learning even the very first Bakudō – how could he ever be able to pull off the complicated and impressive array of bindings that Urahara could manage at a moment's notice? Even so, the mess was, at least partly, his fault. _If I hadn't destroyed all those Kushanāda, then Hell wouldn't have risen. It's only right that I help fix it. _Ichigo nodded resolutely.

Apparently satisfied, Hitsugaya nodded back. "Please excuse me, then. I have some training to do."

He flickered away before Ichigo could respond, but Ichigo was too preoccupied with the thought of more torturous, endlessly repetitive, Kidō training. _It's my own fault, _he thought to himself mournfully. _If I had been like Kenpachi and never showed an ounce of interest in Kidō… _He reluctantly trudged back to the ladder leading up to Urahara's shop, preparing to talk to Tessai.

* * *

Meanwhile, Renji and Rukia were at a nearby lake. It had gotten chilly lately, as winter approached, and while the lake was not yet frozen, it was cold enough that no human was nearby for any reason. Rukia didn't mind at all – cold was her element, after all. Renji merely flared a bit of his power internally, keeping himself nice and warm.

"So how do we start, Renji?"

Renji nodded and began to lecture, crossing his arms together. "Bankai, as you already know, has a two primary phases: manifestation of your Zanpakutō spirit, and establishing dominance. Learning to manifest takes a while, but you want to start in an area that your Zanpakutō will be comfortable in, something similar to your Inner World if you can."

Rukia cocked her head to the side, confused. "Why?"

"Because manifestation can help your relationship with your Zanpakutō," Renji explained. "It can be hard to go into your Inner World if your emotions are turbulent, but if you can pull your Zanpakutō out to talk every now and then, you learn more about each other. By starting off someplace familiar but new, you can show that you respect your Zanpakutō, and want to get closer." He rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly. "Also, it takes a lot less reiatsu to be someplace they like…"

"And here I thought you were being wise," Rukia deadpanned, a little irked at being reminded of her relatively low reserves.

"Seriously, though, does this place look like Sode no Shirayuki will like it? First impressions are important," Renji stressed.

Rukia took another look around. The lake was almost perfectly still, though not frozen over. The air was cool and brisk, and the nearby trees added to the quiet beauty of the locale. She smiled. "Yes, I believe she will."

"OK, so what you want to do is activate your Shikai, and ask her if she will allow you to manifest her," Renji went on. "Forced manifestation will come later – you need to get used to how it feels when you are working together first."

Rukia drew her beautiful sword, spinning it slowly until the end pointed down, and quietly intoned, "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki."

The tell-tale white ribbon fluttered out of the hilt, spiraling around the circle that Rukia had made by spinning her blade as it turned white as snow. Once again, Rukia was struck by the almost ethereally pure beauty of her weapon. _Sode no Shirayuki? Would you care to join me out here?_

Rukia heard the spirit of her beloved Zanpakutō laugh. _Of course, Rukia. _

Then Rukia felt Shirayuki's reiatsu rose within her for a few moments before leaking out of her body, coalescing into her own form with a burst of cold air. Sode no Shirayuki manifested as a tall, very pale woman dressed completely in shades of white and ice blue. Garbed in a simple, traditional ivory-hued kimono with a sash possibly the softest shade of blue that Rukia had ever seen, Shirayuki's sleeves extended well past her fingertips, and the kimono flowed down to cover her feet.

Her hair was a hue that Rukia still had trouble giving a name to, despite having seen her spirit more than once over the years. It was as though someone had taken the shyest, palest color of lavender they could find, and then given it a shimmery quality that made it seem almost white, without losing that tiny hint of purple. Sode no Shirayuki wore it in a partial bun in the back, allowing most of her hair to fall down to the small of her back. The rest, she kept shorter and framed her face using a pair of dark blue hairclips, but even this hair reached down slightly past her collarbone.

Shirayuki's eyes were slightly darker, more of a blue-purple than anything else that Rukia could think of. Her lips, too, were not the healthy pink and red of normal humans, but the color that could be seen if someone crossed purple and pink roses.

Renji had to blink and swallow a few times upon witnessing Rukia's Zanpakutō spirit. _No wonder her sword is one of the most beautiful, _he thought in admiration.

Sode no Shirayuki looked around quietly. "This is a beautiful place, Rukia. I would dearly like to see it in the full grips of winter. May I?"

"Please," Rukia agreed.

The ice spirit almost glided down to the water's edge, somehow not staining her kimono in the slightest despite treading on what must have been soft mud. Then she stepped onto the surface of the water. From where she stood, ice spread and crackled swiftly across the water, and mere seconds later, the lake was completely frozen over.

Shirayuki laughed quietly, her voice echoing in the stillness as she began to dance across the ice, gliding and twirling over the frozen water. A snowflake landing on Renji's forehead prompted him to look up, and realize that it had, without warning, started to snow gently down upon the area.

"Come dance with me, Rukia," Sode no Shirayuki invited.

Rukia's smile could not be contained, as she ran down to the lake frozen over by her Zanpakutō's power. Stepping upon the ice, she focused her power to her feet, and she too began to skate across the ice, joining her Zanpakutō in the dance of winter, snowflakes falling down around them both, yet never seeming to touch them.

"I have longed for this day for a long, long time." Sode no Shirayuki's voice, soft yet clear, carried across the air easily as she almost flew across the ice. "For the day you would know the same truth as I do, Rukia: that you are strong, that you are as free as the snow that falls around us. That you may one day achieve Bankai is no longer mere fantasy, Rukia. Have we not been sisters together as we grew, trusted partners in our trials?"

"Yes," Rukia breathed, understanding blossoming within her when she skirted near where Shirayuki was now twirling. "You've wanted to reach Bankai as long as I have…"

"Yes," Sode no Shirayuki confirmed with a gentle smile, ending her spin as she now matched Rukia stroke for stroke across the ice. "I know how much you care for me, Rukia. Every time you've cleaned me, every time you've admired my beauty, every time you've taken pride in being my wielder, every time you've trusted and relied on me to help in your battles. I admit I felt a little abandoned for a time when we spent so much time without talking, but oh, how my heart glowed when you apologized and asked me to help you once again, how my heart sung when you invited me to join you in using our first dance!"

Hearing the raw joy in her Zanpakutō's voice was enough to make even Rukia's eyes water. How long had she worried that she was going to mess up her relationship with Sode no Shirayuki, especially after she had been defeated and been forced to give Ichigo her powers, without ever calling on her Zanpakutō to help? After giving up on life in Soul Society before Ichigo rescued her? This was a dream come true, and she owed Renji something big for giving her this opportunity. "I am… so happy," she let out, slowing to a stop in the middle of the lake to wipe her eyes.

Shirayuki gently came to a stop opposite her, a knowing smile on her face as she reached out and cupped Rukia's cheek with her pale fingers. "As am I, Rukia. Thank you for being my wielder and dance partner. Know that whatever happens as we strive for Bankai, I will always be glad to be your Zanpakutō. But I will not make it easy."

Rukia laughed herself. "I would never ask you to, Sode no Shirayuki. I will earn Bankai, and then if you like we can dance again here to celebrate."

"I'd like that." And with that, Sode no Shirayuki's form dematerialized into hundreds of snowflakes, scattering everywhere as her spirit returned to Rukia's heart.

Rukia slowly made her way to an utterly dumbfounded Renji, whose eyes were wide. He'd watched the entire time, entranced by the beauty of Sode no Shirayuki's tall pale form dancing with Rukia, the ice spirit's nearly white hair fluttering in the wind next to Rukia's black, with both of them just moving gaily through the snow, with Renji forgotten in the background. It was a scene he would never, ever forget.

* * *

Like I said, a little shorter, but I think that was an excellent stopping point. I took a little artistic liberty with Sode no Shirayuki's form, changing a couple of colors from how she was depicted in the Zanpakuto arc, and giving her an extra hairpin so her face is largely exposed. And I took a few paragraphs to describe her, because frankly she deserves something more than "she was beautiful".

The ideas on how to begin Bankai training were inspired by wanting a natural progression from Shikai to Bankai. "Hey, we're friends and trusted partners. How about you come out and share this wonderful place with me?" seemed like a great place to start.

Hopefully the brief descriptions of the Vizards' Resurreccion forms was enough for the moment. They really do look similar in my head to how I described them in Hell.

Hitsugaya wanted a spar with Ichigo for the experience and to do some constructive criticism on both himself, and on Ichigo. They both need to be in top form. And poor Ichigo, being pointed out that he'll probably need to learn whatever complex seal Urahara comes up with, so he needs to practice his Bakudo.

I... don't really have much to say about the latest manga, so I think I'll skip the spoiler rant this time. Suffice to say it was fairly expected. Ichigo goes raring off to save someone again, and some Arrancar make an appearance.


	51. Family Obligations

It has been a while, hasn't it? Life got in the way hard, as you might have noticed by the fact that it's been two months since I updated. Also, I haven't been really happy with this chapter until yesterday, when I hit a couple of strokes of inspiration. You get to see insight to a character who isn't really focused on usually.

So, as always, first up are review replies.

I was surprised to find so many people thoroughly enjoyed my depiction of Sode no Shirayuki interacting with Rukia. That's the first time anyone's actually asked if there was fanart for it yet. Thank you, and if anyone did make a fanart of it, please PM me and I will post the link and credit you!

I had a few theories sent to me on what Hell Ichigo represents. Crofty666 thought it was solitude and depression, for instance. Good guesses, but I'm not revealing the plot just yet. That will be dealt with in later chapters.

Lalaith Quetzalli - You had an Inuyasha flashback regarding Hell having soul fragments? Well, let me say I've never actually watched Inuyasha from start to finish, so I'm just going to guess you're referencing either Naraku or the Shikon shards. Either way, they were not my inspiration for that particular idea.

Also, Cazador and Ichigo do not have separate souls - they share the same soul, they're just two different personalities. So no, Ichigo is NOT going to sacrifice himself and Cazador to bring back his mother and Yuzu.

sendicard - Thank you for posting your reviews to most of the chapters. I agree, the earlier chapters do need to be redone, and the earlier awkwardness was from beginning a story in a universe that I wasn't familiar with writing in. But I don't have the time or energy to try to rewrite them - life is getting more and more in the way. Maybe later this year I'll try again.

That's it for the moment, and there shouldn't be any new terms. Very tired though, so I could be wrong... In any case, let's start up the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 51: Family Obligations

After his spar with Hitsugaya, Ichigo had gone to Tessai, who agreed to resume teaching him Kidō with more emphasis on Bakudō. However, he needed time to recover from the efforts of that day – breaking into Hell was no easy feat.

As the Vizard-turned-Arrancar seemed content to train amongst themselves for the moment, Ichigo began walking home in his body, brooding over the lesson he'd learned fighting against Hitsugaya. _Strategy… Analysis… _It reminded him of Aizen, with all his planning and keen plotting. _Aizen was a thinking fighter, alright. _Ichigo remembered his old archenemy's explanation that he'd engineered most, if not all, of Ichigo's opportunities and motivations to grow. _What would you do here?_

As it stood, Ichigo felt rather helpless. His mother and sister were still dead and trapped, bound by the chains of Hell. While he probably had the power to break them, it'd be for nothing if they stayed dead. _Well, doubly dead for Mom, _he corrected himself. _I just have to get them into Hell, wait for them to revive, and then free them. _

But Ichigo didn't know how he was going to manage that. Hell, the creator of the dimension, was tied to them in ways he didn't understand. No matter how Ichigo got his family into that damned plane, Hell would probably detect them, and prevent Ichigo from freeing them. _So Hell has to be dealt with first, _he concluded, with a pang in his heart.

_**So why aren't we invading Hell RIGHT NOW? **_Cazador demanded. _**Now, when he's weak and recovering? **_

_Because we don't have a way to keep him down, _Ichigo answered wearily. _We can't just kill him, or the dimension is destroyed, and Soul Society has enough problems without having to accept the evil souls too. _

_Then we must wait, _Zangetsu stated solemnly. _We are not skilled enough in sealing to create a new seal for Hell, nor do we have the records on how the Spirit King shattered Hell's soul. All we can do is train, and be ready when a solution is prepared. _

It sucked, but Ichigo knew his Zanpakutō spoke the truth. The next priority after Hell, was doing whatever it took to keep anyone else in Soul Society from having the bright idea of using his family against him. _If only there was a way to constantly keep them under… my… wait. Hell built a dimension. Why can't we? Then everyone could stay there. A haven! _

Ichigo felt Zangetsu shift within his soul. _As loathe as I am to say it, Ichigo, our strength is not yet sufficient to do such a thing. You require more power, more control, and more knowledge. _

_Then we have our next goal, _Ichigo decided, his brows furrowed. _Control and knowledge first – those coincide with what we need to deal with Hell. We'll figure out power later. _

A sudden spike of reiatsu broke Ichigo free from such thoughts – he had reached his own house, but next door there was… Ichigo rubbed his eyes disbelievingly. Suddenly erect around the neighbor's house was what could only be a Kidō barrier that shimmered through the colors of the rainbow. "That's… that's…" Ichigo stammered for a moment before letting loose a disgusted sigh. "Damn it, just when I was looking to rest for the night."

The Substitute Shinigami approached the barrier and knocked politely, if none too gently. The barrier let out a low gong-like sound, and Ichigo waited a few moments for a reply. Then a stern-looking Shinigami with blue-black hair and long grey gloves came out of the house and approached the barrier. He appeared stunned for a moment, seeing Ichigo. "You can see me?"

"Obviously," Ichigo commented, his tone somewhere between sarcastic and dry. "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. And you are?"

"Oh! I apologize, Kurosaki-sama, for not recognizing you earlier!" the man exclaimed, dipping into a quick and polite bow. "I am Kenzaki Ryūsei, loyal servant of the Kasumiōji family. Please call me Kenryū. What can I do for you?"

_Kasumiōji… Ichigo, they are a noble family who came up in our investigation. They specialize in weapons manufacturing. _

Ichigo silently acknowledged his Zanpakutō's information. "I'll try to make this quick, and I'm sorry if I'm a bit short – it's been a long day," Ichigo started. "But frankly… what are you doing in Karakura? The Kasumiōji are a noble family, right? Don't you have your own manor?"

Kenryū grimaced, looking a put little on the spot. "I'm afraid that is business private to the Kasumiōji…"

"Bullshit," Ichigo interrupted. "This is Karakura, and you are _in the house right next to mine._ You have to have known that – no noble family would act without trying to find all the information. I can only think of three reasons why someone would move right next to me and put what seems to be a high level barrier to block the way." Ichigo put up his fingers, ticking them off as he listed the reasons. "First, they want to finish what the Berean family started and threaten my family to control me. Second, they want close access to kill me because there's a contract on my head. Or finally, they need me nearby to help with something." Ichigo shook his head. "So tell me what's going on, or I'm taking my family and just getting out of town." It was a bluff, of course, but there was no need to tell that to Kenryū.

"No!" the servant exclaimed before he could stop himself. Then he hung his head. "You're right; we chose this house and quickly bought it from their original owners because we hoped that being so near to you would give us extra protection."

"Protection against what?" Ichigo pressed. "And for whom?"

"For the leader of the Kasumiōji," Kenryū answered, defeated. "Kasumiōji Rurichiyo. Someone is trying to kill her."

Ichigo palmed his face in exasperation. "Fine. Let me in so I don't look like an idiot talking to thin air."

Kenryū made a difficult-looking hand sign, and a man-sized hole in the barrier opened, allowing the Vizard to come inside. They entered the house, where they were silently greeted by a tall, muscular man with sunglasses and a small Mohawk in the shape of a lightning bolt. "It's ok, Enryū," Kenryū assured him. "This is Kurosaki Ichigo."

Enryū nodded shortly, but did not relax much as he followed them into what was obviously a meeting room, complete with a small table to sit seiza-style at. Ichigo raised an eyebrow. _Very loyal bodyguard, _he mused.

The three of them sat at the table, and Ichigo decided to open the conversation after a few moments of silence. "So, who's trying to kill Rurichiyo?" he asked bluntly. "And shouldn't she be a part of this conversation?"

Kenryū frowned. "Please address Rurichiyo-sama with respect, Kurosaki-sama. But no, she is… unaware that she is being targeted."

Ichigo snorted. "How's that?"

Enryū made several strange hand signs, as though wildly miming what he wanted to say. Kenryū nodded in apparent agreement and turned back to Ichigo. "Enryū says that it's our duty as her servants to make it easier for her to lead the Kasumiōji without worry. We are her guardians, as she is still young. She believes we are currently taking a small vacation."

"What about her parents?"

"Her mother died during childbirth," Kenryū replied sadly. "Her father recently passed away due to illness, though we are uncertain if that illness was engineered or not. We suspect it was."

"So what makes you think that someone's after her?"

Once again, Enryū began making his strange sign language that only Kenryū seemed to understand. "Enryū says that assassins have been sent after her more than once. We narrowly escaped one today, even." Enryū nodded enthusiastically.

_OK, hard to argue with that… _"Fine. Any idea who, or why?"

The two bodyguards exchanged a dark look. "Kumoi Gyōkaku," Kenryū revealed darkly. "A clan leader of the Kasumiōji. He is easily the second-in-command of the Kasumiōji, and we are sure that he wants to rule it."

"Wait, let me get this straight." Ichigo stood up and looked at the two servants disbelievingly. "She's being attacked. You know who's doing it, you know why he's doing it, you know where he's usually going to be… so why haven't you just dealt with him? Kill him, seal him, imprison him, something!"

"It's not that easy," Kenryū contradicted. "We have no proof. While we have the skills to escape the assassins, we are sadly not strong enough to defeat and capture them. Without their testimony, we have no evidence that Kumoi is responsible, and if we… dispatch him, then the family will fall apart. He is too well known."

Enryū made several more signs, ending with pointing at Ichigo. Kenryū nodded. "He says that that's why we escaped to the living world. We are trying to escape the assassination attempts until we can gather the evidence needed. Can we count on you to help protect her?"

Ichigo sighed and sat down at the table again, weighing his options. _I need most of my attention on the threat of Hell invading – there's no way to know when it'll happen, and if I'm busy with this then I might miss a crucial chance to slip in with Mom and Yuzu, get them resurrected, and then cut off their chains. Or someone else might die because I was distracted. _

_On the other hand, _he admitted, _it could really come in handy for another noble family to owe me. It lends me and mine support, and I need to think long term. When Mom isn't bound by Hell anymore, she'll still be a dead, purified soul. She'll still need to reside in Soul Society. If this works out, then she could stay with the Kasumiōji, with the protection of Shinigami and politics. _

After a few tense moments, Ichigo decided that while he could, if it came down to it, invade Hell forcefully after it was all over… he couldn't constantly be there for his mother. So he nodded. "Fine, I can help out. So, the plan is to wait for an assassin, capture him, then use him to expose Kumoi?"

The pair of guardians looked at each other again, relief obvious on both their face. "Yes," Kenryū confirmed.

"Then all we need to do is bait a trap."

Enryū frowned and made more of his strange sign language. "How so?"

"The assassin is after Rurichiyo, right? So we expose her, give the assassin an opportunity. I'll be nearby, undetectable. When the assassin arrives, I knock him out from behind," Ichigo suggested.

Kenryū shook his head. "Unacceptable. I know of your strength and skill, Kurosaki Ichigo, but these assassins have strange powers, strange enough that Rurichiyo-sama may be taken before you could stop them. Both Enryū and I have attained Shikai, and even when we work together it is not enough to defeat a single assassin. You must not underestimate them."

Ichigo grimaced. "What 'strange powers' have you encountered so far?"

"One man could dissolve entirely into mist that would surround the area. Then he would materialize randomly inside. He seemed impossible to hit," Kenryū described. "It was all we could do to get away from that one, and he was the one who chased us here into the living world."

"Point taken," Ichigo conceded.

"Our barrier obfuscates our reiatsu signatures, making it more difficult to track us, as well as providing a first line of defense," Kenryū told their guest. "So long as we stay within it, we're reasonably safe." He rubbed the back of his head, looking sheepish. "But as we're theoretically on vacation, Rurichiyo-sama will want to go outside and explore."

Something about the phrasing made Ichigo frown – Rurichiyo sounded young. But who knew how old she really was, or where that stood in terms of how grown up she was? Rukia was at least a century old, yet she could easily pass as a human 15-year-old physically and mentally. It got even more complicated, as Rukia had explained that spirits with more reiryōku naturally lived longer, since reiryōku was literally a spirit's life force.

Ichigo opened his mouth to ask how mature she was… but shut it with a snap. _That_ was certainly not something to ask a noble family that he wanted himself endeared to. He grimaced. In other words, there was no way to know what to expect until he saw the leader of the Kasumiōji.

Instead, he sighed and decided to be completely honest. _It's better than them thinking I'm at their beck and call. _"How much do you know of what's going on outside of the Kasumiōji?"

"Not much," Kenryū admitted. "We've been somewhat occupied with internal politics and evading assassins."

Ichigo shook his head. "Here's the short version. You know the dimension, Hell? Turns out it was named for the creator, and he was revived not long ago. Hell – the person, not the dimension – is supposedly this extra-dimensional warlord who tried to conquer the worlds a long time ago. So…" Ichigo scratched the back of his head, not sure how to continue. "Well, basically Hell's probably going to try again. So I literally _can't _be here all the time – the Gotei 13 needs my power to fight the Togabito – Hell-bound souls, I mean. You might be better off making this place a stronghold and telling Rurichiyo the truth."

Enryū and Kenryū shared worried glances. "We'll need to discuss this," the more vocal of the two responded after several seconds. "We'll contact you tomorrow, or the next day at the latest. Allow me to escort you out."

* * *

Meanwhile, Renji and Rukia were still out by the lake, though now the situations were reversed: Rukia was the teacher, and Renji the student. Rukia had quickly had her friend demonstrate the most powerful Kidō he was comfortable with casting.

"Renji, your Hadō 31: Shakkahō is imperfect," Rukia scolded. "I'm astounded it didn't blow up your face, with the amount of power you just shoved into it!"

"I know, I know," Renji replied miserably. "Kidō is my worst subject. And it does blow up every now and then. I haven't really worked on it since my days at the Academy; remember, I was first taken by the 5th, but Aizen moved me to the 11th after seeing my aptitude at swordsmanship, and then I was only recently brought to the 6th Division."

Rukia sighed. "Alright then. The biggest issue is your control. Cast it again, with the full incantation his time, and focus on using less power."

Renji brought up his arms once more, putting his left hand on his right bicep as though to brace himself. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hadō 31: Shakkahō!"

This time, the red orb that materialized in front of Renji's open palm, while large, was obviously more manageable, and he shot it into the still-mostly-frozen lake, where it carved a large hole that was slowly filling with melted ice. Renji himself looked surprised. "That felt a lot better, even better than when I was doing that without having gained Bankai."

"When do you usually resort to Kidō?" Rukia queried, intrigued.

"Well, until recently I didn't really use it. Remember, 11th Division?" Renji reminded. "If I need destructive power, I have Bankai. And my control's been too shoddy for Bakudō…"

Rukia sighed. "Well, we're going to have to fix that. Your Bankai uses your reiatsu to hold Hihio Zabimaru's segments together, correct? Better control means you need less reiatsu to maintain it. And with better control, you could use Bakudō to hold your opponent in place for your Bankai to smash or blast."

Renji's eyes widened – he hadn't thought of that. "Alright! Where do we start?"

The ice user shook her head amusedly – Renji always was one to get fired up when he finally understood how useful something could be… or if it appealed to his urge to blow things up. Rukia moved closer and clasped one of Renji's hands in hers. "Do you trust me?"

Renji looked at his best friend, memories flashing through his head from their time in the Rukongai, their separation in the Academy, their reconciliation after Aizen deserted. "Always," he replied quietly.

Rukia nodded, molding the power that gently emanated around Renji's hand with her own. It was more difficult than simply working with her own power, but that was to be expected, as she was manipulating Renji's reiryoku, his very life force. "Hadō 31: Shakkahō."

He didn't flinch, but instead stared at the large, calm, crimson orb that now hovered over their joined hands. His power was part of it, he could feel it as though he'd cast it himself.

"Do you feel it?" Rukia murmured. "The stability?"

"Yes." And Renji could. The Kidō was very stable – Rukia could hold it as long as she had power to supply it, he was sure.

"Can you feel how your reiryoku is being molded?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, slowly take control of the spell from me. I'm going to loosen my will, and I need you to pick up the slack, Renji."

Renji nodded determinedly. Rukia began to relax her spiritual grip on the Shakkahō, and it slowly started to shrink and give off dangerous wisps of explosive energy without a constant source of power and will, until Renji fed it some of his reiryoku and, with some effort, stabilized it.

They repeated the process three more times, until Rukia gently moved her hand away from Renji's. "Now, Renji, that's all you."

Renji smiled tightly – maintaining such a perfect Shakkahō was very hard on his concentration. "So, it becomes an exercise in control?" he asked through gritted teeth, not angry, just very focused.

"Exactly. Hold the spell as long as you can. When you know you can't hold it any longer, or if you've held it for an hour, fire it," Rukia ordered, moving to a nearby tree and sitting down against it.

"Why an hour?"

"At some point your mind will figure out how to multitask the concentration needed for Kidō, and the awareness needed for battle. When you can hold it for an hour, you should be skilled enough to hold a decent conversation with me without strain."

Renji nodded. _This is a lot harder than what I had you do, _he thought bitingly. But he immediately regretted it. _The path to Bankai is not easy, Rukia. Looks like we're both going to be suffering, just in different ways. _

He refocused on the orb then, determined to make it last as long as possible.

* * *

Ishida Uryū entered his apartment with narrowed eyes, deep in contemplative thought. He'd gotten most of the story from Urahara upon his return, but he was uncertain on what it meant for him.

He looked to his right, where another sewing project, a coat designed for the fairer sex, was unfinished – he had meant to finish it and attempt to sell it to see where he stood in terms of skill. But Ishida did not see the coat - he saw past it, to where his Quincy uniform was neatly displayed on a manikin. In Ishida's mind rang the words of his vow, to stop involving himself in spiritual matters.

"_I swear, on the Pride of the Quincy, that unless it is to save a life, or to maintain my skills, I will not use my Quincy powers. I further swear that after the current crisis is over, I will focus my energies on living my life as any other non-spiritually-aware human would."_

_And yet… the minions of Hell cannot truly die. They are constantly brought back. Would a Quincy arrow destroy them? Or would they resurrect even then? Is Hell the key to finding a way around our arrows annihilating souls? _

Either way, this was an opportunity. If Ishida were to participate, then either the Quincy would do what the Shinigami could not and destroy the invading forces once and for all, safeguarding Karakura… or the Quincy would find a way to equalize them by making his arrows purify rather than destroy. _But… the vow… _

Ishida shook his head and moved to his bedroom, sitting down on his bed silently. The crisis he'd spoken of during the vow had come and gone – Aizen was dead. The only loophole was the "to save a life" clause he'd put in… but was that not dishonorable, to resume his training as a Quincy when he knew that there were so many other reasons behind why he wanted to do so?

He wanted to not be powerless, he wanted another chance to prove the strength and usefulness of the Quincy, he wanted to resume his rivalry with Kurosaki, he wanted… Ishida lowered his head and closed his eyes, removing his glasses absently with his right hand to pinch the bridge of his nose with his left. _I want to help my friends. I don't want them to fight alone. _

_But I swore on the Pride of the Quincy. I knew this was going to happen someday. In exchange for the power to aid them against Aizen, I swore I would cease my involvement in with spirits. If I break my vow just because I want to, then my word becomes meaningless. My pride… would shatter. _

_But… my friends… my nakama… how can I abandon them when they are about to face Hell itself? _Ishida buried his face in his hands. More than ever, he wished his grandfather, Sōken, the man who had trained him as a child in the Quincy arts, was still alive and well. And one again he cursed the name of Kurotsuchi Mayuri, the Shinigami taicho who had arranged for Sōken's death simply to dissect his spirit and study the soul of a Quincy. _Tell me, Grandfather… what should I do?_

* * *

Ichigo entered his own house with a sigh, his mind on the many things that had happened, and what needed to be done. "Ichigo," the tense voice of his sister spoke.

He turned at the sound, looking towards the couch, where Karin sat. She was almost rigidly tense, her hands clasped on her knees with a grip that shook with intensity. But Ichigo knew better than to ask. They both knew. Masaki and Yuzu were bound by Hell's chains. And if Ichigo couldn't free them, not only would Yuzu die, but then they were both in for an eternity of torment.

"Karin," Ichigo acknowledged, moving to sit across from her, in one of the chairs.

They were both silent for a few seconds as Karin struggled to figure out how to say what she wanted. "You can set them free, right?"

Ichigo nodded. "I broke a chain or two while fighting the guys who took you. I can break the chains, Karin, but I don't know what will happen when I do."

"What do you think will happen?" Karin sounded… not desperate, not calm, but some bizarre combination of hopeful and scared.

"I want to say that Yuzu will revive, and Mom will be able to go back to Soul Society. But Hell…" Ichigo shook his head. "You know better than most just how evil the Hell dimension is."

"What can I do to help?" Karin demanded more animatedly.

"You're going to stay next to me," Ichigo's father's voice sounded from the door leading to the family clinic. Isshin was once more in human form, but he looked dead serious. "Karin, the fight is going to be brought here to Karakura. Souls that have been in torment for thousands of years, souls that crave to inflict violence and death upon those blessed enough not to be damned… they will be coming."

"Then let me fight!" Karin argued, standing. "I've been fighting Hollows for months!"

"You couldn't handle the Togabito who kidnapped you and your sister," Isshin reminded. "And I will not have you kidnapped again!"

Karin sat back down, cowed by her father's words. Ichigo nodded appreciatively – that was one less thing to worry about. _If Karin's with Dad, then her protection's pretty much guaranteed_. "Dad, I…"

"Ichigo," Isshin interrupted, "you need to focus on your Bakudō."

"I know," Ichigo acknowledged. "Tōshirō explained it to me. Transcendent-level seal, right?"

"Right."

"We have another problem." Ichigo quickly explained what he knew of the Kasumiōji situation. "If we can help them, then they'll owe us one. We can have them look out for Mom when everything's over."

Isshin nodded. "Good plan, but you want to get it resolved sooner rather than later. They're basically civilians in what's going to be another war. Talk to Yamamoto – no, better yet, talk to Kuchiki Byakuya. He's both a noble and a taicho, so he should know any loopholes you can use."

Karin sat quietly, watching her brother and father make plans for the immediate and not-so-immediate future. It was one of the few times they had ever treated each other with such seriousness and respect, working together as adults, but neither seemed uncomfortable with it. _I don't understand. How have things changed so quickly?_

She stared harder, knowing that something was just on the edge of her perception. She pushed… and then Karin could see them, if only just. There was a translucent, almost transparent, image around Ichigo, and another around Isshin.

When Karin was able to focus directly on Isshin's over-image, the illusion overtook the reality, and she saw Isshin in his Shinigami robes rather than his human clothes, with a white haori tied around his shoulder. A sword was strapped to his side, and it positively _burned _with tightly-controlled power. And Karin understood. _Isshin is not just my father; he is also a powerful Shinigami. Things haven't really changed for him… more that he is reassuming an old role. _

Karin turned her eyes of startling insight to Ichigo, and her eyes widened as she saw Ichigo in his Bankai coat, with one eye a bloody red with blue sclera. There was something else, something just beyond her sight, attached to his chest... but Karin could suddenly feel the weight of his reiatsu upon her, a great, looming presence that positively screamed of tenseness and stress, that warned in no uncertain terms not to provoke him or else be crushed. And just as before, Karin understood. _Ichigo's dead serious because he feels he can't afford not to be. He is stressed and needs someone to be on his side, to help in some way because he feels overwhelmed and ready to snap. _

_How do I know these things? Why am I seeing them like this? _Karin had no idea, and the only idea she had both excited and scared her: _Are… my powers growing too? _

Karin knew she'd always been sensitive to spirits, much like Ichigo had been before he became a Shinigami. She'd ignored them as best she could, seeing how Ichigo had been plagued by spirits night and day… But ever since that incident with the cockatiel housing the spirit of Shubata Yūichi, she had begun to have infrequent… flashes, for lack of a better word.

Karin had attributed it to growing older and wiser when every so often she suddenly had very good ideas on the emotions of those around her. It didn't happen often, so she thought little of it… _But now? Is this power of mine… spiritual? _

Ichigo nodded then, dragging Karin from her thoughts. "It's decided, then. I'll be staying at Urahara's to maximize my time learning Bakudō. Karin will stay home with you and help out in the clinic. You make the necessary excuses at our schools."

Isshin nodded as well. "Right."

Neither of them missed how Karin merely nodded her assent as they turned to look at her, or how she quietly made her way back up to the room she normally shared with Yuzu.

"Son."

Ichigo turned to his father. "Yes, Dad?"

"I want you to know: I think you've grown into a fine young man. And you have my support, Ichigo, whenever you need me. For anything." Isshin's eyes were earnest, honest.

Ichigo swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. "I know that, Dad. I'm sorry I wasn't able to rescue them in time."

"And I'm sorry I wasn't home to protect your sisters," Isshin apologized. "Is that why you didn't call on me to help invade Hell?"

"What? No!" Ichigo denied vehemently. "I didn't call on you because you're needed here. You're a doctor, someone who saves lives. If you had come to Hell with me, you wouldn't have been here. None of us – not me, not Mom, not Karin, not Yuzu, not even you – would have been able to deal with their salvation costing the life of someone else. So I made the choice, to protect you from it. So if I chose wrong, you wouldn't have the burden."

Without warning, Isshin pulled Ichigo into a bear hug. "Damn it, Ichigo… you're not supposed to be this wise yet. Soon I really won't have anything left to teach you." His voice was throaty, as though fighting back some powerful emotion.

Ichigo wrapped his arms around his father's torso. "When that happens, Dad, we'll learn the rest together, right?"

They separated, and Isshin gave a solid nod. "Right," he affirmed strongly. "Now let's get some shut-eye; it's been a long day, and there's a lot to do tomorrow."

* * *

And that's it for today. This chapter, as you probably noticed, was all about the bonds for and obligations towards those you consider family.

Ishida desperately wants to help, but feels trapped by his vow to his father. What more is there for him, if he breaks his word? Could he ever trust himself again?

Renji and Rukia have been family since long before Rukia was adopted by the Kuchiki. They support each other, and they trust one another with their lives. And together, they cover each other's back.

Enryu and Kenryu want to protect Rurichiyo, as she is merely a child. They will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, even if it means lying to her.

Ichigo and Isshin both want to protect their family. And Isshin was hurt when Ichigo did not call upon him for help, despite knowing Isshin's strength. But Isshin is watching his son grow up and mature, sacrificing and sacrificing for his family. He feels pride, and terrible sadness for putting his son through even more hardship, for asking even more from his son who has given so much already. I can't help but think that he wants to cry, but feels he cannot.

And now for the spoiler rant!

S

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...

So... Ichigo is fighting in Hueco Mundo. Byakuya, Soifon, Komamura, and Hitsugaya have all had their Bankai stolen from them. I bet that means it's going to be used against them. Which means we'll probably see what Yamamoto's lieutenant had as a Bankai... might even be used against Ichigo at some point. Or Yamamoto, for more emotional angst.

If the Bankai are used against the Shinigami, I bet it's the taicho themselves that will defeat it, knowing their Bankai's weakness intimately. Hitsugaya might go, "Ha, you've got a time limit unless you know how to extend it." Komamura might smite his Bankai's chest like Tosen did, and defeat the Quincy that way. Soifon could just smile and go. "Heh. Good luck with the recoil," and then flit around with Shunpo until she can stab the Quincy twice with her Shikai. And Byakuya? I can see him turning to Renji and saying "Show me your strength. Use your Bankai to defeat my own. Let's see if you've grown since that day." And let Renji kick ass.

That's all I've got to say for now. Ciao!

NeoRyu777


	52. Promises to Protect

Hello, all! Been a month today, hasn't it? Life is as always keeping me busy. Unfortunately, this is a bit of a smaller chapter, dealing largely with character development, emphasizing their relationships with promises, vows, etc.

But, as always, review replies come first.

mellra - Yes, the Hogyoku does in fact reflect the desires of its master. But Ichigo isn't using the Hogyoku at the moment - might come later though.

sendicard - Yes, it appears you did get them all. My mistake

Akira Strider - Ichigo is currently hiding his position as King of Hueco Mundo. No reason to antagonize Soul Society at the moment, and he STILL needs to figure out a safe place for Masaki to stay.

MrHasNoFavs - Skull-Clad Ichigo may or may not make an appearance later. There are still some Kushanada out there - not all of them were killed, remember?

To the several people who wanted Ishida to talk to Ichigo - Yes, that IS happening this chapter. And Ishida's reluctance to just say "well, me helping WILL save lives, so take that!" is explained.

No new terms this week.

Quick warning: the first part of this chapter can be disorienting. Please bear with; it will all make sense in a bit.

* * *

Chapter 52: Promises to Protect

Fire surrounded Ichigo and his opponent as they circled each other slowly, probing for holes in each other's defences. The Vizard clenched Tensa Zangetsu tightly in his hand, his eyes not leaving those of his enemy.

"How does it feel, Kurosaki Ichigo, to have failed everyone you love?" Hell asked wickedly, an evil grin stretching his face. "Even better, how does it feel to be the instrument of their demise?"

"What're you talking about?" Ichigo spat, refusing to let Hell get a rise out of him.

"I think you know," Hell teased. "Your mother died because you were weak. And then you grew strong, so strong that you could be felt across dimensions! But even with all that power, she and your sister were bound to me. Because you were still WEAK!"

"I will get them back!" Ichigo swore.

"You're a little late for that, Kurosaki Ichigo," Hell replied condescendingly. "Oh, yes I forgot. You have such difficulty remembering what happens when you lose control. After I took them back, you lost control again. You cut through hundreds, thousands of my minions, but then, that's no great loss – they will spawn again in my dimension sooner or later. But you also cut through everyone who tried to stop you and make you see reason." He gestured outside the fire, and Ichigo could not help but look.

Ichigo gasped – his father was lying there, his eyes devoid of life. His chest appeared to be carved through, as though by a Getsuga Tenshō. Ichigo's eyes slowly turned away, only to fixate on another figure… Rukia, whose head was separated from her body, apparently cut cleanly in a single slice. Sode no Shirayuki lay on the ground next to her, the once pure white blade now snapped in half, tarnished with dirt and Rukia's blood. Tears rebelliously welled up in his eyes, and Ichigo let out a grief-stricken half-sob half-whimper.

Then a sound got his attention. Hoping desperately that it was Inoue to reject the damage, to try to bring back Isshin and Rukia, Ichigo spun towards it. But he was to be disappointed. Only meters away was Renji, his body covered in burns and blood. He was on the ground, weakly trying to crawl to Rukia's side, tears running down his tattooed face. In his hand he clutched the bone fragment of his Bankai, the tail of Hihio Zabimaru; that was all that that remained of his once-impressive Bankai.

Beyond Renji, Ichigo's eyes caught on a flash of white. _Ishida! _Refocusing through the tears, Ichigo took a clear look at the white that had blurred in his watery gaze. Ishida hung lifelessly from a burning tree, held up by a length of chains that had evidently snapped his neck. Familiar-looking chains. Ichigo couldn't help but glance at Tensa Zangetsu's hilt, and sure enough part of the chain was missing. _No… I did this? _

Horrified and fighting the urge to fall to his knees, Ichigo looked the other way, and fought not to gag – Chad had fallen, his arms ripped off and lying on either side of him. He still struggled to stand, blood pouring from his shoulders. But he was still alive! And Inoue was next to him!

Ichigo opened his mouth to call out to her, to beg her to hurry, but his voice stuck in his throat when he saw her sobbing on her knees, clutching at something. A hint of blue caught his eye, and Ichigo recognized her hairpins, irreparably shattered, now powerless and unable to heal their friends.

And then a terrifyingly familiar voice came out of the fire from behind Hell. "Tell me, Ichigo-kun…" Aizen walked out, calm as could be, and stood beside Hell with a knowing smile on his face. "…was it worth it?"

"Oh, why bother asking him?" Hell commented idly, raising his hand in the air and grasping something invisible. "Let's ask his dark side."

Ichigo felt something in his chest tighten, and then a chain connecting him to Hell materialized as he felt his Hollow powers begin to rise against his will. "No…! Not again! Tensa Zangetsu! Cazador de…!" He was suddenly cut off as he began to hack and cough, fighting, despairing as white fluid tore its way out of his mouth to form the mask of Resurrección. "No! NOOOOOOOO…!"

Ichigo sat up wide-eyed and gasping in bed, sweat pouring from what felt like every inch of his body. He had barely even thought it before Zangetsu materialized in his hands, ready in Shikai form. _It was just a nightmare, it was just a nightmare, it was just a nightmare, _he chanted to himself. _They're all alive. They're ok. They're alive. _But just to feel better, he quickly extended his senses and found each of his friends and family. They were all alive and apparently resting peacefully.

Still breathing hard, Ichigo wiped the sweat off his brow and checked the time. It was only 2:43 AM. After that nightmare, he didn't dare try again to sleep. _This is what I get for trying to sleep when I'm not exhausted, _he berated himself.

Ichigo grabbed the badge and practically slammed it against his chest, exiting his body with ease. It was only moments later that he leapt out the window and into the night. Knowing there was no chance of him getting any more sleep that night, Ichigo stretched and began to make his way to the nearby forest. _Might as well go practice my Bakudō. _He quickly found a secluded part of the forest, and landed.

A moment of concentration later, Cazador de la Luna stood in front of Ichigo, looking more than a little disgruntled. "Really, Ichigo? You want to practice the one Bakudō you know on me? Over and over? For hours?"

Ichigo shrugged. "I'm kind of lacking in other test subjects at the moment."

"You're just afraid to go back to sleep!" Cazador accused. "You have Bakudō training in the morning!"

"Tell me you're not afraid of returning to that, that… nightmare isn't a strong enough word for it!" Ichigo retorted without thinking. "Tell me that you weren't just as horrified as I was! Everyone dead at our hands! Aizen back and working with Hell! Us bound to Hell as his slave of mass destruction!"

"Of course I was, Ichigo!" Cazador yelled back. "I'm part of you! I'm your instinct, remember? Your instinct to protect is part of me! The idea that we could be the one to kill them repulses me, it makes me want to puke! But you can't run away from this! You are stronger than this, Ichigo!"

_He is right, Ichigo. Abandon your fear. _

With a snarl, Ichigo materialized Zangetsu's spirit next to his Inner Hollow. "Can you blame me for not wanting to sleep, knowing that if I do I'll be returning to that?"

Zangetsu's expression did not change in the slightest. "The nightmare is a product of your fears. You lost control in Hell. You fear that in the coming conflicts, you will enter Hell and lose control again."

"You're damn right I'm afraid of that!"

"So do what you must to ensure it doesn't happen," Zangetsu commanded sternly

"How?" Ichigo demanded. "I wasn't supposed to lose control that time either, not since I gained control of Resurrección! How was Hell able to mess with our very soul?"

"You weren't prepared for it," Cazador told him bluntly. "I was asleep in your soul, and wasn't able to minimize the influence Hell had over you. Now, between Zangetsu and me, you should be fine."

"Oh, great, and what happens if I need to use Resurrección against Hell?"

Cazador shifted uneasily. "Er…"

"That's what I thought," Ichigo shot back angrily, before he sat down against a tree. "Fine. I'll just have to do without. Cazador, I'm counting on you to suppress our Hollow powers if and when we enter Hell again."

The Inner Hollow gave a mock salute. "Aye-aye, captain."

Ichigo turned to his Zanpakutō spirit. "Do you have any control over my dreams?"

"Very little. At best, I may enter them as a spirit and alert your dream self to the situation. This may provoke a state of lucid dreaming." 

"I'll take it. We'll see how it works tomorrow night – right now I'm too awake to try."

Zangetsu merely nodded before dissipating.

Ichigo turned to the manifestation of his instinct. "In the meantime, time to train to take out Hell as quickly as possible."

Cazador sighed, then perked up. "Let's try to make things interesting, eh Ichigo? You'll be using Bakudō while you're in Bankai, probably masked, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So practice in that state, and I'll give you a moving target!"

Ichigo saw no problem with that. "Fine, but only Gillian mask for now. I want to get the hang of how my Hollow power affects Bakudō before I have to deal with the instinct. Bankai." Quickly drawing his Gillian mask, he gathered his power. _**"Bakudō 1: Sai!" **_

The spell promptly blew up in his face, lightly charring the mask. Cazador immediately fell to the ground laughing. "Oh, oh, do it again!"

"_**Shut it."**_

* * *

A few hours later, Ichigo called a halt to their training and descended back down to the clearing. Cazador joined him a moment later before disappearing into reishi and rejoining the rest of Ichigo's soul. Ichigo was beginning the get the hang of casting with the mask, though his spells still blew up in his face every now and then from being outrageously overpowered. _I guess this is what Renji feels like. And I don't even have my full power available to me! _he complained to himself, suddenly realizing that he had a lot of work to do. _This is going to take years!_

_Perhaps, perhaps not. Recall that higher level bindings require more power, and as Hachigen said when you first began training with the Vizard, more power merely strengthens bindings of a high enough level. _

_So you're saying it might be easier for me to learn higher level Bakudō once I have the basics mastered? _

_It seems like a logical conclusion, Ichigo._

Ichigo sighed. _Suppose there's no way to know until I talk to Tessai and Hachi. _He glanced up at the sky. _They're probably awake by now. Let's go get this thing started. _He was about to Shunpo, when his spiritual sense flickered – Ishida was coming towards him quickly. _Wonder what he wants?_

A few moments later, Ishida landed on the ground a few feet from his rival. "Kurosaki."

"Ishida. What's wrong?"

Ishida shook his head, as though trying to clear it. "I… I wish to discuss a private matter with you, and I would prefer you to keep it to yourself."

Ichigo blinked, taken aback. "Sure, Ishida, but why me?"

"I can predict what Sado and Orihime would tell me… and I don't really have anyone else. I want to know what you would do in my situation."

Now Ichigo was worried. "What, did you get a girl pregnant or something?"

"What?" Ishida looked shocked, then irritated. "Kurosaki! I would not…!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Ichigo interrupted, backtracking. "Remember I live with my father, at a small clinic, where he sometimes has to deal with teenage pregnancies. I hear things."

"Ah, yes, right, of course," Ishida stammered for a second, before taking another breath and apparently finding his train of thought.

_This looks like it might be a long conversation._ "Sit," he invited, picking one of the nearby logs and getting comfortable. Ishida did the same. "So, what's going on?"

"I…" Ishida's voice fell quiet for several seconds. "Well, I…" Again, he fell silent. His expression grew more and more frustrated, until he suddenly got up, and threw his hands in the air. "Forget it, Kurosaki. This was a stupid idea."

"No, wait!" Ichigo contradicted, lunging forward and grabbing Ishida's wrist. "This is one of those emotional things that are hard to put to words, right? They're not supposed to be easy to talk about. But you came to me because you had to talk to _someone_, right? So sit down, figure it out, and tell me."

The archer gave Ichigo an inscrutable expression for a moment before taking his seat. Ichigo sat back down as well, satisfied. "You're more perceptive than you look, Kurosaki."

"Oi!"

Ishida ignored him. "But you're right. But where to begin…?"

"I usually find the beginning works well," Ichigo pointed out dryly.

Ishida nodded. "Are you aware of the terms of my vow?"

Ichigo furrowed his brow in thought. "The one about using your Quincy powers?"

"Yes, that one."

"You didn't really go into detail. You just said you weren't allowed to use them anymore."

"It boils down to this: in exchange for the training I needed, I swore to my father, on my Quincy pride, that after the crisis with Aizen was over that I would not use my powers except to maintain my skills, and to save a life," Ishida explained. "I swore to try to live as a normal human without powers."

Ichigo nodded. "Seems fairly straightforward so far."

"However, Karakura is about to enter a crisis that could eclipse that of Aizen Sōsuke," Ishida reminded him. "And I want to help. But that would break my vow, would it not?"

The transcendent frowned. "That depends on how loosely you interpret it, I think."

Ishida waved his hand agitatedly. "Yes, yes, I know. If I interpret my help with the crisis as possibly saving my life, or that of anyone else, then I'm free to act. But I feel like that would be dishonest, as it was very clear that my father meant for me to use my Quincy abilities only when it was absolutely clear that there was no other way to save a life. He wanted me to discontinue any association with the spiritual unless absolutely necessary. And frankly, I don't see how it is. You have a number of powerful Shinigami here, as well as the Vizard, training and ready to fight Hell and his minions."

Ichigo's frown deepened. He could see Ishida's point.

"But there are so many possibilities!" Ishida continued. "Urahara-san said that the Togabito are reborn again in Hell when they're killed. Would a Quincy arrow change that?"

The Vizard's eyes widened. He had no idea. "If it did, it would change the game entirely…" he breathed. "It'd take away Hell's advantage completely! It'd change an unending onslaught into…"

"… into a fight with finite foes to vanquish," Ishida finished. "Or, imagine what happens if it doesn't? That means that somehow, Hell has found a way to make it so a Quincy arrow does not destroy souls! If that were the case, we could find out how and make my grandfather's dream come to life! Quincy and Shinigami working together, without souls needlessly being destroyed! I could restore the Quincy without fear of having another Quincy Massacre!" His hand clenched. "I could one day have children and teach them how to defend themselves and others from Hollows, without wondering if one day the Shinigami will decide to complete the extermination!"

Ichigo was very glad he was sitting down. His legs suddenly felt very weak; he'd had no idea that Ishida had thought that far ahead in the future, and the hardest part was that he could now utterly understand Ishida's fears. _If I ever have children… _

_They'd be the children of a transcended human-Shinigami-Hollow hybrid,_ Zangetsu finished. _They would almost assuredly have the ability to see spirits from a young age as you did, Ichigo. And they too would likely have their own dormant Shinigami capabilities. After all, you inherited yours from your father. _

_**Of course they'd be a threat. Or maybe Soul Society'd use them against ya. Who knows? **_

_Oh Kami… _Ichigo's throat was suddenly very dry.

The archer noticed and nodded. "Yes, all that is possible… but only if I break my word," Ishida replied bitterly. "So tell me, Kurosaki. What would you do in my situation? Do I sit on my hands and pray that you and you allies successfully eliminate the threat without anyone dying? Or do I break the vow I swore on my Quincy pride, take up my bow and make a difference?"

"I see."

Both Ichigo and Ishida spun towards the forest, where Ishida Ryūken stepped out from the shadows. The elder Quincy gazed steadily at Ichigo, who stared back without flinching. "I followed my son here after I felt his use of Hirenkyaku to this location. I had expected to find him training, disregarding his vow as a child might."

The younger Ishida clenched his fists in fury, his glasses glinting as his head bowed slightly. "I swore, did I not? I swore on my Quincy pride! I would not dishonor myself so!"

Ryūken turned his eyes to his son. "No, Uryū… not without just cause, it would seem." He paused for a brief moment. "I must admit, I was surprised to hear you begin to understand why I would have you cease your spiritual activities. Like it or not, Uryū, you are my son. The time of the Quincy has passed… and I have no desire to see you executed for the sake of world balance."

Uryū pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, making them flash momentarily. "This is our chance. We can change everything now, and make Sōken's dream, your father's dream, into reality!"

"Possibly," Ryūken conceded. "And even if such does not prove the case, you would be saving the Shinigami much hardship. In doing so, they would be better able to protect Karakura. And as a result, you would indirectly be helping to save lives."

"And directly saving lives," Uryū pointed out with narrowed eyes. "Protecting the lives of those the Togabito will attack."

Ryūken's expression did not change, but he fell silent.

Ichigo remained quiet, feeling that somehow that conversation had narrowed itself to just the two remaining Quincies.

"Release me from my vow," Uryū pleaded. "Allow me this chance! Without it, I will always wonder if maybe, just maybe, I could have made a difference!"

"For whom?" Ryūken questioned coldly.

The younger Ishida bowed his head. "For anyone who dies before Hell is conquered once more," Uryū answered quietly. "For any future children I may have. And… for myself."

"Explain."

Uryū raised his gaze to meet that of his father's. "Like it or not, Ryūken, I am a Quincy," he stated firmly, echoing the elder's statement to him. "And the Quincy were born to protect ourselves and others from spiritual threats. I am a guardian of Karakura." He extended his arms to either side, gesturing to the forest and beyond. "So much of who I am is tied to the spiritual. I have fought and bled for my nakama! I have risked death and having my spirit consumed for them, and they for me! Their consciences cannot allow them to sit back and let others protect their town, their friends, their families. I want, no, I need to fight alongside them. Let me protect those to whom I have entrusted my soul!"

The silence was profound for a few minutes, and neither Ishida looked away from each other. Then Ryūken scoffed and turned on his heel. "Do as you wish, Uryū. I release you from your vow. But…" He turned sideways and stared piercingly at his son. "… I still expect you to explore mortal life. Do not seclude yourself entirely in the afterlife."

Uryū merely nodded. Ryūken nodded in return, then turned and walked away. Suddenly remembering that Ichigo had been there before Ryūken had interrupted, Uryū spun around and prepared to recover his composure. "It seems, Kurosaki…"

But Ichigo was gone. _He's probably just hiding. Not an issue, I'll just sense him… Damn it, I can't find him! What the hell? He's not that good at controlling his reiryoku! _A vein on Uryū's forehead throbbed and the Quincy's left hand shook with irritation. "Damn you, Kurosaki…" He flashed away with Hirenkyaku.

Ichigo didn't move from his hiding spot within the thick foliage of a nearby tree. _Well, it seems that issue's resolved. Ishida's back in the fight. _He nodded to himself. _That's good. I hope he finds a way to make his arrows purify, rather than destroy. _He got up and took to the air, heading to Urahara's. _Time to do my part. _

A few minutes later, Ichigo arrived at the shopkeeper's. He reached out to knock, but the door opened before he could. "Come in, Ichigo-kun," Urahara invited.

The Vizard entered, and his attention was immediately caught by Tessai and Hachi standing together, looking at him with expressions that made shivers crawl down Ichigo's spine. _I think I'm in trouble. _

"You should feel honored, Ichigo-kun," Urahara commented easily. "Not many people have the privilege to be tutored by the taicho and fukutaicho of the Kidō Corps."

Ichigo swallowed. _Oh yeah, I'm in trouble. I'm going to be in a lot of pain, aren't I?_

_**Looks like.**_

* * *

The school bell rang, and Inoue glanced around. Ichigo hadn't arrived. She sighed. _Kurosaki-kun is probably training again. _

Ms. Ochi stood in front of the class, a sorrowful look in her eyes. "Attention, please. It seems that Kurosaki Ichigo was shot yesterday, and there were complications in removing the bullet. As a result, he is bedridden and unable to attend class for the time being. He is being cared for by his father and sisters at the Kurosaki clinic, but they have requested only Ichigo's close friends visit."

As one, all eyes turned to Chad. Someone had eavesdropped on the conversation Chad and Ichigo had had with Ms. Ochi upon their return to school, and the story that Ichigo had saved Chad from some gang had spread like wildfire. So, naturally, everyone now thought that Ichigo had been shot in retaliation.

Chad's expression didn't change. "I will be visiting him today after class," he announced. "I will pass on your well-wishes."

Inoue sighed again. _Definitely training again. Poor Kurosaki-kun… he doesn't get a break. _

"Oi… Orihime," Tatsuki whispered. "Is he… you know… _working_?"

"Yes," the redhead confirmed, noting that Keigo and Mizuiro were listening in as well.

"What can we do to help?" Keigo asked.

Inoue was taken aback by the question. "I'm… not sure how you can, actually," she admitted, turning to Chad for help.

The giant of a man shook his head. "Sorry."

The three of them hung their heads. "I hate this," Tatsuki swore quietly.

"Being so powerless?" Mizuiro muttered under his breath.

"Yes!" the martial artist confirmed emphatically.

Chad and Inoue exchanged significant glances. Urahara had told them and Ishida the new location of the Hōgyoku after they had nearly panicked about it shortly following Aizen's demise. At the same time, he had entrusted them with the knowledge of the truth about the Hōgyoku's powers, and shared his theory that it was the reason they had developed their powers so quickly.

**Flashback**

"_Sado-san, Inoue-san, I believe your powers were born from a number of factors," Urahara explained. "You have each been attacked by Hollows and survived, which gave your souls the potential. You spent quite some time with Ichigo-kun regularly especially after he was given Shinigami powers, developing your spiritual awareness. You each cursed being powerless to protect those around you. And those heartfelt desires interacted with the Hōgyoku that I had implanted into Kuchiki Rukia's gigai, allowing you to seemingly spontaneously sprout your powers."_

"_But why are you telling us this?" Ishida asked pointedly. _

"_Ichigo-kun… has a lot on his plate," Urahara admitted. "I want you to keep an eye out for those who show signs of following in your footsteps."_

"_Why?" Chad questioned suspiciously. _

"_Not to force powers on them!" the shopkeeper denied quickly. "To keep track of them. They will attract Hollows. And they will probably, at some point, gain powers of their own with or without my help. It would be a lot easier on them, and us, if we were prepared for it." _

**End Flashback**

Inoue was beginning to feel more worried than before – she didn't want Tatsuki and the others involved; it was dangerous, more dangerous than when she'd gotten herself involved. _And this time we don't have the grace period for them to get comfortable with their powers, _she fretted. _Hell itself is going to invade! _

Chad, too, quietly worried. _Am I strong enough to help Ichigo? _Memories of his defeat at the hands of Ulquiorra ran through his mind. _No… no, I'm not. I need to get stronger! But… how? _He looked at his hands. _My left arm holds my enjoyment of battle. My right holds my will to protect. I don't think they can evolve any further right now. So, what other emotion do I take strength in? _

Chad reached up and gently grabbed the special coin he wore on a necklace every day. It was the old Mexican coin, the coin his Abuelo had given to him. That coin had become a symbol of the promise he'd given his Abuelo – to use his strength to protect.

Chad rubbed the coin mindlessly, but suddenly stopped, realizing his answer. _Promises. I have pride in my word. I promised Abuelo I would fight to protect. I promised Ichigo I would have his back, and he mine. _He closed his eyes. There was a special emotion he associated with those promises, those promises that would last a lifetime. It was the feeling that no matter what happened, he absolutely HAD to keep those promises, or else lose himself.

Chad knew in his heart what the word for that emotion was. _Duty._

* * *

And that's a wrap. _  
_

Uryu called his dad by his first name because that's what he does in canon. I screwed up earlier in my fic when I had Uryu call him Tou-san. That will be fixed. Eventually.

But Ryuken released him from his vow! So we get to see some nice Quincy pwnage. I'm visualizing Uryu as a sniper standing on a tall rooftop, bow in hand. Portal to Hell opens, Uryu lines up the shot and BOOM! Headshot. "Next."

And Chad is learning how to extend his powers more. I even have a good name picked out for it.

I may or may not give Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro powers. We'll see.

Now for the spoiler discussion!

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I... don't really have anything to say about the latest canon updates. I'm annoyed at Ichigo for getting his ass trapped, and interested in the insight into the Quincy techniques. Defensive and Offensive Blut?

I'm glad that Urahara is making himself useful and actually proving his ability as a scientist/researcher/analyst person. Ichigo could really use some help from restored-form Nelliel, in full Resurreccion, right about now. Maybe a Gran Rey Cero? C'mon Inoue, HEAL HER! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! Or use Tsubaki and cut through the barriers holding Ichigo back! SOMETHING.

Anyway, that's it for now. Ciao!

NeoRyu777


	53. Uncomfortable Knowledge

This one has fought me a lot lately. But I can't work out how to comfortably make it longer, so I'm afraid you'll have to settle for a shorter chapter.

First up, as always, are review replies.

Toad Sage 13 - You're quite insightful. But I'm not saying just yet.

Sage of wind Dragons - I have not forgotten what Hollows are. Ichigo became King of Hueco Mundo out of necessity, not out of personal desire. Aizen is not in Hell - his soul is currently being recycled back into living world.

Writing bunny - _**Cazador de la Luna. **Ichigo. Zangetsu._

AskoII - Thanks for joining us! I'm fairly certain that Zangetsu's still there, but Kubo doesn't tend to focus on Ichigo's interactions with his inner spirits unless it's a plot point, unfortunately. As for canon's Hollow Ichigo, I'm of mixed minds. I'm leaning towards Hollow Ichigo not being there, unfortunately. Otherwise Ichigo would have already drawn his mask and went "fuck this" towards the cage he's currently in.

AnimeGoodBookFan - Thank you for reading! And yes, I happen to like suspense.

HyouRyuu - I suggest mangastream or mangareader. That's where I get mine.

There are no new terms this week, so let's get to it!

* * *

Chapter 53: Uncomfortable Knowledge

Ichigo collapsed to the floor of Urahara's basement, breathing hard. He felt mentally and physically exhausted. "You two are sadists!"

"Sadistic or not, you must learn this as quickly as possible!" Tessai boomed.

"To be fair, though, he has made good progress today," Hachi told his former taicho.

Ichigo barely heard him over his own panting. They'd begun by teaching Bakudō 4: Hainawa, a simple but versatile spell.

**Flashback**

"_It is one of the precursors to a number of Bakudō, such as Bakudō 9: Hōrin, and the far more powerful Bakudō 63: Sajō Sabaku," Tessai explained. "All of these spells share the common traits of having ropes of energy binding the target. Hainawa, however, can be used in as many ways as you can imagine a rope being used."_

"_Consider for a moment that you need to grab someone and pull them out of the way of an incoming attack," Hachi continued. "Hainawa can lasso them without disabling their ability to attack. Or perhaps you need a trigger for a Kidō trap? Make the Hainawa small enough, thin enough, and it can be used as a tripwire."_

_Ichigo had mostly figured out how to generate the rope of energy, but was still having some trouble with directing it when suddenly Tessai had wordlessly fired a Sōkatsui at him, forcing him to leap up and dodge. "What the hell?!"_

"_I will stop only when you successfully bind my arms to my side, Ichigo!" Tessai swore. "Hachigen, bind him if he attempts to use Zangetsu or attack me physically."_

"_Hai, taicho."_

**End Flashback**

_That was five hours ago! _Ichigo thought disbelievingly. He watched Tessai break the ropes of his spell effortlessly, and his frown deepened into a scowl.

"Your spell is still substandard," Tessai judged. "The ropes are not tight enough, nor are there as much of it as there should be." He began to walk to the ladder leading up to the shop. "It is time for lunch. We shall continue afterward."

Ichigo let out a groan, but trudged up to follow, glad that the Vizard-turned-Arrancar had apparently returned to their hideout to continue their training, leaving Ichigo's humiliation to be relatively private. He hoped so anyway; Tōsen had vanished overnight, but there was always a chance he was still somewhere in the training area in some secluded corner, meditating. _I'm a transcended Vizard. The first ever to achieve Resurrección. The youngest to ever reach Bankai. I am more in tune with my soul than most could ever dream. I have taken on taicho of Soul Society and won, I am the King of Hueco Mundo, I have delved into Hell itself and returned alive! _

_**And yet you got your ass kicked by an old man slinging Kidō at you, **_Cazador finished. _**Well, better you than me!**_

_Shut it. I'm learning it faster than you would, at least. _

_**Meh, if it wasn't for the fact that old man Hell can't be killed, I wouldn't bother with spells. All I need is Cero and Getsuga Tenshō. **_

_You should not be so quick to dismiss the power of Kidō, _Zangetsu criticized. _It is always beneficial to have versatility. A wide variety of abilities can help in a large variety of situations. How many times would it have been helpful to be able to bind an opponent in place? _

_Ulquiorra, _Ichigo immediately responded. _Speedy bastard, difficult to get in close and personal with his javelins and Cero Oscuras. If I could've bound him in place, or at least bound his arms for a few seconds, we could've finished that fight so much faster. _

_**Aizen, **_Cazador retorted. _**You would've been able to help the others bind him so he could be taken alive. **_

Ichigo fell silent. Instead of responding, he focused and sealed Zangetsu's Shikai, effectively cutting off the conversation.

In Ichigo's Inner World, Cazador looked at Zangetsu, a light drizzle now beginning to fall upon them both from out of nowhere. "Something I said?"

Zangetsu merely gave the Arrancar a piercing glare, and then he jumped away to a different flagpole.

"Hey! What'd I say?"

* * *

Hitsugaya, Renji and Rukia quietly finished having lunch at Inoue's home, where she had graciously offered to let them stay for the time being. "How is your training coming along?" Hitsugaya asked curiously.

The childhood friends glanced at each other. "Rukia's got manifestation," Renji told him. "We practiced this morning in a place a little too warm for Sode no Shirayuki, and Rukia got her materialized for a short time."

"Renji's control is improving nicely," Rukia admitted. "A large part of the problem behind Renji learning Kidō was that his control over his own reiryoku wasn't sufficient to go beyond the low-30s level Hadō. We're working on that first through a technique I developed."

Hitsugaya looked at her interestedly. "Really? What technique is this?"

"I cast the Kidō using both my power and the power that he naturally emanates, stabilize it, then slowly let him take control over it and maintain," Rukia explained. "It requires a lot of trust, though."

Hitsugaya's eyes went wide. "You can directly manipulate the reiryoku in the air?" he breathed.

"Yes, why?" Rukia asked. "Is that unusual?"

"Most can only impose their own will upon their reiryoku before releasing it as reiatsu or as a Kidō!" Hitsugaya replied, his voice a little higher than normal. "Kuchiki-san, have you not thought of the implications? You are using the energy around you, not just inside you! Can you do this consistently? Try to draw on the power I release into the air."

Rukia's face took on an expression of determination, and she extended her awareness, gathering her focus. Taking some of the icy reiatsu that she recognized as that of Hitsugaya-taicho, she gathered and shaped it with some of her own power, forming a small but perfect Hadō 31: Shakkahō. "That wasn't as easy as with Renji's, but then again your power is like mine: tinted with cold," Rukia murmured.

Hitsugaya reached out and felt the spell with his own spiritual sense. Sure enough, his own power was there, swirling and stable. "Kuchiki-san, you must swear to me never to abuse this ability," he said suddenly. "Hide it from everyone, especially Kurotsuchi!"

"What? Why?"

"You are casting spells, using the power in the air! You are actively changing the way someone else's power is utilized! _Just like a Quincy!_" Hitsugaya hissed.

Rukia's concentration failed entirely at the statement, and the Kidō imploded on itself, lightly scorching her hair. "Like a Quincy?" she repeated, dumbstruck.

"But, how can that be?" Renji demanded.

"I don't know." Hitsugaya nodded, calming slightly as he saw they understood the situation. "How long have you been able to do that?"

Rukia shook her head slowly. "I… hadn't really tried until yesterday. It was just a thought I'd had – if I can sense it, why can't I work with it? I just wanted to help Renji…"

Hitsugaya shook his head, still trying to gather his composure from the shock of being informed of Rukia's ability. "That ability will no doubt prove extremely useful to you," he muttered. "Kuchiki-san, while this ability has several implications, you _must _keep it secret! Can you imagine what would happen if Yamamoto-sōtaicho found out? You could commit crimes and pin them on someone else by their reiatsu! He'd have you locked up for the integrity of Soul Society! Or allow Kurotsuchi to experiment on you to determine how it was done! And THEN what do you think would happen?"

Rukia's face went white. "Ichigo…"

Renji paled too, understanding exactly what was being left unsaid.

Hitsugaya nodded solidly. "Ichigo. Soul Society must not be informed, for as long as possible. Keep your experimentation to a minimum until the Hell crisis is over and you can practice in private." Rukia quickly nodded her assent. "Good. Continue your work on Bankai. If we're lucky, if you're discovered you can pass it off as an ability your Bankai gave you…" he began muttering to himself, growing quickly inaudible before shaking his head. "Right. I'll stay on the lookout for any incursions from Hell – you two, make sure you don't exhaust yourselves with your training."

"Hai," Renji agreed. "C'mon, Rukia. Let's get going."

His best friend followed silently, her mind still reeling from the revelations. _Like a Quincy? s_he echoed mentally.

* * *

Chad silently ate his meal with the rest of the spiritually-aware members of his class, but his mind was completely elsewhere. _Will it work? _He hadn't been able to focus on class since his revelation regarding his feelings of duty, and the coin he carried with him always. It felt like his power was just itching to release itself, and Chad could hardly keep himself from running to find a secluded spot in the woods to try it. _What would it look like? _

"Sado-kun…!"

Distractedly, Chad realized he was being addressed. "Sorry, Inoue. What were you saying?"

"Are you ok, Sado-kun?" the redhead asked concernedly.

"I am alright." Chad didn't want to share his thoughts about unlocking another power… not until he had tested it. If it didn't work, he didn't want their sympathy. If it did… _We'll see. _"I am merely thinking about the situation with Hell."

Keigo nodded fervently. "That's what we're discussing! What happens if they were to come out, like, now?"

Suddenly, a wave of evil-feeling reiatsu rushed over them, causing them to shiver as one. Tatsuki smacked Keigo upside the head. "Damn you, Keigo! You had to jinx us!"

Mizuiro sighed despondently. "You really should know better."

Ishida, Chad and Inoue were already standing and gathering their power, reaching out their senses to find the source of the intrusion. "Found it!" Ishida muttered. "Feels like… two or three of them. Probably a scouting party."

Chad grunted acknowledgment – he could sense the general location as well. "Let's go." He hefted Inoue under one arm, prompting a startled squeak, before he and Ishida took off using their high-speed techniques towards the forest.

They quickly approached a forested area that Ishida recognized . _This is where I met Ichigo this morning. That must be significant. Did Ichigo have some clue? Or are they after him specifically?_ He tore himself away from his speculations as he spotted the intruders.

There were in fact two of them, and they both appeared to be quite human – they did not appear to have Hollow holes at all, but their reiatsu was definitely not that of Shinigami or of a living soul. The first was medium height, about five and a half feet tall, and almost completely covered in concealing rags of dull grays and browns. Even the person's hair was covered – only jade green eyes were visible. It was difficult to tell, but Ishida had a hunch that this person was female; there was something about the way she stood. Around each of her forearms, there was a chain that reached down to her hands. _So, those are the chains of Hell, _Ishida mused, before moving on.

The second was a tall, barefoot, painfully thin man whose cheeks had sunken. His skin was almost translucent, and his light brown hair thin and coming out in spots. Ishida's eyes narrowed as he realized that this man had obviously been starved for some time now. The man's hands twitched, and the clanking of metal rings drew Ishida's attention for a split second – the chains were tightly wrapped around the man's fingers, palm and thumb before reaching back and attaching to his elbows. For a brief moment, Ishida's mind froze with the implications. _He literally can't pick up or hold anything. He can't unwrap the chains from his hands. Even if he finds food or water, he has little way to hold it to his mouth to eat. What a terrible punishment. Eternal starvation, endless thirst. _

_But what are they after? _Ishida signaled Chad to follow him, and the silent man did as bid. The three of them landed quietly nearby, but out of sight.

"What do we need to do again?" the man asked, his voice dry and scratchy.

"Idiot, I've told you several times now!" the shorter of the two responded irritably. Ishida's suspicions were confirmed – judging from the voice, it was definitely female.

"It's not my fault! Hell promised to loosen the chains a bit so I can finally have a drink and something to eat without having the Kushanāda try to eat me… it's been so long, Hana…"

"Get your mind off it, Kieru," the newly identified Hana suggested, her tone a little softer. "I know it's hard to focus, but the sooner we finish the sooner you'll get a drink. All we have to do is kidnap a couple of humans and get some information."

Kieru sniffed the air. "There are a few humans right over there," he said quickly, his voice taking on an excited quality as he pointed directly at Ishida's, Chad's and Inoue's hiding place. "We can use them!"

"What?" Hana spun around, seeing the three empowered humans clamber out and get ready, their cover blown. "Well. Your luck's turning up, Kieru. Alright you three, feel like answering a question or two?"

In response, Ishida summoned his bow and Chad activated his right arm, quickly putting Inoue behind them. "Not particularly," Ishida answered coolly.

"Don't be like that," Kieru pleaded.

"How about a trade?" Hana offered. "A question for a question. Ask us whatever you like, and then we'll ask you something."

"I don't like it," Chad murmured just loud enough for his companions to hear.

"I know. But this could give us valuable information, if we ask the right question," Ishida muttered back, not taking his eyes off the Togabito. "Fine. Give us a minute to consider what question to ask."

Hana waved a cloth-covered hand at them regally. "Take your time. It's nice to be out of Hell."

The three of them turned towards each other and lowered their voices so as not to be heard. "What do you think, Ishida-kun?" Inoue asked quietly. "I'd want to know what Hell's up to."

"It's not likely that they'd know much," the Quincy countered with a shake of his head. "However, they might know the consequences of what would happen if the chains are broken."

"I disagree," Chad rumbled quietly. "But we could ask if one of them would come with us to Ichigo so we can test the theory."

Inoue and Ishida glanced at each other, then nodded. The chains tied everything together, metaphorically speaking. If breaking the chains freed the Togabito from Hell, that meant one less fighter he could send at them. If doing so killed the Togabito, however… _we'd need to find an alternative way to free Masaki and Yuzu, _Ishida thought grimly. _But it's better to know now so we can find that knowledge. _

"Alright," Inoue agreed. "But what if they agree, but then ask something that we really shouldn't answer?"

Ishida paused to contemplate. "A stalemate. If they agree, they can ask us anything they like. But if we answer first, there's little to keep them from breaking their word and fleeing with the knowledge." He eyed Inoue speculatively. "Or… perhaps not. Inoue, do you remember how you used Sōten Kisshun as a binding technique back in Hueco Mundo?"

Inoue nodded, and then her expression reflected understanding as she quietly snapped her fingers. "Ah! If they try to run, hold them?"

"Right. If it's too much to get both, just take one, alright?" Ishida clarified. Inoue gave a sharp nod of assent. Then the three turned back to the Togabito who were waiting, and Ishida cleared his throat. "If you don't mind, we'd rather answer your question before we make our request. That way if you ask us something we can't answer, we can decline our deal without any bad faith."

"Fine, fine," Hana acceded airily. "Our question is simply this: who are the rulers of the living world at this time?"

Chad blinked. That was not what he had expected. He glanced at Inoue, who seemed just as bewildered. Ishida, however, narrowed his eyes slightly in understanding. "I see. Your answer will require some research, unless you'd like to clarify the question. Simply put, the living world is made up of several independent governments, each with an official ruler or group of rulers," the Quincy began. "The right to rule for some companies change very frequently. I cannot be sure of who is currently in charge of every country. It is a very large world."

Hana shook her head. "How vague. Let me put it another way. Hell's dimension can only connect to the living world for any length of time at points of very large spiritual concentrations. During Hell's first rise, those locations traditionally also house the strongest who dwell in the living world, who are naturally in charge. So my question, then, is who are the strongest?"

"I would have to say that Kurosaki Ichigo, Shihoin Yoruichi, and Urahara Kisuke are the strongest at this time," Ishida replied after a few moments. "There may be others, but I have not had opportunity to see them."

"Is that enough?" Kieru asked his companion almost desperately.

"Yeah, it's good enough," Hana agreed. "Now, what's your question?"

"It's more a request," Ishida replied calmly. "We want at least one of you to follow us to Kurosaki Ichigo. We wish to find out what happens if your chains are broken."

Kieru and Hana both snapped their full attention to the Quincy. "We can be free?" Kieru whispered disbelievingly.

"Shut up!" Hana barked. "We have tried to rid ourselves of these chains for longer than you've been alive. How do you know that he can do it?"

"He has before," Chad informed them. "During a fight against Togabito who held his family hostage. But he did not get all the chains, so we are still uncertain of the consequences."

Hana and Kieru looked at each other and then spoke quietly, turned around so that no one could read their lips. But Ishida was certain he heard the word "spirit" and "before", closely followed by "Hell" and "seal."

After a couple of minutes, Kieru appeared to sigh, and nod his head wearily. "I am sorry, humans. While we would like to, we cannot."

"Why not?" Inoue blurted. "Surely you want to be free?"

"Of course we do!" Hana replied in an acidic tone. "There are two big problems. First, the chains are bound to Hell. Their strength is directly proportionate to his. And now that he has been resurrected, the chains are exponentially stronger. Maybe Kurosaki Ichigo can break them. But if he can't, and Hell finds out, what do you think will happen to us?"

"And second," Kieru muttered sadly, "even if our chains are broken, what is there for us? Life? We are dead! Soul Society? We are Togabito, we would be outcasts, or executed outright for our sins. Hueco Mundo?"

"How long until some Vasto Lorde decides to try to snack on us to find out if we give them extra powers?" Hana finished bitterly. "No, humans. The only thing left to us if our chains are ever broken, is death."

Ishida's eyes narrowed. "You're saying that severing the chains would leave you alive, so to speak?"

"Sure," Hana agreed, her tone still sour. "Why do you want to know?"

"Ichigo's family… died in Hell while they were kidnapped," Chad uttered heavily. "But before they could be resurrected as Togabito, they were retrieved and brought to the living world. They seem to be in some sort of in between state. Ichigo's sister was a living human before being kidnapped, and her soul is still in her body. His mother, already being dead, is not decomposing."

"We want to save them," Inoue told the Togabito earnestly. "But we don't know how."

Hana made a small noise as though she were about to say something, but her voice died almost as soon as it reached her lips. After another moment, she tried again. "Huh. And here I thought I knew everything about these damned chains. I really don't know. If you cut the chains now, though, I'd guess that they'd die for good then. But the chains haven't been put on a living human before to my knowledge. Anything could happen there. Their best bet though is to return to Hell, come back to life, and then have the chains cut."

Without warning, Kieru's stomach growled loudly enough to make everyone stare at him. "Hana…" he pleaded.

"Fine, fine. Off we go." She opened an eye-shaped portal back to Hell with a wave of her hand, and Kieru jumped through without a moment's thought. Hana turned back though, and Ishida could swear in her eyes he could see… _Sympathy? Pity? _But then the moment was gone. "Tell Kurosaki Ichigo that he needs to prepare himself. The invasion is coming, and Hell was _very_ interested in his soul." And then she stepped through the portal, and was gone.

Ishida frowned contemplatively. "There's something not right about them," he murmured.

"They are Togabito," Chad reminded him.

"No. Well, yes, that's true, but there is something more," the Quincy clarified. "Hell only rose recently. But the woman… Hana…" He trailed off, lost in thought.

"What about her?" Inoue asked quietly.

"Remember, she explained what was meant by the question 'who is the strongest'. She talked about Hell's first rise as though she'd been there," he stated heavily. "That has troubling indications. The most likely possibility, in my opinion, is that she is one of Hell's lieutenants, and was somehow sealed during or shortly after his defeat."

"Are you sure? She seemed nice," Inoue questioned. "Didn't fight us or anything, gave us all the information we wanted, even wanted to warn Kurosaki-kun."

"Unfortunately, Inoue… sometimes the nicest people can be the worst opponents. Take yourself for instance."

"Huh?" Inoue glanced at herself confusedly. "What do you mean?"

"Inoue, you are a wonderful person," Ishida told her sincerely. "But your powers are downright terrifying. Chad, can you imagine what would happen if Inoue ever turned evil?"

Chad visibly shuddered, and said nothing.

"But…!" Inoue clearly didn't understand. "But I'd never turn evil!"

"And I'm glad for that," Ishida told her quietly. "Let's get out of here; Urahara and Kurosaki will want to know what we've found out. Kurosaki especially."

A few seconds later, there was no trace that anyone had been there at all.

* * *

Like I said, much shorter than usual. But I couldn't work out how to extend it without it feeling forced.

Ichigo is training in Bakudo, and as he expected, it's not going well. But who saw the revelation about Rukia coming? Heh heh.  
So far, only Hollows and the Quincy have been illustrated as capable of directly taking in and utilizing spiritual power in the air around them. Small Hollows use it for sustenance, even. So why can Rukia do it too?

Gotta love how everyone knows that the instant something happens to one of Ichigo's friends and family, everything and everyone is doomed. Could be how Ichigo unwittingly unleashed Hell. Who knows?

So, I've introduced two OCs. Tell me what you think of them! I'm not one hundred percent happy with the meeting, but it's been fighting me for a while now and I feel the need to move on.

Had a burst of inspiration! ... for a few scenes that are several chapters away, damn it. That's been happening a lot lately. But I can tell you that I feel damn proud of the twists I have planned.

And now, for the spoiler rant!

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... Wait, Byakuya's dead? Wait, wait wait. That's...! I don't even like the guy, but really, they took him down like THAT? Byakuya didn't even put up a decent Kido fight? We all know he's damn good at it! WHAT THE HELL?

And of course Kenpachi come in like a Big Damn Hero. "Keh. See, THIS is why you need to be strong WITHOUT your fancy swords. So that when someone comes along who can turn 'em against ya, you can kick their ass anyway." But I'll tell you now, I'm looking forward to watching the smackdown.

That's all I really feel like saying right now. Can't wait for next week.

Ciao for now!

NeoRyu777


	54. Parallels and Pity

Hey all, me again. I know, faster update than usual, ne?

Well, life is ever-changing, and wow, is mine just whipping me around. Got a new job, starting in a couple of days, and I think my nervousness manifested into inspiration.

Anyway, as usual are review replies.

A number of people conjectured the source of Rukia's Quincy-like powers had something to do with the Hogyoku. Others suggested she was a Quincy before she died. I'm not saying just yet. :)

Malix2 - The Quincy take in reishi, generally. But as the bleach wiki says, "to a sufficiently powerful Quincy, there is no different between spiritual particles (reishi) and spiritual energy (reiryoku) as a source of power."

Akuma-Heika - You may recall that in my fic it was Ishida who killed the Three Beasts. Souls destroyed, won't come back. Sorry.

That's it for now. Tired, and packing up - this is my last night at my current position. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 54: Parallels and Pity

Ichigo lay on his back in bed, absently staring up at the ceiling as he tried to process and wind down from his day. _It's been a long day, _he thought wearily, letting out a small sigh. It was late at night by the time he'd stopped training with the Kidō masters, though he'd taken a break for dinner with his family. Per the arrangement with his father and Urahara, Ichigo was now staying in one of the spare rooms in Urahara's shop. His body was still at home, housing Kon for the time being so it wouldn't deteriorate.

**Flashback**

_After dinner, Ichigo had headed upstairs to his room, looking for Kon. "Kon, there's something I need you to do," the Vizard called out. No one responded. Frowning, Ichigo strained his ears and stretched out his reiatsu sense. Kon was nearby… and then he heard a muffled sob. _

_Ichigo's face softened as he silently exited his bedroom and went into Yuzu's room. Sure enough, Kon was quietly crying on Yuzu's bed, clutching something in his paws. Coming closer, Ichigo could see that it was the outfit that Yuzu kept putting Kon in every time she found her 'Bostov.' _

"_Yuzu-chan…" Kon whispered hoarsely. _

_Ichigo immediately felt guilty. He had his father, and Karin, to talk to and grieve with. He had Urahara, the Vizard and his closest friends to plan and train with. He had Zangetsu and Cazador de la Luna to understand him completely and totally. _

_But Kon… Kon had no one. He was one of the last Mod-Souls alive, his existence kept secret. He had no friends. No family. No wise and knowing Zanpakutō, no snarky and impatient Hollow spirit. Yuzu, who played with him, who dressed him up and talked to him despite not knowing of his sentience until recently, was probably the most precious person in Kon's life. _

_Ichigo sat down on the bed next to Kon. Startled, the Mod-Soul glanced up at Ichigo with teary eyes. Ichigo was never quite certain how he was able to cry, since he inhabited the body of a stuffed lion, and so shouldn't have tear ducts at all… But it was probably for the same reason that Kon could make that body move when it had no muscles – spiritual power had strange effects on mortal objects. _

"_Hey," the Substitute Shinigami said softly. _

_Kon quickly shoved the outfit behind his back and wiped his eyes with the back of his paw. "Ichigo… is Yuzu-chan going to be ok?" _

"_I don't know," Ichigo admitted. "But I'm going to do everything in my power to bring her back."_

_Kon's eyes hardened in a way that Ichigo recognized well. "I want to help. Tell me what to do, Ichigo." _

_Ichigo opened his mouth, ready to give him his regular duty of watching Ichigo's body… but then he remembered his previous thoughts. "Kon… you're a Mod-Soul. Your power gives you enormous leg strength, right?" _

"_Yeah. What are you thinking?"_

"_I'm going to give you the most important task I can think of," Ichigo told him. "I'm giving you my body, long-term. I want you to use it to protect everyone here however you see fit."_

_Kon nodded sharply. "I can do that. But won't that get us in trouble with Soul Society, if someone finds out I'm a Mod-Soul?" _

_Now it was Ichigo's eyes that turned steely. "You're protecting my family, Kon. And more than that, you're an innocent being. If they make an issue of it, I'll protect you." _

_Kon could only nod again, as what passed for his throat had closed up on him. _

_**End Flashback**_

Ichigo nodded to himself, knowing he'd made a good decision there. His home was secure. And so too were a number of highly populated places in Karakura. _The hospital, Ishida's dad. The Kurosaki clinic, my dad and Kon. The school, my friends. _Those were three of the five most spiritually concentrated areas in Karakura, for varying reasons. The other two were the Vizard warehouse and Urahara's shop, both of which were very well protected.

Ishida had told him that Hell could only connect for any length of time at areas with high spiritual power, according to the Togabito he'd encountered earlier that day. While Ichigo had initially worried that that could mean the entirely of Karakura due to its status as the jūreichi, Urahara had told him that it was unlikely, and that in any case they'd likely target a place of high spiritual energy so as to quickly behead any resistance. That also matched up with what Ishida had reported as well; Hana had asked who was the strongest and had followed it up with associating them with places of high spiritual power.

_**It sounds like you've got all your bases covered, **_Cazador observed.

_Yeah, but playing defense won't get us anywhere, _Ichigo pointed out. _Endless army, remember? _

_I disagree. 'Playing defense', as you put it, gives you the time to develop your skill with Bakudō so we can implement a more permanent solution. Unless the Spirit King intervenes again, our strongest chance lies in us being able to seal Hell. _

_I hope the Spirit King does come and help, _Ichigo admitted. _I'm tired of having it all come down to me. _

Both Zangetsu and Cazador fell silent at the admission, knowing that the Vizard had every right to feel that way. It had come down to Ichigo to defeat Kenpachi and Byakuya and save Rukia. It had come down to Ichigo, with Byakuya's help, to defeat Kariya to save Soul Society. It had come down to Ichigo to defeat Aizen and save Karakura. It had come down to Ichigo to go back to Hueco Mundo and assert his strength to prevent a Hollow civil war that would inevitably spill into Karakura. It had come down to Ichigo to make a team and dive into Hell itself to save his mother and sisters. And it felt like it was coming down to Ichigo to single-handedly save the Kasumiōji heiress from assassins, in addition to being the one with the best chance to defeat Hell permanently.

Ichigo felt so very tired. Bone-weary no longer sounded strong enough to describe his sense of exhaustion, but there was still the threat of Hell over his head. There was no way to know when Hell's forces would invade. _At least with Aizen we had a general idea of when he'd attack, since he was waiting for the Hōgyoku to fully awaken. But Hell? _Ichigo shifted onto his side._ When this is all over, I'm tempted to retire. _

Cazador laughed darkly. _**You really think you can, Ichigo? You're in too deep to back out now. You are the King of Hueco Mundo, meaning that if you grow weak for any reason, Hollows are bound to attack you to claim your throne. You're a transcendent Vizard, which means that at least a few of Soul Society's big powers are scared of you. You let up your guard and you're likely to get a Zanpakutō in the back. If you want to run anywhere, you leave your family exposed, and it's already been proven people will use them against you. Your only choice is to keep getting stronger until no one dares to fuck with you! **_

Ichigo sighed, not bothering to remind his Inner Hollow about their plans to eventually create a world, a small paradise for his family to stay safe in. But then, a strange thought occurred to him. _I wonder… is that what happened to Yamamoto? _Ichigo mused.

_**What?**_

_Yamamoto. He's by far the strongest pure Shinigami alive. Stronger in Shikai than all of the Bankai we've seen from the other taicho. How many life or death situations must he have gone through to reach that power? _Ichigo shook his head. _Are we merely repeating his footsteps? Growing stronger, more skilled, in every struggle, until it's obvious that taking us on is suicide? Did he have a family that was used against him?_

_If your paths are similar, Ichigo, then what of it? Your situation remains the same. _

Ichigo frowned, trying to figure out how to explain how he felt. _I guess I just want to understand his point of view. Try to establish some common ground. _

His mind wandered back to the confrontation between himself and Yamamoto in front of the Berean mansion, remembering the chasm he'd created between himself and Yamamoto.

_"__I tried diplomacy, you old bastard! I BEGGED YOU, I GOT ON MY KNEES AND BEGGED! I PROSTRATED myself to you when I have done so to NO ONE! I would have done anything, ANYTHING, and you STILL would not help me save my family, you heartless old man!"_

_"So forgive me if I am a bit less than charitable, since I've met Hollows with more heart than you, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni!"_

There was a moment of silence, then Cazador spoke up with as dry a tone as Ichigo had ever heard. _**Eh, Ichigo… I'm not sure you can come back from that one. I can come up with some pretty epic insults, but I admit I'm having a hard time topping that one. Calling the old man worse than a Hollow? **_

Ichigo's face reflected the seriousness in his thoughts. _I meant every word. But while I'll probably never trust him again, I don't want him as an enemy either. _

Cazador and Zangetsu both fell silent – there really wasn't much more that could be said to that.

* * *

A dimension away, the subject of Ichigo's thoughts banged his cane against the floor, the sound echoing in the Hall of Taicho. "Welcome to our ranks, Amagai Shūsuke," Yamamoto declared. "Take your position as taicho of the 5th Division."

Amagai, a tall, messy-haired Shinigami with a slightly unkempt look about him rose from his position kneeling in front of the sōtaicho and stood between Gin and Komamura, filling the void where Aizen had once stood. "Thank you, sōtaicho."

"Amagai-taicho, are you aware of the current situation with Hell?"

"Yes, sōtaicho," the new captain answered promptly. "As soon as Soifon-taicho heard the news, she took it upon herself to bring me up to date."

"Excellent. As you are no doubt aware, there has been no taicho for the 5th Division for quite some time, and your fukutaicho, Hinamori Momo, has had difficulty running the division due largely to her needing time to recover from Aizen, twice," Yamamoto reminded. "Your official duty is to restore order to the Division and train them to be able to fight the Togabito."

Yamamoto's eyes opened slightly. "However, you also have an additional charge. You will select an elite team of Shinigami from your Division that you will train personally for the following task: to capture a Togabito by any means necessary, and detain it for study by the 12th Division. You will be working closely with Kurotsuchi-taicho to field test any technology or Kidō developed for this purpose. Under no circumstances is word of this to spread. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sōtaicho," Amagai affirmed. "Sir, Soifon alerted me that Kurosaki Masaki and Kurosaki Yuzu have been infected by Hell's chains and are being studied by Urahara. Are we not duplicating work?"

"His line of research differs from my own," Kurotsuchi answered with a frown. "He seeks a way to remove the Hell-binding chains, preferably without killing the soul they are attached to. While potentially useful should any of our own become Togabito, my research focuses more on the immediate necessities. Namely, to determine the nature of the binding that allows the Togabito to resurrect in Hell despite the 'death' of the soul, and find ways to destroy that binding. While our research may overlap, they are still quite distinct."

"Ah, I see…"

Yamamoto pounded his staff into the ground twice, the sound echoing throughout the chamber. "I must inform you all that Kurosaki Ichigo has retaken control from his Hollow side. Urahara Kisuke has informed me that Kurosaki wishes to speak with Kuchiki-taicho regarding noble matters, but due to threat of Hell, Kurosaki has elected to remain in the living world for the time being."

"Hai." Byakuya inclined his head almost imperceptibly. "I will keep you informed, sōtaicho."

Yamamoto nodded regally. "Kyōraku-taicho, Ukitake-taicho, Kuchiki-taicho. Have you found any information regarding the method the Spirit King used to shatter Hell's soul?"

"Not as yet, sōtaicho," Ukitake replied with a slightly downcast expression. "Although it is too soon to say for certain, I believe that the knowledge of how to do so was deemed so dangerous that it was never recorded. Even so, we will continue our search. There may be some hints in other forbidden tomes… we will enlist more assistance from the Berean if needed."

"Very well. Zaraki-taicho, how goes Madarame Ikkaku's training?"

"Eh, not bad," Kenpachi replied with a shrug. "He can keep his Bankai going a bit longer now. And he's getting better at dodging."

"What can you tell us of his Bankai?" Soifon requested.

Kenpachi scratched at his chin as he looked up for a few moments, thinking. "It's a pure melee type. Gives him some big-ass weapons. Ikkaku called it lazy, saying that it doesn't like to go all out right from the start. But it's got some power behind it, especially once we get going. He said that the more blood spills between him and whoever he's fighting, the stronger his Bankai gets." Kenpachi shrugged. "Seems to be true. He's almost beat me a few times… made me pull off the eyepatch. But, well… it's brittle when he reaches full power. No defense at all. All offense."

The various taicho exchanged looks. It sounded like an interesting Bankai; no one had heard of a Bankai that grew stronger in the middle of battle. And just like all Bankai, it had a few weaknesses. Lacking initial strength, and brittle blades upon reaching full strength.

"Can he fix his weapons if they break?" Kyōraku inquired curiously.

"Dunno; don't think he's ever tried." Kenpachi gave a sudden manic grin. "We'll try that next time."

Ukitake shook his head, silently wishing Ikkaku the best of luck.

Yamamoto nodded and once again struck his staff upon the floor, silencing everyone. "Unohana-taicho, have you found anyone suitable for learning the healing arts outside of your Division?"

"Only a few non-seated, and a couple of seated Shinigami. Per your orders, I have already talked to their respective taicho and arranged temporary transfers. They are currently being trained by Kotetsu-fukutaicho. I have taken a special interest in training Kotetsu-fukutaicho and 7th Seat Yamada Hanatarō, both of whom have displayed outstanding talent in healing."

"Excellent. I am still corresponding with the Zero Division to arrange a meeting with the Spirit King. That is all. Dismissed!"

Amagai slowly walked out of the room, lost in thought. But he was startled out of his musing when Ukitake and Kyōraku came up to him. "So, how is your first taste of being taicho, Amagai-taicho?" Kyōraku inquired with a reassuring smile.

"It's…" Amagai sighed. "It's intense. I never expected to become taicho in the first place – there's never been a promotion from the Onmitsukidō directly to taicho in the past. And then there's the Hell situation…"

Ukitake grimaced sympathetically. "The task Yamamoto-sensei gave you is daunting, I agree. Capturing a Togabito!"

Amagai nodded wearily. "Capturing is always so much harder than outright killing. It gets exponentially more difficult if they work in groups, and according to the reports several of them were working together against Kurosaki Ichigo… I don't even know my Division yet, how am I supposed to hand-pick a team?"

"Well, Yama-jii probably isn't expecting it to be done right this minute," Kyōraku reasoned. "Why not go get to know your Division, and work with your fukutaicho, Hinamori Momo? She can help you ease into the role."

"Besides, Amagai-taicho," Ukitake spoke reassuringly. "The 5th Division is well known for gathering those with talent. Say what you will about Aizen, but he could recognize those with potential. Three of our own fukutaicho were hand-picked by him to join the 5th immediately after graduating the Shinigami Academy – Abarai Renji, Hinamori Momo, and Kira Izuru. I'm sure there are others just waiting to be found."

Amagai perked up a little. "You've got a good point, both of you. Thanks, Ukitake-taicho, Kyōraku-taicho. I think I'll go see Hinamori now – I really should get to know the people I'm going to lead."

Kyōraku smiled easily. "If you need advice, feel free to come to Jūshirō or me. Getting thrust into this position can't be easy."

"Again, thank you Kyōraku-taicho." They split ways, Amagai making his way to his new Division, a whirlwind of thoughts just tearing through his head. He shook his head to clear it, and only reached mild success. _But if there's only one thing evident… it's that this is going to be a lot more complicated than before. I need to focus on the here and now. Hell has to take priority._

* * *

Kuchiki Byakuya entered the room in the 1st Division barracks that Yamamoto had dedicated for communication with the living world. Yamamoto had made it a permanent fixture after being forced to work with Urahara, due to the necessity of being able to consistently communicate with allies. Quietly closing the door, he silently turned on the viewing screen.

Kurosaki Ichigo appeared in full Shinigami garb, Byakuya noticed. _He's left his mortal body. Unusual… _"Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Byakuya."

The Head of the Kuchiki barely resisted twitching at the casual form of address, but he'd resigned himself by now to it. Kurosaki didn't treat anybody with proper forms of respect. "You requested to speak with me."

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah. There's a bit of a situation that I need some advice on how to deal with quickly. Noble stuff. I'd ask Rukia about it, but she's busy training with Renji. Besides, it has a bit to do with what happened with the Berean."

Understanding blossomed, and Byakuya was instantly at full attention. _Ah. _"I see. Elaborate."

"The Kasumiōji have an internal problem that has basically become _my _problem. The heiress is here in the living world, hiding from assassins sent by a guy named Kumoi. Supposedly he's in some influential position of power in the clan, and is poised to take over if the heiress dies."

"And how is this your problem?" Byakuya asked pointedly.

"They're using the house next to mine as their hidey hole," Ichigo replied deadpan. "And blatantly told me they were trying to rely on my history of saving noble girls to help protect them."

If the taicho of the 6th Division were any less of a noble, he would have sighed and shaken his head. Even so, his heart felt a twinge at the indirect reminder that Ichigo had had to save Rukia from Byakuya himself. "I see. And you feel that this is an unnecessary distraction, given the current situation with Hell?"

"Exactly. I need ways to resolve this and quickly, because frankly we can't afford to split our attention. One of the assassins fought Urahara earlier, and apparently was controlling some Hollows." Ichigo's fists clenched. "By delaying Urahara, Tessai and Hachigen, that assassin prevented us from bringing my mother and sister back alive, and indirectly is responsible for the rise of Hell."

Byakuya silently had a sharp intake of breath, startled. _That _was not information that anyone in Soul Society currently knew, and it meant that once again, Kurosaki Ichigo had reason to invade Soul Society. _And given its personal nature, he will likely act as he did with Aizen – with intent to kill. _"That… is a serious accusation."

"I know. But it's obvious that we can't let things stand as they are."

"I concur," Byakuya agreed steadily, framing his words carefully. It was a delicate situation they were about to enter, but he had to make sure Kurosaki understood the difficulties and politics involved. "However, there are laws the Gotei 13 must follow. To date, there is no incriminating evidence regarding this?"

"No. But if I were to present the heiress, and have her formally request assistance like you did with Yamamoto, would that work?" Ichigo questioned.

Byakuya shook his head, though he had to silently applaud Kurosaki for the thought. It was a good idea, given what precious little experience Kurosaki had with Soul Society politicking. "Unlikely. The key difference is that in the case with your mother, evidence directly implicated the other Noble Families. The Kasumiōji situation is exactly that: isolated to the Kasumiōji. So long as their affairs do not directly impact Soul Society as a whole, the Gotei 13 is bound to non-interference."

"So, what, Yamamoto won't do anything until the assassins attack a member of the Gotei 13?" Ichigo asked incredulously.

"That is the most likely case, yes," Byakuya admitted. His eyes and face hardened even more than usual, closing off any trace of emotion. "What am I about to say will no doubt make you extremely angry. I ask you to remain calm."

Ichigo appeared quizzical. "Hm?"

"Have you considered the alternative? Letting the Kasumiōji heiress die? The situation is resolved quickly, if not in the way you'd prefer. After Hell is bound once more, then you could bring charges against them with Urahara's testimony."

The Substitute Shinigami stared at the taicho of the 6th Division disbelievingly for several seconds, mouth slightly agape. He shook his head. "You must be kidding. You're suggesting I let an innocent girl die? And let some homicidal, power-hungry guy win and become the leader of a Noble clan?"

"It is the most expedient solution," Byakuya told him coolly. "I do not care for it either, truth be told. However…"

"However nothing!" Ichigo interrupted angrily. "This has too many parallels to Rukia for my liking! Would you have let Soul Society execute Rukia with the Sōkyoku, and given Aizen the Hōgyoku out of her still-warm ashes, just to ensure no hostilities between Aizen and Soul Society?" His face twisted into an expression of sheer disgust. "No! That is not an option!"

Despite all of his emotional control, Byakuya almost cracked a smile. Privately, the leader of the Kuchiki was glad that Kurosaki had not changed that much – he was still the same man who had rushed into Soul Society to rescue a girl who had saved his family. It was almost inspiring, how Kurosaki strove to do what he felt was right regardless of how painful and difficult it would be. "Very well. There are few alternatives, but while I cannot do anything as taicho of the 6th Division, there may be something the Head of the Kuchiki is capable of."

Ichigo gave a tired smile, relaxing from his previous shouting. "Thought as much; that's why I wanted to talk to you – you know the loopholes."

"Hmph. I shall request a meeting with this Kumoi. You have yet to learn the art of politics and manipulation, Kurosaki. You have a history of disregarding Soul Society law, and as you yourself have said, one of the assassins has caused you great emotional pain. A subtle reminder of such will prove more than sufficient. Kumoi will either cease his activities and attempt to find a way to appease you, or attempt to silence us directly. Regardless of his choice, the Kasumiōji heir will be relatively safe. Additionally, should he choose to attack us…"

"Then we show him why you're a taicho of Soul Society, and why I am the one who took down Aizen," Ichigo finished with a smirk. "Thanks, Byakuya." He paused for a moment. "What would Society Society do if I did just swoop in and kill him, anyway?"

Now it was Byakuya's turn to stop and stare at the Vizard. "… You ask difficult questions."

"I thought so."

"Hi there, Kuchiki-taicho!" Urahara walked in from off-screen. "While you're visiting the Kasumiōji, could you have some servants looking for evidence of Bakkōtō manufacturing? The assassin I fought used one, and admitted that it's forbidden, which makes it treason." He smiled and tipped his hat slightly. "And as I would well know, treason is one thing that _always _spurs the Gotei to action."

Byakuya took Urahara's spontaneous appearance in stride and nodded regally. "Thank you for the information, Urahara-san. Kurosaki, I will keep you updated."

"Thanks," Ichigo acknowledged. "Anything else new in Soul Society that I should probably be aware of?"

"A new taicho has been chosen to replace Aizen," Byakuya informed him. "Amagai Shūsuke. He has been tasked with developing a strike force to capture a Togabito for Kurotsuchi-taicho to experiment upon. It will likely be a week, possibly two, until Amagai-taicho leads the team into the living world."

Ichigo frowned. "I haven't heard of Amagai before… If he's strong enough to be a taicho, where was he during the fight against Aizen?"

The wielder of Senbonzakura had to pause at that. _That's… a very good question, actually. _"His previous position was in the Patrol Corps, a division within the Onmitsukidō. However, I do not know why he was absent."

"Allow me, a former assassin, to elaborate," Urahara jumped in. "The Patrol Corps is generally assigned to the Seireitei, gathering information mostly. It's likely that Soifon-taicho knew about Amagai-taicho at that point, and entrusted him with ensuring that Soul Society remained stable while almost all of the Gotei 13 command structure was out of Soul Society."

"Ah," Ichigo acknowledged with a nod. "That makes sense. Can't have everyone coming back to find the Seireitei up in flames."

Byakuya had to agree – Soifon was certainly cunning, sly and ruthless enough to do such a thing. "In any case, Amagai-taicho will likely wish to see you, and the advance force of Shinigami stationed in the living world. Accommodations may be necessary."

Ichigo frowned and rubbed his brow. "How many people are we talking?"

"That depends on the size of the strike force, but I would estimate between four and six people."

"Oh my. It may be more profitable for me to renovate my humble shop into a bed and breakfast," Urahara joked.

Ichigo just sighed, ignoring the eccentric shopkeeper. "Fine, whatever. Nothing else is really going on over here yet."

"Have there been any Togabito attacks?"

The Vizard shrugged. "Not really an attack, but we did have a visit from two Togabito. They seemed to just be scouts. My friends intercepted them, and found out that Hell can only connect to the living world at places with high spiritual energy, even for Karakura. So we're looking at my high school, the graveyard, the hospital, the homes of my spiritually aware friends and family, the Urahara shop, and the Vizard base. There may be others, and Urahara's looking into that, but so far that's what we got."

"I will inform Yamamoto-sōtaicho of this development immediately – that information will aid in providing swift approval for limiter removal if needed," Byakuya promised.

"Good to hear. Good luck with the Kasumiōji meeting."

The taicho nodded. "And to you." And then he ended the interdimensional call.

"You gave him a great deal of information, Kuchiki-taicho. And you have promised him your aid regarding a matter that the Gotei 13 has no legal right to intervene in." The voice was neither accusing nor jovial – merely statements that required explanation.

Byakuya turned around calmly. "Yamamoto-sōtaicho," he greeted respectfully. "According to Hitsugaya-taicho's reports, there were difficulties regarding accommodations when they were stationed there initially. It seemed wise to give Kurosaki and Urahara time to prepare for the elite team Amagai-taicho is creating."

"And the Kasumiōji situation? Kumoi?"

"Would you rather have Kurosaki 'swoop in and kill him', sōtaicho?" Byakuya's face reflected none of the tiny, private hope that perhaps his boss would say "Yes." _It truly would make things far simpler. _

Yamamoto sighed, his body shifting into a more casual stance. "I am glad that Kurosaki Ichigo shares a rapport with _some _taicho of the Gotei. However, I am disconcerted by how frequently he involves himself in matters he has no place being."

"To be fair, sōtaicho, that is hardly his fault," Byakuya defended. "Kurosaki grew strong enough to defeat Aizen when we could not. It was the Berean and the Togabito who attempted to control Kurosaki afterwards, and even now the Kasumiōji heiress involved him, not the opposite."

Yamamoto nodded wearily, sitting down at a nearby table and wordlessly waving his subordinate to do the same. Byakuya sat as commanded, and Yamamoto began to pour some tea. "Bakkōtō…" he murmured. "It has been so many years since I've heard that word."

"You are familiar with it?" Byakuya inquired calmly.

"Kisaragi Shin'etsu," Yamamoto answered. "He was a member of the 1st Division, long ago. The Central 46 denied my request to investigate the Kasumiōji compound after I'd heard rumors of forbidden weapons being forged. Kisaragi, however… he offered to infiltrate the compound anyway. I needed the information, the truth. I sent him to investigate."

"He was caught." It was not a question.

"Yes. I am uncertain how, but he was given a strange weapon, a Bakkōtō. It warped his mind, turned him against me. He attacked me, and I was forced to defend myself. The Bakkōtō broke, freeing Kisaragi from its control, only for him to die shortly thereafter."

"You did not send others to investigate, fearing for their safety," Byakuya guessed. "With the Bakkōtō broken, there was no evidence. And as you'd disobeyed the Central 46, you could not act upon the knowledge. You had to cover up Kisaragi's death."

"Yes."

They sat in silence for several seconds, drinking their tea, allowing Byakuya to digest the new information. "If I gather sufficient evidence…"

Yamamoto set his tea down and fixed his subordinate with a stare that reflected the fiery reiatsu he constantly kept in check. "Then I will invade the compound myself, and burn alive the ones responsible for Kisaragi's death. It is the least I can do for him."

It was looking at the tense, serious expression on his commander's face that prompted Byakuya to make a sudden realization: he'd seen that exact look on Kurosaki. _Yamamoto and Kurosaki are far more alike than most realize, _he thought in surprise._ Power beyond reckoning, undying loyalty to those they claim as theirs, and the will to destroy all in their path to protect or avenge them._

It certainly put a new spin on why they clashed so badly. Yamamoto was old, tired, cynical. He'd adapted to the sōtaicho position, politicking and compromising, doing what he felt he had to do for the benefit of as many people under his command as possible in a cruel world. But Kurosaki was young, fresh and innocent by comparison, refusing to sacrifice others and standing up for his ideals. For Yamamoto to interact with Kurosaki must be almost a spit in the eye, as the sōtaicho looked upon someone who could well be a reflection of his past, a painful reminder of who he had once been, of what he had given up over the centuries.

And in light of those realizations, Byakuya found himself feeling an emotion he never thought he'd have regarding the strongest pure Shinigami: pity.

* * *

I'll tell you this, I was not expecting that little heart-to-heart at the end. My characters basically wrote themselves at that point. I think Yamamoto is a bit lonely up at the top, and having someone like Byakuya listen and understand was just too much of a temptation to pass up.

And Byakuya is in the unique position of being able to see Ichigo and Yamamoto from an external perspective, and is able to see just how alike they are. Ichigo is considering it, but he can't really see it too well.

Amagai sounds like he's delaying his plans for revenge - well, no one ever said he wasn't smart and practical. But he's got to develop an elite team to help capture a Togabito? Good luck!

Amused at Urahara's comment about a bed and breakfast. At this point, it might actually be in his best interest.

Anyway, it's time for the canon rant!

S

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Well, that's some interesting background on Yamamoto. Founded the Genryu, and added "Genryusai" to his name because of that and his nickname. That's some nice character development, and it was nice to see Yamamoto's younger self.

But I find it interesting that the Quincy who stole Choujiro's Bankai is using an unrefined version. I get the feeling this is a significant plot point. All the Bankai that have been stolen... maybe the Quincy can only use the initial forms? The basics of the Bankai?

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. Until next time!

NeoRyu777


	55. The War Begins

Hey, sorry it's been a while. Life as usual got in the way.

I'm loving my new job! It's pretty busy though so I don't get much time to write anymore. And I'm not completely happy with this chapter but I can't really improve it much, and I really need to move on to the next part.

So, as usual, first up are review replies!

Deadzepplin - Ichigo hasn't undone his seals yet for a couple of reasons. First, because they were a pain to put on. Second, they're locking up some of his power. He has too much to begin with and not enough control, so he wants to get the hang of control with a handicap before he goes full blast.

Sage of Wind Dragons - Apparently we just got to see how bad-ass Yamamoto can be. Holy crap.

Faraway-R - Inoue attempted to reject the chains themselves, not knowing that they were perverted versions of the Chains of Fate. She hasn't tried again because she's hesitant to mess with something so integral to the soul.

As for the whole balance of the worlds thing... well, my thoughts are that it's a three-sided scale in canon. Too few souls in any one side to balance out the others and the dimension collapses, causing disaster for Soul Society and the living world in a way similar to the whole Valley of Screams thing. So when Hueco Mundo had too few souls, Mayuri ordered a genocide to balance it out in Soul Society. But between those two they could still balance the living world for the moment.

I don't know. It's confusing me a little too.

LoveLifeForever - a Quincy would not be a good thing. Destroying Hell's soul would collapse the dimension. We want the soul shattered and/or bound, not destroyed. As for the Soul King... I have no idea. I'm still waiting on canon to give me something to work from. If it doesn't then at some point I'll just whip somthing up.

No new terms this week, so enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 55: The War Begins

Ichigo awoke from his slumber, feeling refreshed and alert. Thankfully, there had been no nightmares that night, but Ichigo was well aware that they would come again. Dressing quickly, he went out to the dining room for breakfast, taking note of the time from a nearby clock. _Huh. It's after 10. They let me sleep in?_

"You're awake?" Jinta asked with an unusual timidity to his tone. "Not feeling… homicidal?"

Ichigo blinked. "Not really… why?" _Did you do anything?_

_**Why would I? It doesn't make sense to try to kill your allies.**_

_He did not do anything,_ Zangetsu confirmed.

"Well… Tessai sent me to wake you up at 8 for breakfast," Jinta explained. "But when I tried to nudge you awake, you nearly took my head off! Luckily for me, you seemed to aiming for someone taller than me, so your punch missed, but I wasn't gonna try anything after that!"

"Oh." _Well, that's embarrassing. _"Sorry. Ingrained instinct – my dad attacks me every morning as I wake up. And I didn't get much sleep the night before."

"Well, how'm I supposed to wake you up, then?"

Ichigo considered the question for a minute. "Slam the door. The sound should do it."

Jinta nodded. "Fine. Tessai had me keep breakfast warm for ya, so hurry up and eat. He's waiting for ya downstairs." He left with his usual swagger, apparently having regained his confidence after finding the reason behind the incident earlier.

Shaking his head, Ichigo ate breakfast swiftly. Just as he got up from the table, a wave of reiatsu washed over him. "Fuck!" He fled from the house, hearing Urahara and Tessai scramble for their monitoring stations.

"Ichigo!"

Hearing something coming at him at high speed, Ichigo spun in mid-air and caught what appeared to be an ear plug. But sensing Urahara's energy within it, the Vizard quickly realized what it was and stuck it into his left ear. "Can you hear me, Urahara?"

"_Loud and clear, Ichigo-kun. There are multiple sources of Hell's reiatsu across the city, give me just a moment to analyze the data. I should be able to differentiate between the portals and the Togabito themselves." _

"Gotcha." Ichigo landed on top of a tall building and reached out with his reiatsu sense, but the multiple directionality of Hell's reiatsu had him struggling to figure out the sources. Distantly, he heard the background noise of keyboard keys clacking rapidly before Urahara seemed to come to a conclusion.

"_There are three Togabito. Locations: the graveyard, the hospital, and a park near your house. Your father's reiatsu is heading towards the park." _

Ichigo frowned even as he began Shunpo-ing towards the graveyard. "The park? That wasn't on our list of spiritually active places."

"_It should have been. Spirits of children tend to gravitate there and have for decades. Not to mention the occasional Hollow who uses the park as a hunting ground."_

"Point." Ichigo arrived at the graveyard near his mother's grave and looked around cautiously, drawing Zangetsu. The Togabito was bound to be nearby. Luckily, it seemed the graveyard was empty at the moment.

The silence was eerie, but as each passing second heralded no sudden attack, no sound, nothing, Ichigo grew suspicious. Again, he stretched his spiritual awareness, but there was nothing. "Urahara? There's nothing here."

"_That's strange… you're right, I'm no longer registering any presence from the Togabito." _

Sheathing Zangetsu, Ichigo scowled. "Scouting parties, maybe? To see what sort of areas are the most spiritually aware in Karakura?"

"_Perhaps. It seems that the Togabito arrived and about thirty seconds later using the same portal they entered from." _

"He's testing us. Testing where we are, and our response times!" Ichigo snarled.

"_I fear you are correct, Ichigo-kun. However, there is little we can do about it. Come on back, we have work to do." _

"Fine." _Damn it…!_

_Hell has experience with sieges, _Zangetsu reminded. _In any fight, it is important to test your opponent's defenses to discover their weaknesses. Especially when it costs him nothing for information. _

… _It still pisses me off. _Grumbling, Ichigo Shunpo-ed back and prepared himself mentally for another day of grueling Bakudō training.

* * *

Sweat beaded on Renji's forehead as he struggled to maintain the Hadō 54: Haien. It was by far the highest level spell he'd ever tried before, but he really wanted to get this one right. It was a much more concentrated flame spell than Shakkahō, and while it was smaller there was a lot more destructive power behind it. But therein lay the problem: there was more power behind it, which meant that if it backfired that he'd had to deal with far worse than a blast of heat and smoke. Renji could seriously hurt himself if he lost control of it even for a few seconds. That fact was more than a bit distracting.

Rukia, in the meantime, was pulling double duty. She had manifested Sode no Shirayuki, training with her in the real world, but when Renji's control slipped, Rukia would come over and slowly guide it the Hadō back to stability.

They had decided to train by the lakeside once again, as it provided a convenient place for Renji to cast Hadō that were degrading too quickly to recover. The fact that it was pretty far in the wilderness and mostly unknown was also a very nice plus. The constant concentration was giving the redhead a very bad headache, and with a growl of mixed pain and exasperation Renji hurled the purple blast of fire into the lake, creating a spout of steam for several seconds.

"You alright, Renji?" Rukia called out.

"Yeah. Yeah, just need a few minutes," Renji replied, sitting down in the shade of a nearby tree. The relief from the sun was nice, and with the fire spell now gone, it allowed him to thoroughly enjoy the icy breezes that came from Rukia's sparring with her Zanpakutō.

Sode no Shirayuki gracefully deflected another of Rukia's slashes before jumping back and turning to her side, pointing her blade in Rukia's direction with a fully extended arm. Ice particles flew up from the ground around her, and Rukia's eyes widened, recognizing the attack. It was the first time that Shirayuki had deigned to use one of her Shikai attacks. "Tsugi no Mai: Hakūren!"

From the tip of Shirayuki's sword came an enormous wave of ice – too wide and too tall to avoid easily. _Think! _Rukia demanded of her brain. _I need a barrier! A barrier for the…! _And then she had an idea. Quickly, she leapt back and thrust the tip of her Zanpakutō into the ground, creating a wide ivory circle that began to emanate with cold. "Some no Mai: Tsukishirō!"

The pillar of ice came into existence just in time for Sode no Shirayuki's attack to hit, and Rukia hid behind the pillar while at the same time silently charging her left hand with Hadō 54: Haien. The attack ended a moment later, and Rukia dashed out, ready to inflict fiery pain unto her Zanpakutō, but the ice maiden was not there.

Sensing the cool presence of Shirayuki's reiatsu behind her, Rukia twisted to her left, barely avoiding a stab. She thrust her flame spell, trying to buy some time, but Sode no Shirayuki merely batted it away with her sword… before suddenly dispersing.

Rukia blinked, and then realized what had happened as she collapsed to her knees, only now noticing how low her reserves of reiryoku were. _Damn it!_

_You did well, Rukia. I trust you now understand the defensive applications of Tsukishirō?_

_Yeah… It's useful as an impromptu barrier. I guess I'm getting better, if you're using our dances now. _

Rukia received an impression of Shirayuki's smile, which warmed her heart. _You are getting far better. Your Zanjutsu is much improved, and your footwork is cleaner as well. Your Kidō is becoming faster and stronger as well. _

That made Rukia feel better. _Alright. We'll pick up where we left off after I have a chance to recover some reiryoku. _

_Of course. _

Renji's lips twitched upwards, watching Rukia wearily make her way to sit next to him. Watching she and Sode no Shirayuki go at it reminded him fondly of training with Zabimaru when they too were trying for Bankai. It would have been absolutely infuriating that he'd lost time and again against a baboon with a snake for a tail, over and over again, if Renji hadn't already known that Zabimaru was far more than a mere monkey.

The first time that Zabimaru had used Higa Zekkō, though… Renji shook his head in memory. He'd nearly died then and there; Renji had been unprepared for another attack, having thought that he'd won after breaking Zabimaru's blade. _I should've known better, _he thought idly, recalling those days of struggle, of fighting for domination and mastery that had led to the wars of desperation as he strove for the power to save Rukia. It was in the nature of most Zanpakutō to withhold their most dangerous, and sometimes self-damaging, techniques until their wielders were striving for Bankai.

_Yes,_ Zabimaru confirmed. _How else are we to ensure you survive long enough to grow strong? _

Renji silently acknowledged the point. Without the experience of working with Zabimaru normally, learning their limitations and strengths in equal measure, Renji would not have been able to grow as a Shinigami. Higa Zekkō was truly a last resort, at least for Shikai, as it left Renji without a blade to fight with. Depriving Renji of that skill had forced him to figure out how to work around Zabimaru's limitations, making their bond even stronger.

"OI! Renji!"

Renji instantly came back to the present, feeling a mild throb in his right cheek. Quickly connecting the dots, he yelled in outrage, "What was that for?"

"You haven't responded to me for the last five minutes!" Rukia berated. "I was trying to tell you to get off your ass and back on Kidō practice!"

Renji sighed. "Fine." He held out his hand, ready for Rukia to once more use his power to create another Haien, but she shook her head in denial.

"No. Let's see how you've progressed. Create a Shakkahō without the incantation."

Nodding, Renji raised his hand and aimed at the water. "Hadō 31: Shakkahō!" The orb of red fire swirled into existence at the end of his hand, ready and waiting.

Rukia got up and inspected it carefully, using her eyes and spiritual sense to gauge how stable the spell was. "Much better," she finally deemed. "Not perfect, of course, but you've got a much better grasp of your reiryoku now. Fire the spell and then show me Sōkatsui."

Renji did as instructed and this time conjured the blue flames of Sōkatsui. Again, Rukia passed her judgment and Renji fired it into the lake, causing a burst of steam. "Good. You probably noticed we're primarily going over fire element spells."

"I did, yeah…"

"Flame spells are by design building off one another. Shakkahō is a simple explosive fireball. Sōkatsui is more powerful and can be fired as a wave. Haien is a compression of Shakkahō that requires power, control, and precision. I want you to get the hang of those three Hadō, which will cover a wide variety of situations where fire is needed. Once we're done with those, we'll move on to electric spells."

"Not to mention, you practicing these spells with me helps you better prepare for fighting Sode no Shirayuki," Renji observed pointedly.

Rukia only nodded. "Of course. Now, let's have some lunch, and then we'll have more Haien practice."

* * *

Chad sat on the roof of Karakura High School, pensively looking at the coin his Abuelo had given him long ago. "Duty," he whispered. He'd tried the previous night to activate the power, but in vain. It seemed as though the power was within reach, but at the same time it wasn't. There was something missing.

_But what? _he wondered. _And why… why is the coin the key? Is it like Inoue and her hairclips? _Chad nodded to himself. It made sense. _Objects precious to us. Inoue's hairclips were given to her by her deceased brother, and my coin from Abuelo. Symbolic of the ones we love and treasure. And my arms… I treasure these arms that I can use to protect my friends. Without these arms, I could not fight. _

Chad's eyebrows furrowed in thought unseen behind his shaggy hair. _But what can a coin do? Will it change shape somehow? _He got up and put the coin back around his neck, frustrated. _What could be missing? _

His instinct screamed a warning, and Chad hurled himself sideways, just in time to see a red eye-shaped portal open. With a thought, he activated both his arms to their full power, ready to once more fight in defense of others.

A woman stepped through – not the same woman as he'd talked to the day before, though. This one was tall and lithe, wearing a dark crimson leotard with ocean blue patterns that left little to the imagination. Dirty blond hair reached down to her neck but no further, lightly framing her face. Manacles with short chains adorned her wrists, but what caught Chad's attention were instead the glinting of her nails, which were quite long and looked quite pointy.

The woman looked around in wonder and took a deep breath as the portal closed. "Oh, gods, I've missed that. How long has it been since I could smell clean, fresh air that didn't stink with blood?"

"Who are you?"

The woman jumped, startled, and stared at Chad for a few moments. "You can see me?"

Chad merely nodded.

"Well then! My name is Akane. And unfortunately…" she let her chains rankle a little. "I am a Togabito. May I ask for your name?"

"Sado Yasutora. I'm human. Why are you here?"

Akane looked at Chad strangely for a second. "You know what a Togabito is?"

"Residents of Hell."

"So you do know. Then I imagine you can guess why I'm here."

"To invade. Hell has risen."

Akane nodded, looking distinctly of mixed feelings. "I can't say I'm not happy to be back in the living world after so long… but I don't want this world taken over, either. But I have no choice. These chains of the damned… Even now they tighten painfully, demanding I follow the orders of Hell. I'm sorry, Sado Yasutora. There's no chance you'll submit this spiritual area to me?"

"No."

"Then we must fight. I hope for your sake you can kill me."

"Before we do…" Chad interrupted. "What sin sent you to Hell?"

Akane sighed and smiled sorrowfully. "Murder. I was a slave for powerful men when I was alive. But I couldn't take it anymore – the degradation, the shaming, the jeers and leers and being made to feel less than human… I killed every last one of them, and ran. The satisfaction and sheer joy of finally being free of those bastards must've been what sent me under." She gestured at her outfit, at her barely-hidden breasts. "What cruelty death has… I'm forced into the same position I was in when I was alive: a slave, a toy for a powerful man. Please, Sado-san… I pray you kill me. Maybe this time I'll have repented enough to be free for the next life."

Chad bowed his head. "I hope so."

Akane's body stiffened, and she suddenly lunged at Chad, who blocked a furious swipe with his right arm. He was startled to see tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Sado-san! These chains! Hell is forcing my body to follow orders!" She leapt back, narrowly avoiding a punch to the gut from Chad's left arm.

"I'll set you free!" Chad swore, throwing himself into battle.

* * *

Inoue and her friends were eating lunch near the woods when she stiffened, sensing a very strange, unnatural reiatsu. And then… "Santen Kesshun!"

The golden shield appeared just in time to block a tentacle flying at them at high speed from the woods. "Oh?" a voice spoke from where the tentacle had come from as its owner stepped out. Though Inoue did not recognize him, it was Gūnjo – the blind Togabito that had helped Shūren. "You sensed me."

"Tatsuki, Mizuiro, Keigo. Go!" Ishida ordered, already standing up next to Inoue and drawing his bow. "Get as many people as you can back inside the school, now! Barricade the doors, block the windows! It looks like the Togabito are after the school first!"

"We're on it!" Tatsuki agreed, turning and sprinting off. Keigo was already running, while Mizuiro was not far behind, pulling out his phone and apparently typing something out.

"There are quite a few spiritually aware humans here…" G ūnjo mused aloud, letting the three of them run off. "No matter. I'll take care of the school after I deal with you two. Assuming of course, that my companion takes care of the resistance she finds there."

Inoue and Ishida spared each other a glance and nodded. They both could sense Chad fighting, but they could not go and aid him – this Togabito was too big a threat. "You have no chance," Ishida spoke calmly, with his eyes narrowed.

Gūnjo gave a small chuckle. "Even if you should kill me, I will only come back. You may win this battle, if you are lucky… but Hell will win the war."

"We'll see. I wonder if you can revive from a Quincy arrow, though?" Without further ado, Ishida promptly fired a volley of five arrows at the Togabito experimentally.

Gūnjo leapt over them and sent his tentacle-arms at his opponents, each of whom leaping to either side. However, Inoue was surprised when the one that was after her did not plow into the ground but instead made a sharp turn and continued to follow her. "Santen Kesshun!" Again, the golden barrier blocked the attack, and Inoue immediately faced towards Gūnjo, who was sending more tentacles at her from his body. "Kōten Zanshun!"

Tsubaki materialized the next instant, shooting himself into the fray, slicing appendages left and right as he twisted and turned to inflict maximum injury, but he wasn't making much progress – it seemed to be a stalemate between Gūnjo's tentacle regeneration and Tsubaki's speed.

"I hope you haven't forgotten about me." Ishida had leapt high in the air, directly above Gūnjo, his bow glowing bright. "Licht Regen."

"Tsubaki!" Inoue called the fairy back to her hairpins just in time for a storm of arrows to plunge into and around Gūnjo.

Ishida landed next to her a few moments later, and they watched the dust cloud die down, waiting to see the aftermath. "How many arrows was that?"

"1200," the Quincy replied after a moment. "Not my strongest arrows, of course – the air isn't very saturated with reishi and generating that many arrows quickly is difficult. But it should still be sufficient."

"I'm afraid not." The dust finally cleared and Gūnjo was revealed. He was bleeding from dozens of cuts, but he'd escaped the majority of the damage by materializing his Hell-binding chains and sacrificing a large number of tentacles. "You're going to have to try harder than that." He stood up straight, regenerating his appendages without effort. "Much harder."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kon stood protectively just outside the Kurosaki Clinic, right next to his body's father. Isshin had once again shed his mortal body, which was currently in the kitchen for safekeeping. Karin was hiding somewhere in the house. In front of them, a cloaked Togabito stood, apparently unwilling to make the first move. "Kon," Isshin began. "Take Karin…!"

"No," Kon interrupted, never looking more like Ichigo than he did in this instant. He was ready to fight, with the classic scowl on his face. "Karin is my family too. Ichigo gave me this body to protect her! You can't tell me not to! Besides, can't you sense it? Togabito are all over the city. The best way to protect Karin is to take down this guy quickly."

"Heh," Isshin chuckled. "Looks like Ichigo's rubbing off on you. Then I'm counting on you to back me up!" Drawing Engetsu, he lunged for the Togabito, who remained still. With a mighty stroke, he cleaved the Togabito in two. "Huh? That was too easy."

"Indeed it was." And then Isshin's body stiffened and froze in place. From out of the shadows of a nearby tree walked out the same Togabito, and with a gesture, the first one dissolved into chains and was promptly sucked into the Togabito's right sleeve. His right index finger was pointed right at Isshin's head.

"What did you just do?" Isshin demanded. "Why can't I move?"

"I just won." Using his free hand, the Togabito lowered the hood of his cloak, revealing a bald black man with a necklace of bones and chains. "It's useless," he spoke mockingly as Isshin struggle to break free from some illusory binding. "Now you are merely a puppet. Now then, little puppet… turn around and face your companion."

Against his will, Isshin turned around to face a stricken Kon. "Kon, I'm sorry for this, but you have to stop him!"

Kon nodded determinedly and dropped into a battle-ready stance.

The Togabito laughed heartily. "You cannot think it is that easy? I have full control of your companion. It was obvious that you would send the stronger of the two of you at me first. So tell me, Kon. I have nine other fingers. Can you evade all of them, defeat my puppet, and slay me? Ha! I think not! I may not be as strong as I was under Aizen-sama yet, but it is still arrogance to think you can stand against me, Zommari Rureaux!"

* * *

Ichigo leapt to his feet and high-tailed it out of the underground training room, calling Zangetsu to his hand with a thought. There was no mistaking it this time, Hell had well and truly invaded! He threw himself out the door and then was forced to Shunpo to the side to avoid a fireball aimed for him.

"I took your sisters in round one."

Ichigo spun and used Zangetsu to block a stream of fire that threatened to engulf him. "Getsuga Tenshō!" he cried, letting loose a crescent of his spiritual energy that cut through the fire… but the source was gone.

"You killed me in round two."

The Vizard turned to his side as his senses alerted him to his attacker's whereabouts, just in time to lock Zangetsu against a fire sword.

"Are you ready for round three?" Shūren asked with a wicked grin.

"What is your problem?" Ichigo demanded, generating a Getsuga through Zangetsu and using the enhancement to cleave through Shūren's blade. The Togabito leapt back and generated another immediately. "You failed! You're never getting free of Hell! I refuse to cut your chains!"

"Even if it means your town?" Shūren pointed out. "Hell sent me here. There will be no Kushānada to drag me back. And you cannot kill me without cutting these chains, or I will just come back. What will it be, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"I'll kill you again and again if I need, but you are not getting free!"

"Even if I offer to help you free your mother and sister?"

Ichigo froze. "What?"

Shūren smiled. "That's the deal. You cut my chains, set me free. I'll willingly return to Hell with you and use the pool to resurrect your family. Then you cut their chains and our business is concluded."

"What's stopping me from using the pool myself?" Ichigo asked with narrowed eyes.

"It took me many years to work out how. But even if you could figure it out, I guarantee you that the pool is guarded now by Hell's most trusted servants who know how to use the pool. I'll need you to keep them occupied while I resurrect your family, because I doubt you can do both at the same time."

_Damn it. He's got a point. _

_**Thinking about making a deal with the devil?**_

_This could be their only way out!_

_**Hey now, I'm not criticizing. Just be careful. He could betray you at any moment. **_

_I think it unlikely you will receive a better offer. Kokūto was astonished that Shūren had worked out how to manipulate resurrection cycles, so it's likely Masaki and Yuzu would take a long time to be reborn after their death if you waited for them to do so naturally. _

Ichigo nodded, having made his decision. "Fine. We have a deal."

* * *

Oh dear. Togabito invasion, and pretty much everyone is busy fighting. So we have a reluctant, repentant soul. A ruthless and cunning fighter. A narcissistic ass. And Shuren. That's a good variety of people. But Ichigo making a deal to revive his family? Desperate situations make for desperate allies. Let's hope he makes it out alive.

Freaking Zommari. I didn't actually have him planned but I figured it was perfect for Kon and Isshin. Let's see how he fares as a Togabito.

I'm hoping to display more of Ishida's Quincy techniques in the coming battles. I figured that was a good time for Licht Regen.

But don't forget. They're fighting in the middle of the day. There are bound to be consequences for that.

And now for the spoiler rant!

S

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... Holy fuck. Yamamoto's Bankai is terrifying. East, his blade cuts through anything. Anything. West, his body burns away anything that dares touch him. North, he burns something out of existence with a slash of concentrated fire. South, HE RESURRECTS THE FUCKING DEAD AS AN ARMY! TEN TRILLION DEAD!

I'm tempted to call Yamamoto the most broken person in Bleach. Powerful enough physically to take down Arrancar with his bare hands. Enough power and control to cast level 90+ Kido spells without incantation. And his Bankai. Too bad about the collateral damage. No wonder he didn't use it in the living world against Aizen. He would have boiled the oceans.

That... that's all I can say right now. Besides GOD DAMN IT HIS BANKAI GOT STOLEN! I suppose we'll get to see how Ichigo fares against it sooner or later.

That's all for now.

~NeoRyu777


	56. The Means to Fight

Hey everyone. I know it's been almost two months, but this chapter fought me for a while and I've just been really, really busy.

So, as usual, review replies are first.

sendicard - Ichigo doesn't have much choice but to fix his weakness to Bakudo. He's being relied on to CAST a transcendent Bakudo. As for Renji and Rukia, it gives them skills that are useful everywhere - speed, strength, control, and variety.

MrNeedsToRemoveAllFaves - If you knew how often I've thought about making a Bleach Groundhog day fic... jeez.

Dannichigo - Ichigo in my story will probably never discover them. I just have issues with making him that way, which I'll expand on in my spoiler rant at the bottom.

There were a number of people who asked about Zommari, since earlier in my fic I had him eradicated by Ishida Uryu. Well, you'll see what happened in this chapter.

Anywho, off to the fight. Quick reminder:

Hirenkyaku - Quincy high-speed technique.

* * *

Chapter 56: The Means to Fight

Alarms blared loudly in the 12th Division, and almost everyone there looked panicked, rushing to send messages and analyze the data being input. Only two were unhurried – Kurotsuchi Nemu-fukutaicho and Kurotsuchi Mayuri-taicho. Mayuri's smile widened as he read the data flowing down the enormous screen at high speed. "Good, good, good! Nemu! Fetch Amagai and see if he has that hunting party ready – I want one of these Togabito on my slab tonight!"

"Hai." Nemu bowed lightly and walked purposely away, unperturbed by her father's wicked grin and the chaos around her.

A few moments later, Mayuri frowned, seeing something unexpected. "Hmm? What is that Kurosaki doing? Why can my machines still detect his reiatsu, and why is he not fighting? There is a Togabito right next to him…" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Did he capture one already? He _does _have Urahara nearby… But if he captured that one, why hasn't he gone to help the others? Two test subjects are better than one, after all…"

Mayuri's frown descended into a scowl. "This is pointless. If neither the Togabito nor the transcendent are fighting, then I should pay attention to the Togabito that are." He directed his attention to another part of the screen, carefully searching for some weakness that he could exploit. "This could be interesting… a Quincy and that woman against a Togabito." His smile returned. "Ah, I could not have asked for a better experiment. The effects of a Quincy on Hell's minions, and that woman's barriers… Come now, make this a nice, drawn-out battle. I need all the data you can provide."

* * *

Kon watched his true opponent carefully – thus far, Zommari had been content to use Isshin to attack. Thankfully, it seemed that while Isshin's movements were controlled, he still retained some measure of control over his reiatsu, as evidenced by his slower-than-usual Shunpo and having not released his Zanpakutō.

With that sort of handicap, Kon was able to narrowly avoid every attack so far, but he had yet to get close to Zommari. He ducked under a telegraphed swing of Engetsu and dodged to the side. _Damn it, I can't keep this up forever! _But at the same time, he loathed the idea of using his power on Isshin… _He acknowledges me. He and Ichigo… _He danced out of the way of a flurry of swipes. _... They see me as a person! _

"What are you doing?" Isshin demanded. "It's not easy to hold back Zommari's commands, you know! Hurry up!"

_Damn it, I don't want to hurt you! _But Kon knew he had no choice – it was either attack someone he held dear, or lose those he was entrusted to protect. "DAMN IT!" he screamed as he finally called on the supernatural strength he'd been gifted with upon his creation. Rushing up to Isshin, he twisted around a stab and unleashed a powerful kick to Isshin's ribs, sending him flying back into a nearby streetlamp, which promptly crumpled.

There was no time to check if Isshin was alright. Kon dashed at Zommari with all the speed Ichigo's body combined with Kon's leg enhancements could muster. Seeing Zommari point a finger at him, he threw himself to his left, feeling a burst of spiritual energy breeze past him. _Can't stop now! I have to get him! For Karin! For Yuzu! _

Pausing for just long enough to take a breath, Kon launched himself at the puppet-master again, bitterly satisfied when the Togabito adopted an expression of slight panic as he pointed all five fingers of his left hand in Kon's direction. Sensing the incoming invisible attack and giving thanks for the heightened abilities that came with being a Mod-Soul, Kon leapt up and over the attack, landing on the other side of Zommari. Close enough that one kick would finish it. He twisted as he hit the ground, converting his forward momentum into rotational, his right leg charged with all the power Kon could muster. It was a kick that Kon was sure would end this fight.

"Look out!" Hearing Isshin's voice right behind him, Kon abandoned his kick and instead used his left foot to leap up off the ground into the branches of a neighbor's tree just in time to avoid being stabbed from behind with Engetsu.

_Damn it… I was close. _Kon took a moment to quiet the pounding of Ichigo's body's heart. _I'm lucky that Ichigo's been training in this thing – my powers enhance what's already here, and Ichigo is already pretty damn strong. _

"Not so easy, is it?" Zommari taunted, looking around but unable to see Kon as he hid behind the trunk of the tree. "That was a good try – I did not anticipant such a burst of strength and speed. But now that I know of it, I will not let you get that close again." With a mere twitch of his finger, Isshin moved into a guarding position. "Or have you run away?"

Kon grit Ichigo's teeth. _Karin…! Damn it, what I wouldn't give for a good long-distance attack right now! _He looked around for anything he could use, and something black and white caught his eye. _A soccer ball… Karin's soccer ball! _Almost against his will, Kon began to smile, the makings of a truly delicious plan taking shape in his mind.

* * *

"Santen Kesshun!" Inoue's barrier came into place just in time to protect herself and Ishida from another onslaught of tentacles. "Uryū!"

The Quincy threw himself to the side, bringing his bow to bear. "Licht Regen!" he clipped out again, once more firing a volley of hundreds of arrows.

"That's not going to work," Gunjō reminded, shielding himself with a wall of tentacles before sending three to snake out at the humans.

"Tsubaki! Kōten Zanshun!" Without hesitation, Inoue's attack sliced through the incoming attack. "Uryū, do you have another attack that can strike from below?"

Ishida hid behind Inoue's shield once again. "Yes. But it needs a little preparation. Can you keep him occupied for a moment?"

Inoue nodded. "Go."

Ishida promptly vanished with the speed of his Hirenkyaku. "Foolish, you shouldn't have left the girl's shield," Gunjō mocked as he immediately attacked the vulnerable Quincy with dozens more appendages.

Inoue bit her lip in determination and threw her hands up towards Ishida. "Go! Santen Kesshun! Kōten Zanshun!"

The fairies that made up Inoue's shield flew into place and materialized the shield in front of Ishida without a moment to spare, while Tsubaki attacked Gunjō directly.

"Hmph. Annoying woman." Gunjō maneuvered his tentacles to attack Tsubaki in every direction before he could slice the Togabito. And then, he struck, obscuring Tsubaki from Inoue's sight.

An audible crunch was heard, and Inoue froze. _No…! _The appendages withdrew, and Tsubaki's broken form fell to the ground, reverting into a part of Inoue's hairpin before breaking into three pieces "No! Tsubaki!"

"Such a fragile attack," Gunjō taunted. "That edge is certainly sharp, but it was all too easy to crush it from the sides. Now then, be a good girl and die."

"I think not." Ishida reappeared next to Inoue, stabbing a Seele Schneider into the ground. "Thank you, Orihime. You bought the time I needed to complete my technique."

"What technique?" Gunjō looked around. "All I see are five of those things around me. And what are they supposed to do?"

"This is an ancient Quincy technique. You may not have noticed, given how you haven't left that spot since we began, but you can no longer move."

"So? I can attack from here."

Ishida took out a single silver tube. "Perhaps. But what you don't know is that those items are Seele Schneiders. They absorb the reishi in the environment around them, gathering them for a simple, fitting purpose." He uncapped the tube and slowly began to tilt it over the Seele Schneider in the ground in front of him. "Everything within this pentagon is subject to a single, powerful attack." A single drop of sparkling silvery liquid fell from the tube and landed on the weapon. "Sprenger."

"Tsubaki!" Inoue cried out. "Lily, Hinagiku, Baigon! Get Tsubaki out of there!"

Inoue's shield dissolved into the three fairies that maintained it, who then flew into the pentagon as the Seele Schneider lit up and formed glowing blue pentagon with the others. Each fairy grabbed a piece of the hairpin that Tsubaki formed from, and rushed outside just in time to avoid the blue rush of power that traveled from each Seele Schneider to the center, where Gunjō stood.

And then, a pillar of light erupted around the Togabito and he began to scream. Several seconds later, the light faded and Gunjō fell to the ground, his eyeless sockets exposed to the light, his clothes burned almost completely off. No tentacles remained, not even Gunjō's arms. "Damn you. I'll be back, and I will return this humiliation upon you, humans." And then he crumbled to ash.

But Inoue paid no attention to that, her full concentration on the broken hairpin. "Sōten Kisshun!" She materialized her healing barrier around the hairpin. She bit her lip when she saw that the hairpin was very slowly repairing itself.

"It will take some time, Orihime," Lily warned her sadly, flying up to her face with Hinagiku and Baigon. "It's more difficult to reject damage to our own power."

Inoue nodded acceptance. "Alright," she whispered, wiping tears away from her eyes. "At least he'll be ok."

* * *

Chad breathed heavily – Akane was very good at dodging his attacks and had been slowly wearing him down. _She's too fast to hit normally, _he thought to himself. _Then let's try my Paso del Viento. _

Chad brought up his right arm just in time to block another long scratch, and then used his high-speed technique to get behind her. "La Muerte!"

The gentle giant had trouble following what happened next. One moment, he was unleashing his most powerful attack, the next he had Akane's legs tightly gripping his neck while she performed a handstand.

And then he was impossibly lifted off the ground, in an arc above the Togabito, before being painfully slammed head-first into the roof of the school. _Ow. _Chad had had some painful experiences in his life, but apparently his head and neck was not quite as durable as the rest of his body. It was lucky that his unleashed powers helped that, or else he might well have had his neck broken right there.

Even so, this was an opportunity. Chad's left hand gripped one of Akane's legs and pulled it just away enough for him to breathe, while his right hand lashed out at the Togabito. "El Directo!" he choked out.

Akane covered her face with her arms just before being engulfed in the light of Chad's technique. After several seconds, the light faded, and Chad was astonished to realize that she was unharmed. "What?"

"The chains…" Akane whispered. "Your power isn't enough to break these chains."

"No. But it's enough to break your leg." Chad sent power to his left hand and with a single forceful clench, crushed the leg to pulp in his hand.

Akane screamed in terrible pain and jumped away with her remaining leg before falling to the ground, helpless as blood poured beneath her. Chad got to his feet and made his way to her, listening to the Togabito cry and whimper at the injury. "Sorry," he offered, staying a safe distance away in case she pulled out some other technique to use.

Akane turned her head towards him, her face tear-streaked and regretful. "Don't be," she replied, sniffing. "You only did what I asked. Hurry and kill me. Don't leave me in this agony."

"As you wish." Chad charged his left hand one last time, approaching her. Akane didn't move in response. "May you have a better life when you awaken. La Muerte." He plunged his fist into Akane's chest, punching through her ribs and pulverizing her heart. Chad kept his power tightly reigned enough that the skull pattern did not appear on the school rooftop – that would be difficult to explain.

Then, Akane's body and chains glowed with a dull red light, and below her a portal opened. Her corpse fell through it, and before Chad could do anything about it, the portal closed. _Damn. _Chad closed his eyes in mourning as he deactivated his arms. _She is still trapped. Hell… still has her. _"All she wanted is to be free, to start over in a new life…" His fists clenched in suppressed fury. "Hell took her for rejoicing in the end of her slavery. No soul should suffer so, no soul should be forced into one torment after another! No soul should be a mere slave both in life and in death, when all it desires is freedom! Akane, I will help you reach that next life! I swear it!"

* * *

Renji breathed out and relaxed as the Togabito he and Rukia were fighting finally went down. "That was Shrieker?" he asked, wiping some blood from his forehead.

Rukia nodded, taking a moment to catch her own breath. Shrieker had focused almost exclusively on her, and she was already tired from training against Sode no Shirayuki. Combined with Shrieker's use of Hell's chains to block and tangle Zabimaru and his sound-activated explosives, it had proven a long and difficult fight. Renji had gotten hit by those bombs twice, when Rukia hadn't been quite fast enough to freeze them all with one of her dances.

"Tough bastard," Renji admitted. "You said Ichigo took him down when he was a newbie?"

"Yeah. Shrieker got a little too close, and Ichigo ripped his tongue right out of his mouth to prevent him from being able to blow up his artillery."

"Yeesh. Brutal. But he didn't have to deal with those chains."

"True." Rukia took another deep, steadying breath, reaching out her reiatsu senses. "Ishida and Orihime are done, it feels like. So's Chad. Ichigo's dad seems to still be busy, and…" she frowned. "Something's not right where Ichigo is."

"What about Hitsugaya-taicho and Tōsen? They should be out here fighting too."

Rukia concentrated harder. "Tōsen is… still in Urahara's basement. That's strange, he's been there since yesterday. If he's been meditating the whole time…"

"What about Hitsugaya-taicho?"

"He's with Tōsen. So are Urahara, Tessai and the Vizard actually." She shook her head. "What's going on there?"

* * *

"I'm telling you, it's not a good idea for you guys to go out right now!" Hitsugaya yelled.

"Why not?" Hiyori demanded. "There are Togabito out there, and we're supposed to help guard Karakura, right?"

"Because," Urahara commented as he approached the others. "This is a test."

"What?"

"This is a test," Urahara repeated grimly. "This is an information game, Hiyori. Hell is testing us, testing our ability to defend ourselves. You are all aces in the hole, just as Ichigo-kun was against Aizen. We shouldn't let Hell find out our true strength, not yet."

"But we were in Hell," Kensei pointed out. "Wouldn't he know about us anyway?"

"No. Remember, Ichigo was there, and he was the only one he paid attention to," Yoruichi disagreed. "But this test works for us as well. It tells us how strong Ichigo's human friends are, and where they need their training. If we just crushed this incursion, they wouldn't learn anything, which would prove lethal against later invasions."

"Exactly," Urahara agreed. "All of us need to get stronger. The only time we bring all our forces out is in the final conflict, and now is not the time. You all have only had a day to get used to being Arrancar, and using Resurrección. Use this time wisely!"

"Much as I hate to use him as an example, look at Tōsen!" Hitsugaya pointed out the meditating man. "Even now, he's trying to get stronger through Jinzen!"

"Damn it." Everyone quieted as Shinji stepped to the front. "Guys, they're right. Think about it. We're acting like rookie Shinigami who just got their Shikai. 'Oh, lookie, I have Resurección! Let's go kick some ass and take names!'" he mocked.

"Well, Ichigo did pretty well," Love muttered.

"And you'll notice he doesn't know any of his unique Hollow powers besides high-speed regeneration," Shinji replied scathingly. "We need practice, and there's only so much practice we can get on each other."

"What are you suggesting?" Rose asked.

"We fight our Inner Shinigami. Who better to fight than ourselves? Who knows, we might even get their swords and be able to use Shikai and Bankai while in Resurrección."

There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to digest that idea, before Kensei spoke up. "That's a good idea. Fine."

That seemed to be the trigger, as one by one the other Arrancar assented to the plan.

* * *

Upon hearing Ichigo's agreement, Shūren nodded once, though he kept his fire sword activated. "Alright, we have to move quickly. Cut my chains before Hell realizes what's going on and takes control of me."

Ichigo grimaced. After he'd viewed Cazador's memory of watching Kōkuto be strangled by Hell's chains with merely a thought, Ichigo knew he couldn't put it past Hell to have that power. But he still didn't like the idea of letting Shūren loose before the Togabito had resurrected his family. Then a thought occurred to him – "Neither of us know whether you'll be able to work the pool without Hell's chains. We'll have to risk it. I'll cut your chains after they're revived."

Shūren scowled but nodded in reluctant assent. "Fine, then, but the plan will need to change a little to minimize risk."

"What do you mean?"

"If you cut my chains, Hell shouldn't be able to sense me," Shūren explained. "We could take your family with us and let Hell's reiatsu finish readying their souls for the reincarnation process. But you've got a good point. So I need to bring Hell's reiatsu to your family. And we should fight, just to keep up the façade so Hell himself doesn't step in."

"Fine." Ichigo stepped back inside Urahara's shop and came out a few minutes later with Yuzu and Masaki. He sat them down, and Shūren quietly opened a portal to Hell. Then, the fighters looked at each other, and in unison flared their reiatsu and lunged at each other. Hachi, who had followed Ichigo, quickly flung up barriers around the pair of fighters and Ichigo's family so that Hell's poisonous miasma would not impact anyone else.

Ichigo swung Zangetsu at Shūren viciously, who flung his fiery sword up to block. A moment later, the Togabito lashed out with a fire orb, but this time Ichigo was ready for it, having fallen victim to that same tactic in Hell.

The Vizard jumped up and over Shūren before lashing out at the Togabito's back. "Getsuga Tenshō!"

Twisting around, Shūren thrust both hands in front of him and unleashed a torrent of fire to combat the Getsuga. The flames managed to overwhelm the crescent attack, but Ichigo was no longer in their path.

Ichigo flickered beside the Togabito, Zangetsu in mid-swing, making Shūren leap awkwardly to his right to avoid it. The Togabito was unable to avoid it entirely, though, and took a cut to his arm.

A weak cough caught Ichigo's immediately attention, and he nearly got speared through the chest for his distraction. Luckily, Hachi threw up a barrier just in time between them, and the fire spear dissolved. "Ichigo, Yuzu…!"

Ichigo appeared by his sister's side with a flicker of Shunpo, kneeling. Yuzu was coughing, but was definitely alive! Holding Zangetsu to the side, he wordlessly entered Bankai and drew his Adjuchas mask, flipping his reiatsu to its evolved state. _**"Hachi, hold the chain out away from her chest." **_

"Of course." Hachi clapped his hands together, concentrating. A few moments later, Yuzu was being held upright by a few barriers, and her chain, short though it was, was being held taut as far out as it could go.

Tensa Zangetsu suddenly seethed with the power of a Getsuga Tenshō, and Ichigo prepared himself with both hands. Yelling, he brought down the sword of his soul.

Chain links fell to either side, and Ichigo watched carefully as the Chain of Hell dissolved away, leaving only Yuzu, though her chest was bloody from where the Chain had emerged from her physical body. Hachi immediately began healing her, and only a minute later, Yuzu opened her eyes. "Ichi… nii?"

Ichigo had taken off the mask and reverted back to Shikai immediately after cutting the chains, and kneeled down next to her, carefully shielding her from the reiatsu coming out of the portal to Hell. "Yuzu," he whispered. "You're ok now. Just rest."

Yuzu shook her head no. "No, Ichi-nii… I have to tell you something…!"

"What is it?"

"Hell… When I was… I could _feel _Hell! He touched my soul…!"

Ichigo barely held back from growling angrily. "What did he do?"

Yuzu began to cry. "He… He made the chain hurt so much…! When he touched my arm, it burned! He said I would die soon and be damned to Hell! And then he laughed!" She shivered and drew in on herself. "I told him you would save me, that you had beat Aizen and you would beat him too. He smiled, and said that he'd met you. He has plans for you, Ichi-nii! He wants to use our family against you, and force you to join him!"

Ichigo gave his sister a hug, pulling her close. "I won't let that happen, Yuzu."

"Don't go to Hell, Ichi-nii! Please!"

"I have to, Yuzu. Mom still needs to be saved."

Yuzu clutched her brother harder. She knew there was nothing she could do or say that would convince Ichigo to stay. And she wanted Masaki to be revived too. "Just… Just don't die, Ichi-nii. Not for her. Mom wouldn't want that."

Ichigo's eyes closed for a moment. "I know. I won't die."

"If we're done with the touchy-feeling reunion, can we get _on _with this?" Shūren cut in. "Look. The woman has finished dying."

Ichigo looked. Masaki's chain was glowing, and only a moment later she fell into a portal that opened beneath her. He locked eyes with his little sister. "Time to go, Yuzu. I need you to stay with Hachi here until I get back, alright?"

Yuzu wordlessly nodded and stepped back to stand next to the barrier user. "I'll keep her safe," Hachi promised without prompting.

The transcendent nodded as well. "Let's go."

"About time," Shūren snarked.

The two of them stepped into the portal, which promptly closed behind them. Emerging in Hell, Ichigo looked around. They were on the top level. "Why here?"

"We're trying to stay discrete. One of the standing orders Hell gave is to capture as many souls as possible and to try and draw out the Kushanāda on this level," Shūren explained. "Hell will have thought that I created that portal to throw in any humans who came by. But we have to act quickly. Let's move."

Nodding in understanding, Ichigo followed Shūren as they found a point to jump down to the next level. Doing so, the pair of them didn't bother to stop and just dove straight through the water separating them from the third level down, delving deeper into the Hell dimension until they emerged in the desert area. Landing lightly, Ichigo and Shūren promptly took off at high speed towards the lava-like pool. Just like Shūren had said, it was being guarded by four black-hooded figures.

"Keep 'em busy," Shūren ordered.

"Just hurry up and revive my mother," Ichigo shot back, drawing Zangetsu. He flickered into Shunpo and appeared right in front of one of the figures, who was obviously surprised by the sudden attack. "Getsuga Tenshō!"

Caught completely off guard, the figure was promptly bifurcated by the crescent attack. But the Vizard had no time to celebrate – two of the three remaining guards were closing in on him, and the last was backing away and…

Ichigo's thoughts were interrupted with the need to move. He leapt backwards and promptly deflected a downward sword strike with Zangetsu, before flickering away just in time to avoid being crushed by a large, spiked war hammer. _Two on one, huh? Then let's even the odds. _With a twist of his left hand, he manifested the white Zangetsu.

… which was lucky, as a split second later, the white Zangetsu inadvertently blocked a bolt of some kind that had been fired from the long-range assailant. He glanced that way and stiffened in surprise. _That's a Quincy bow!_

_**Oooh, tricky. You got the fast slicer, the slower crusher, and the long-range archer. Who are you going after first?**_

Ichigo scowled. _Archer first. If he's got Quincy powers, it's probably going to be like fighting Ishida. Best to get him out quickly so he doesn't come up with a very irritating strategy. _

_**You'll need someone to keep the other two off your back and you don't got your friends with ya this time. Manifest me; you don't want to use your mask here in Hell anyway.**_

The Vizard was about to reply, but had to take a few moment to simultaneously avoid another round of bolts and kick the sword-user to a slightly safer distance. Slightly safer meaning a dozen meters away or so. _Why don't I just use Bankai?_

_Do not use Bankai, or release your seals, now, Ichigo. You'll attract the attention of the remaining Kushanāda, as well as Hell himself, if he is not already on his way. It would be best to remain discrete. _

Ichigo had to concede that Zangetsu had a point, though he thought discrete was hardly the word considering the fight he'd gotten into. Sensing Cazador's impatience, and admitting that he couldn't deal with all three fighters at once, Ichigo _pulled_.

Cazador de la Luna materialized with a wicked grin, eyeing the two melee fighters as he drew his own black and white Zangetsu. "Oooooh yeah," he breathed, his smile growing impossibly wide. "This'll be fun. I've got this, King. Go deal with the Quincy."

The Vizard didn't bother to respond – instead, he flickered into Shunpo and threw his white blade at the Quincy, who dodged easily. Ichigo continued to charge right for him, using his black blade to block and deflect the flurry of shots that the Quincy delivered, and then yanked on the cloth that had wrapped around his left arm.

Ichigo's opponent evidently saw this coming and leapt up and used Hirenkyaku to try to put some distance between them, moving to fight in the air. Ichigo paused for a moment to see how Shūren was doing – he was standing in front of the pool with his materialized chains dipping into the pool, and saying something that the transcendent couldn't hear. Satisfied that Shūren seemed to be doing his part, the Vizard gave chase to the Quincy he was fighting.

As he approached, the Quincy drew his bow back and said the first words that Ichigo had heard him utter."Licht Regen."

"Shit!" Ichigo flickered into Shunpo, trying to dodge to the side of the onslaught of arrows. He succeeded for a moment, but then the Quincy followed him and it was very clear that Ichigo could not evade forever.

_Well, if I can't dodge, and I can't block my entire body… then it's time to punch through! _Holding both Zangetsu above his head, he swung down as hard as he could. "Getsuga Tenshō!"

A purplish-blue Getsuga, twice as tall as Ichigo and three times as wide, roared out, eradicating hundreds of spiritual arrows as it sought out the Quincy. Ichigo took the brief respite to concentrate and control his power; he needed to keep the enemy from firing on him. Lucky for him, he knew the perfect spell for that.

The Quincy materialized mere feet behind him, a powerful arrow cocked and ready, but Ichigo smirked. Mentally giving thanks to Hachi and Tessai, he pointed the right Zangetsu at his opponent and quickly incanted "Bakudō 4: Hainawa!"

Glowing chains materialized and promptly bound the Quincy's arms to his sides in a way that Ichigo had struggled to do during his Kidō training. The Vizard immediately lunged for him, but was surprised when the chains seemed to dissolve, leaving the Quincy able to instantly fire the arrow he'd saved. Ichigo had barely been able to bring the blade in his left hand up to deflect it away. "What the hell? How did you get out of my chains?"

That prompted a stifled laugh from the hooded figure. "I am a Quincy, foolish boy. Those chains were merely constructs of reishi. I merely absorbed the reishi that comprised them, and your spell fell apart. There is a reason we were able to fight the Shinigami so well in the war – only their highest levels of binding could keep us bound."

Ichigo blinked. "You must have been a very powerful Quincy when you were alive. Who are you?"

"I?" The Quincy lowered his hood, revealing strikingly familiar features. "My name is Ishida Haken. In life, I was a highly respected elder. Now, who are you, and why did you come to Hell?"

_Ishida? _Ichigo made a mental note to ask Uryū about Haken later. "I am Kurosaki Ichigo, Substitute Shinigami, Vizard. I'm here to revive and rescue my mother, who was banished here by Shinigami nobles to hurt me. What sin sent you to Hell?"

Haken chuckled, and there was some quality to it that gave Ichigo's arms goosebumps. "I assure you, I deserve to be here. I was one of the elders who refused to see reason regarding our arrows destroying the souls within the Hollows we slay. I was one of those who forced the Quincy Massacre to occur. The number of souls I killed with my arrows…" He shook his head and laughed lowly. That strange quality had gotten stronger, and sent shivers down Ichigo's spine. "And it turns out that neither side was right!"

"What?"

"Our arrows don't destroy their souls!" Haken cried out. "But neither do they become purified! No Hollow killed by a Quincy arrow returns to being a Plus soul and sent on to the afterlife!"

"Then what happens to them?" Ichigo had a sinking feeling that he knew the answer.

"You wanted to know my sin, boy?" Haken laughed again, and now Ichigo could recognize the madness in his eyes. "My sin was not forgiving the dead for that which they are not at fault! My sin was damning them all! Because every Hollow cut down by a Quincy, and all the souls they consumed, end up here in Hell! Every last soul comes here to Hell, to stay!"

* * *

And there we have it: the truth behind the Quincy arrows. I dislike the idea that a soul is so destructible that anybody with a little Quincy training could do it with minimal power. Besides, the Quincy were fighting for vengeance against spirits that harmed and killed their brethren, right? I think Yoda applies here: "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." The Quincies feared the spirits that targeted them. They began to hate them. They inflicted total suffering upon them. Welcome to Hell.

Anyway, on to the others. Kon makes a good showing. Rukia and Renji get a little more bonding, Ishida and Inoue take down Gunjo - though Tsubaki needs to be healed. Urahara and Yoruichi show why they are supreme tactitians by taking the lead and trying to hide the advantage.

Yuzu revived outside of Hell, with the chain still on her chest. There are reasons for that, but the key reason is that she was still exposed to Hell's reiatsu - remember the portal to Hell that Shuren opened? It was enough to prompt her resurrection, but as her soul was still bound to her body. Her chain of fate had not eroded. She was still a living soul. So she revived within her body. That is MY explanation for the inexplicable revival in the movie.

And Ichigo is trying to be discrete. *snerk* Good luck with that. Also, a brief look into a new possibility for him. He's able to manifest Zangetsu and Cazador de la Luna, but he'd never thought about using that ability to have them fight alongside him. There are drawbacks, however, which we'll get into next chapter most likely.

Next up, the spoiler rant.

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Huh. So when a Bankai is damaged, it stays damaged? That makes sense, I guess. Bankai is the "FINAL" release, as I understand it. It explains a lot about why most don't use Bankai so frequently - they don't want their ultimate weapon hurt. It's also a nice correlation to the Arrancar's Resurreccion. Remember Cirucci, and how when she damaged her released form she said it was permanent, and could never get it back?

Komamura is apparently an exception. Possibly Byakuya too, considering that his Bankai is simply an enormous shroud of blade fragments. Those don't usually get destroyed, they simply shatter into smaller fragments, which can still be used.

Poor Tensa Zangetsu. I really wanted to see him, too! I thought for a bit that Ichigo would have to go into his Inner World and talk to Tensa Zangetsu. Maybe prove himself again. Like how Zangetsu repaired himself during Ichigo's fight with Kenpachi during the Soul Society arc.

But apparently Tensa Zangetsu is going to be reforged with high level techniques. Interesting.

Now, I have issues with Ichigo apparently being part Quincy. Seriously, I think that just about pushes him over the Gary Stu threshold. Human, Shinigami, Hollow, Fullbringer, and now Quincy? Not cool.

I'm fairly certain that it's Grimmjow with Urahara and the others at the moment. That'll be interesting to see.

I'm a little worried about how strong the Vandenreich apparently is, considering that Ichigo, at full resolve, got Tensa Zangetsu broken by an underling of the big bad.

Anyway, that's it for now. Until next time!

NeoRyu777


	57. Failure and Resolution

Holy crap, this one came out fast. I've had this mostly finished for almost a week and a half now, just doing some touch-ups. And it's longer than usual too!

Well, this will be my Christmas gift to all you who read this month, then. Have fun reading!

First up, review replies:

Shikyo no Kyoufu - Yes, this whole arc IS a kick in the balls. And it's not done yet. Just wait until you see what I have cooked up.

MysticSuperSaiyanGohan - Good point on Ichigo using up all his power to get free of that cage, but I'm not sure that's totally true... His coat serves as a measure for his power, right? He still had a good portion of it left. Eh, we'll see.

Zephyrus Genesis - Yeah, I'm sort of thinking the same thing. I suppose we'll see.

- Excellent point! Mayuri's Bankai was in fact cut in half by Ishida's arrow while he was in his self-destructive Final Form. I do think that Mayuri was able to regrow it, regenerate it, whatever. He probably has some formula based on the one that regrows his arm that can regrow his Bankai from cells or something. Or maybe he did clone it. Who knows?

sendicard - Renji is improving his control, which has several benefits. 1) More variety of attacks. 2) Better, faster control of his Bankai. 3) More uses of Hikotsu Taiho, again in his Bankai.

One new term:

Reio - I've now chosen to use this term instead of Spirit/Soul King. Since every edition of the manga I read seems to be flip-flopping on which translation it is, I'm just going with the Japanese version.

Let's just get one with the story, shall we?

* * *

Chapter 57: Failure and Resolution

Zommari looked around dismissively. He hadn't been able to sense his opponent from the beginning, but that was hardly surprising – he hadn't needed to be able to actively sense people for a long time, long before he'd even met Aizen. With his eyes, he'd been able to see everywhere around him and capture his attackers with his Amor. On those rare occasions when it was needed, Zommari had Pesquisa, the Arrancar sensing skill.

But now that he was a Togabito, deprived of his many eyes and forced to rely on only the two he'd been born with, Zommari was having difficulty keeping track of where his opponent was. It looked a great deal, no, almost identical to Kurosaki Ichigo, but Zommari dismissed the possibility – there was no enormous Zanpakutō, and there had been no use of any Shinigami skills. In all likelihood, this was simply a spiritually-enhanced human, or one of those portable souls that Shinigami use when they need to inhabit mortal bodies.

_And while there's a chance I caught Kurosaki Ichigo before he could exit his body, there's no reason why he wouldn't do so now, _Zommari reasoned. _I came here to avenge Aizen-sama… but he has the arrogance to not even be here. _He carefully looked around for his opponent. _Did he truly run away? _

Zommari cursed that his Amor had been weakened so. Before he had been slain by that Quincy – _damn that boy _– a single look upon the face of any foolish soul and an invisible burst of Amor would make them his slave, body and mind alike. But now, that power had been reduced to almost nothing. He required the use of his hands, and was limited to a mere ten subjects instead of his previous 52. And even now, his control was not absolute – he could feel his prisoner struggling to break free, and Zommari had no control at all over the man's mouth and throat.

"Hey! Head's up!"

"Eh?" Interrupted from his thoughts, Zommari turned around and was promptly smacked in the face by a soccer ball that exploded on impact, the ball's leather enveloping his face and thoroughly obscuring his vision. _Shit! _He swiftly moved Isshin to protect him from the front, anticipating an attack. Strangely, he felt no resistance from Isshin this time… _Wait. _

Zommari felt a chill when he heard a voice from right behind him. "Wrong way, baka."

He began to spin, but was promptly kicked hard, too hard for a normal human. Zommari was sent through the air and landed somewhere grassy. He managed to rip the leather off his face, but it was too late – in his distraction and inability to see he was no longer pointing directly at Isshin. Which meant he was…

Isshin sighed and sheathed Engetsu from where he'd promptly decapitated the Togabito. Both he and Kon watched as the body and head were pulled into a glowing red portal before the portal collapsed. "Glad that's over, but did you have to blow up Karin's soccer ball? She's going to be upset."

"I needed a way to keep him from seeing me so I could get behind him!" Kon retorted. "Since I don't have a handy smokescreen attack, I used what was available!"

Isshin ruffled Kon's hair. "I know. Good job, by the way."

Kon froze for a second. It felt unexpectedly good to have Ichigo's father say that to him. But even so, he'd fought a sentient being, directly participated in causing its demise, even if it wasn't permanent. And that made him feel rather sick. "I-I-Isshin?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"How do you deal with…" Kon gestured where Zommari had been. "… killing things? I mean, I know it was needed… Kami knows what would have happened to you and Karin if he'd been allowed to live… but…"

Isshin's expression softened. "Let's go inside for this talk."

After they re-entered the Kurosaki house-hold, Kon sat down on the couch while Isshin went to tell Karin that they were safe for the moment. A few moments later, Isshin came down and sighed, sitting in a chair. "Kon… Ichigo told me about your feelings regarding life. It's a respectable outlook."

Kon merely nodded. He didn't want anything to die. After all that time being afraid of his own death, stuck in pill form directly after the Mod-Soul production ceased and terrified that he would be found and destroyed, he couldn't stand the idea of letting anything die, let alone being directly involved in it. He didn't mind helping a bit with Hollows; that wasn't really killing them, that was purifying and sending them to Soul Society, just making them stop being monsters. _But… Zommari… he wasn't a Hollow. And he looked all too human. _

"The problem, Kon, is that we don't really have a choice," Isshin said heavily. "You know what they are: Togabito, with the power to open and close portals to Hell at whim. We don't have a way to detain them, so the only choice is to eliminate them as a threat. That means killing them, even if they come back later."

"I know all that," the Mod-Soul replied, poking at the side of his own head. "Up here. But… it hurts here." He tapped at his heart. "How do Shinigami and humans deal with this? Knowing that they played a part in the death of another being? Isn't life sacred?"

Isshin grimaced. "It depends on the person. Shinigami don't really deal with it very often, as our main task is to cleanse Hollows. But when a good man does have to kill…" He sighed. "We usually have to rationalize it. Dehumanize the enemy, make them different from us. Tell ourselves over and over again why it has to be done. Understand that you don't want to, but it's for a greater good. Something, anything to shift the blame off you." He shook his head. "You can make your body strong. You can make your spirit resilient. But your heart and mind? They are so fragile.

"Look at Ichigo. He's very strong now, right?" Kon nodded, and Isshin continued. "He took Aizen's life. He did it to save everyone, but he has nightmares so frequently these days because his mind rebels against the idea that he killed someone. His whole life, he has fought only to defend himself and others. And while he's put people in the hospital before, no one has ever died because he exerted his strength. Until now. I've no doubt that he's feeling horror that he actually did it, and sorrow and guilt for not thinking of a way to subdue Aizen without killing him, and anger that Aizen forced his hand.

"Ichigo is in a very fragile state right now – he hasn't had the time to mourn and begin to move on. And I worry for him, because as terrible as it is to take a life, he will be forced to do so much more than that in this war against Hell."

* * *

Ichigo looked at Haken in disbelief, unable to process what he'd just heard. If Quincy arrows sent souls directly to Hell, then all of those Hollows that Uryū had killed… "No. No way."

"Don't believe me?" Haken smiled knowingly. "You'll see."

"How? How could that be true?" Ichigo demanded. "What connection could your arrows possibly have to Hell?"

"That's a long story that you don't have time for," the Quincy Togabito reminded with an insane smile. But then, his face grew a little more focused, a little more rational. "But tell me… are there any Quincy remaining among the living?"

Ichigo nodded. "Yes. A friend of mine, Ishida Uryū."

"Ishida…" Haken murmured, and the madness that decorated his expression faded further. "Is there yet a chance…? Then I'll let you go. Save your mother. But in return… save my descendants. Somewhere in the living world, there is a spiritual contract. It'll be hidden – only a Quincy can find it. Find it, and all your questions will be answered. Now go!"

Ichigo blinked, but decided that it was probably best to take advantage of his good fortune. He turned on his heel and Shunpo-ed down, directly behind the two Togabito who were attacking Cazador. A moment later, he stabbed the sword-wielder in the back with the black Zangetsu, while Cazador took advantage of the opportunity to shove his own blade into the Togabito with the war hammer.

"What happened over there, King?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but the Quincy won't bother us. Come back in."

Cazador nodded reluctantly, and dissipated into reishi before returning to Ichigo's heart. _**I'll get Zangetsu to fill me in. Let's go get her out of here.**_

_Damn right. _Ichigo Shunpo-ed over to Shūren, who appeared to be sweating heavily and struggling with something. "What's wrong?"

"It's being difficult!" Shūren grunted. "I don't understand!"

"Then perhaps I can enlighten you."

Ichigo and Shūren froze, and as one turned around. Hell was right there, standing casually only a few meters away. "Hell-sama…" Shūren murmured, falling to one knee immediately.

Hell ignored him. "Kurosaki Ichigo… or is it Cazador de la Luna?"

The Vizard shifted stance warily. "I'm Ichigo."

"Of course you are. Your sister told me all about you. You defeated… Aizen Sōsuke, was it?" Hell asked curiously.

Ichigo nodded slowly, trying to get a measure for Hell's reiatsu. Then the truth, and horror began to dawn on him. For all of Ichigo's evolutions, he still couldn't sense Hell at all.

"Can't say I'm familiar with the name," Hell told Ichigo nonchalantly. "Then again, if he started as a Shinigami, I wouldn't be anyway. But maybe you can tell me more. How strong was he?" He smiled. "And how strong are _you?_"

Ichigo tightened his grip on Zangetsu. "There was no one else in Soul Society who could stand against him, in the end. I suppose if the Reiō had gotten involved, then…"

Hell laughed. "The Reiō? He doesn't get involved unless he has to, Kurosaki Ichigo. He would have sent his Royal Guard. So, none of the Gotei 13 could stand against him? Not even Yamamoto?"

"How do you know of the Gotei 13?" Ichigo asked.

Hell's smile grew. "I have my ways. But allow me to get to the point. I want you on my side, Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Yuzu told me as much," Ichigo replied.

"I figured she would after I felt my connection to her slip. After all, as much as I would like to be able to hold onto a living soul, my Chains are simply no match to a living soul's Chain of Fate. No matter." Hell sighed and glanced at Shūren. "I might have known you would try this, Shūren-kun. Such resentment and greed, no wonder you have grown strong here. But you'd do just about anything to be free of my Chains, wouldn't you? Very well."

Shūren's face shot up to stare at Hell in slight disbelief and hope. Hell made a simple gesture, and the Chains binding the Togabito fell away to the sand before dissipating. "I… I'm free?"

Hell laughed again, far darker than before. "In a sense." In an instant, he was beside Shūren, his hand on top of the ex-Togabito's skull. "Free of the Chains, yes. Free of me? _Never._" He clenched his hand into a fist, crushing Shūren's head to pulp.

The corpse fell messily to the ground, before dissolving into sand and being blown away into the desert. Ichigo stared on in horror. _He just… so fast!_

Hell flicked his hand out to the desert, the remaining bits of flesh between his fingers too dissolving into sand and being carelessly banished away. "No doubt you wondered why he could not resurrect your mother," Hell commented carelessly. "There is a very simple reason for that. Resurrection cycles here are based on how much power that soul has. Kurosaki Masaki had no true spiritual power of her own, and she lacked the hatred, resentment, anger and fear to benefit from being a Togabito. Shūren was fighting against the tide, essentially, and simply didn't have enough power to call her out."

Ichigo swallowed, his mouth dry. "I know you told Cazador that you would require a pure soul in trade for her. But will you resurrect her?"

"Certainly." Hell turned towards the lava pool. "Come forth, Kurosaki Masaki."

The lava rushed upwards in a pillar for a moment, before the nude form of Ichigo's mother fell out and collapsed just outside the pool. Hell made a dismissive gesture, and she was instantly clothed in an elegant red kimono. Ichigo made to rush towards her, but Hell was suddenly, instantly in the way.

"No, Ichigo-kun. I said I would resurrect her. I did not say I would give her to you. Her soul is mine, unless you have that pure soul for trade."

Ichigo grit his teeth. "I do not."

"That's a shame. Because, you see…" Hell lifted his hand, materializing Masaki's Chain effortlessly and lifting her off the ground. "Right now, she is useless to me. Perhaps I should scatter her to the desert as well…?"

"No!" Ichigo lunged for the creator of this dimension, both Zangetsu blazing with the light of a Getsuga Tenshō.

But just as he was about to strike, Hell was no longer there. "Oh? You wish to fight me for her?" Hell smiled. "Very well then." He dropped Masaki to the ground, and in his right hand generated a simple-looking sword.

"Ichi… go…" Masaki gasped out.

"Stay there, Mom. I'm coming for you." Ichigo briefly considered releasing his seals, but decided against it. With his seals off, he would be largely unable to touch his mother, and he was hoping for a chance to grab her and get away. _But aside from that, I'm going to need every bit of power for this. I should finish it quickly! _Flaring his reiatsu violently around him, Ichigo thrust both Zangetsu in front of him. "BANKAI!" Emerging from the smoke with his Adjuchas mask on, the Vizard began to flicker in an out of Shunpo, circling Hell so quickly that he had several afterimages at any given moment. _**"Getsuga…" **_He materialized directly behind Hell and struck with both blades simultaneously in opposite directions, left and right horizontally. "_**...Tenshō!" **_

Black and white met, raging Getsugas blinding Ichigo to whether or not Hell was injured. But Ichigo leapt back regardless, pointing the white Tensa Zangetsu at Hell. A crimson Cero began to charge at its tip. _**"Cero!" **_Ichigo sustained the beam as long as he could, the power behind it kicking up sand and creating a smoke cover that enshrouded Hell. _Again._ _**"Cero!" **__Again! "__**CERO!" **__AGAIN! __**"CERO!" **_Ichigo screamed.

"Where are you pointing at?"

Ichigo's eyes went wide. He spun and leapt away to defend… too late. Hell's sword cut off his left arm at the shoulder. He grit his teeth in pain, but began shunted an enormous amount of power towards the wound. His wound regenerated almost instantly, and with a twist of his wrist, the white Tensa Zangetsu leapt out of his old hand and into the newly regenerated one. The sleeve of his Bankai, however, did not grow back to cover his arm, leaving it bare.

Hell dropped his sword and applauded slowly, evidently unharmed from the onslaught. "Powerful. Very powerful in fact. And unafraid of using both Shinigami and Hollow abilities. Excellent, but… not strong enough. Why don't you utilize your Resurrección?"

"_**Because the air here makes me lose control when I do!" **_Ichigo retorted.

"Ah," Hell replied in realization, as if he'd honestly not known. "So that's the effect my reiatsu has on you. What a pity, I would have liked to take you on at full power. But no matter… I have what I want."

"_**What?"**_ And then Ichigo fell to his knees as he felt something materialize on his chest. _Chains… _His eyes widened in horror, the horrific dream he'd had coming to the fore. _No! NO! _Attached to his chest were the Chains of Hell. "How?"he gasped, his mask crumbling in his shock.

"Don't tell me you didn't already know," Hell chided, materializing the other end of Ichigo's Chain in his hand. "You may not have died, but you willingly took my power into yourself. After that, I just needed the connection to be strong enough. I needed your rage, your resentment, your hate, your desperation. So I brought out your mother and goaded you into fighting me with everything you could. That was more than enough. You belong to me now."

Ichigo stabbed the white Tensa Zangetsu into the ground, using it for stability as he slowly stood up. "No."

"What?" For the first time, Hell looked surprised.

"I… do not belong to you!"Ichigo roared, straightening up as his power raged around him, black as a Getsuga. His mask reformed over the left side of his face, leaving his right untouched. The chains attached to his chest rattled under the weight of his reiatsu, and his eyes, once more the mismatched set of Ichigo's own brown and Cazador's amber, glowed with his resolve. _**"This parasite inside me, this damned fragment of your ugly power – I REJECT IT!" **_

Suddenly, something in Ichigo's heart twisted in terrible, soul-wrenching pain before Hell Ichigo erupted from Ichigo's chest, taking the Chains of Hell with him. He turned around, his face a mask of disbelief. "Ichigo… What have you done?"

Hell blinked, before he began to laugh again, heartily. "Oh, now this IS interesting! Very well, Kurosaki Ichigo. Your mother will live for now. Until next time."

A portal opened directly behind Ichigo without warning, and he found himself falling through it. Crashing on the ground outside of Urahara's shop with both Tensa Zangetsu on either side of him, Ichigo spun around and tried to dive back in, but to no avail. The portal had already almost finished closing, and the last thing he saw was his mother's tear-streaked face. _Damn it. Damn it. __**"DAMN IT!" **_he cried, punching the ground. _Mom…! Why couldn't I save you…?_

"Ichigo…"

The Vizard didn't bother to look up. He knew it was Urahara. _**"I couldn't save her. All my power… was nothing!"**_ He punched the street again, and his fist came up bloody. _**"Hell has her, and I couldn't EVEN TOUCH HIM!" **_

"Then you'll train until you can," Urahara said simply.

"_**How? HOW, URAHARA?"**_

"The same way as you did in the Dangai. Against another opponent you can't touch."

Ichigo froze and turned around. There was the spirit of his Bankai, and beside him was his Inner Hollow. The mask fragment crumbled away again, once more revealing Ichigo's entire face. "Tensa Zangetsu?"

"I will not have my wielder succumb to despair, Ichigo," Tensa Zangetsu angrily reminded him. "Abandon your fear, and I will always help you protect those precious to you."

"Look forward, King. So what if Hell makes it more difficult to use Resurrección without losing yourself?" Cazador demanded. "Practice it without my help until you can stand against the instinct alone. Move forward and never stop."

"There is always a way, Ichigo. You will only age if you pull back, and the task will become that much more difficult."

"And once you see that chance to win, don't you dare hesitate, or you will die."

Ichigo nodded, thoroughly chastened. With their piece said, the avatars of Ichigo's power dematerialized and returned to Ichigo's Inner World. Looking back at Urahara, Ichigo found the inventor looking rather interested. "Did they come out on their own that time?" the shopkeeper asked.

"Er, yeah. Why?"

Urahara smiled. "That's rather unusual, Ichigo. Bankai spirits don't usually materialize themselves. Shikai spirits do occasionally, but Bankai spirits?" He shook his head. "You grow ever more interesting, Ichigo."

Ichigo sighed, and then a thought occurred to him. "Hey, is everyone alright? Hell sent a few people, right?"

"That's correct. But everyone is fine – a few scrapes, but no one was seriously hurt," Urahara reported. "Although there's a certain…"

"ICHI-NII!"

"… never mind," Urahara finished with a smile, watching as Yuzu tackled her older brother.

"Ichi-nii, are you ok?" Yuzu asked, checking him for injuries as though she didn't trust him to tell the truth.

_She probably doesn't, _the Vizard had to admit. "I'm fine, Yuzu." Ichigo grimaced and looked away. "But I wasn't able to save Mom."

Yuzu stiffened, but relaxed a moment later. "Then you'll just have to save her next time," she finally said quietly several seconds later. "After all, my brother is too stubborn to give up, even when he probably should."

Her words pierced right through the wall he'd built up around his emotions, and his eyes began to sparkle with unshed tears. A half-laughing, half-sobbing sound choked out of Ichigo's throat as he wiped his eyes with his left hand. He pulled Yuzu into a hug with his right. "Yeah, Yuzu. I'm kinda dumb like that. Let's get you home to Karin and Dad."

"When you're done there, come on back," Urahara ordered. "We have things to discuss."

Nodding, Ichigo reverted to Shikai and dismissed the white blade he'd won from his Hollow. Sheathing Zangetsu on his back, Ichigo picked up Yuzu and held her against his chest. "You ready?"

Yuzu nodded. A second later, she felt the air crushing her against her older brother, and then a few seconds later it was over. Ichigo set her down, and she realized that they were just outside of the Kurosaki home. "You're really, really fast, Ichi-nii."

"Not fast enough," Ichigo muttered. "OW!" He rubbed his leg where his little sister had smacked it. "What was that for?"

"No beating yourself up!" Yuzu commanded. "You'll get Mom next time."

The door to their home flung open unexpectedly. "Yuzu? YUZU!" Ichigo swore that Karin must have used Shunpo or something, because one second she was at the door, and the next instant she'd tackled her twin and was holding her as tightly as possible.

"Karin! I need to breathe!" Yuzu complained even as she hugged her sister back almost as tightly.

Then Karin let go and looked directly into Yuzu's eyes. "Don't you scare me like that again!"

"I'll try," Yuzu promised.

Ichigo couldn't help but smile seeing the reunion. Feeling eyes upon him, he saw Isshin at the door where Karin had been. Meeting his father's gaze, Ichigo slowly shook his head in the negative. Isshin slumped momentarily, before straightening. When their eyes met again, both of them could see the determination burning darkly in the other.

_We will save Mom. _

_Yes, son. We will._

They were Kurosaki. They would protect. _No matter what it takes._

* * *

As soon as Ichigo reentered the Urahara shop, the shopkeeper almost dragged him to the Seireitei communications room, where he'd talked to Byakuya not long ago. It seemed that all of the taicho in Soul Society were present on their end, while the living world team minus the Vizard-turned-Arrancar and Tōsen was on the other.

Yamamoto banged his cane. "Hitsugaya-taicho. Report."

The diminutive white-haired Shinigami nodded solemnly. "Hell sent a multi-pronged strike force to the living world today. Sado Yasutora successfully defeated a Togabito at the school. Ishida Uryū and Inoue Orihime defeated another in the woods nearby. Kurosaki Isshin, who is not present due to the needs of protecting his family, defeated a third outside the Kurosaki residence. Kurosaki Ichigo met with a fourth directly outside of the Urahara shop.

"The ex-taicho and ex-fukutaicho who make up the Vizard, with the exception of Hachigen, are currently training to explore their Resurrección abilities. Tōsen is still performing Jinzen."

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Yamamoto's attention turned to the Vizard in question. "Report."

"You could ask nicely," Ichigo muttered mutinously under his breath, but sighed. "The Togabito who appeared was Shūren, one of the Togabito who had kidnapped my sisters. I fought him, until he offered a deal. He wanted to be free of Hell, and in return he would help remove the Chains of Hell from my sister and mother. I agreed."

"Why?"

"Several reasons. My family is most important to me, and I couldn't imagine getting a better opportunity to get willing help from a Togabito. It would also definitively test if I could destroy their chains now that Hell has returned to power. Finally, it would deprive Hell of a capable fighter capable of taking on my masked Bankai," Ichigo explained.

"My machines indicate you entered the Hell dimension at this point," Mayuri commented.

"Not quite. Shūren did open the portal, but the exposure to Hell's air made my sister, Yuzu, come back to life. I cut her chain, and she is now a normal human again," Ichigo corrected. "My mother, however, died completely and her soul was taken back to Hell. After that, we entered Hell."

"Were you successful in resurrecting Masaki?" Yamamoto queried emotionlessly.

"Yes and no. Hell arrived and destroyed Shūren entirely. He resurrected Masaki using the lava pool, but refused to give her up. I fought Hell, trying to beat him down long enough to take Masaki and run. He beat me."

"Are you a Togabito now?"

"Again, yes and no." Ichigo was prepared for the uproar from everyone, and weathered it stoically.

"How did this happen?" Yamamoto demanded.

"During my first incursion to Hell, in an effort to reduce Hell's impact on my Hollow side, I battled a manifestation of the effects within my Inner World." Ichigo explained. "I rejected its power, and it dissipated within my Inner World, so I thought nothing of it. Apparently I did not get rid of Hell's reiatsu entirely, and it coalesced into a, for lack of a better description, Inner Togabito.

"However, this time, Hell sensed that presence and tried to use it to control me. He manifested the Chains of Hell on me. But I expelled the Inner Togabito from my soul, and doing so removed the Chains from me. He now resides in Hell. So if you see someone who looks like me, with red eyes and darker hair and Chains, that's him."

Ichigo's voice grew even more serious. "If he appears, be very careful. I have no way of knowing whether he has all the abilities I do."

"Is there anything else of note?"

Ichigo silently sent an apology to his friend. "I encountered a Quincy in Hell."

"Who?" Ishida asked.

"… Ishida Haken."

"We should have expected this," Ukitake murmured. "So it's even more dangerous than we thought, then."

"Yes, but not for the reasons you think," Ichigo interrupted. "Haken told me the truth regarding Quincy arrows."

"What truth?" Ishida demanded. "What don't I know about my own power?"

"Ishida, your arrows don't destroy souls," the transcendent told him bluntly. "Those souls go straight to Hell. Do not pass Soul Society, do not collect purification."

"What?" Ishida turned to Ichigo in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"The boy is correct."

The Quincy slowly turned to the viewing screen, where Mayuri had spoken. "And you knew."

"Of course I knew, idiot!" Mayuri spat. "I am a scientist! After all those experiments I performed on the Quincy, how could I not know?"

"Then why?" Ishida asked quietly, his voice slowly rising. "Why were we told that we were destroying the balance? Why were my people murdered? WHY DID THE WAR EVEN HAPPEN?"

"The Quincy were in fact disrupting the balance," Yamamoto decreed, cutting off Ishida. "Simply not for the reasons you think. It is true that Quincy arrows do not destroy souls. But Hell does not release souls so easily. If a Shinigami or plus soul dies, it returns to the living world for reincarnation. If a Hollow dies, it is purified and sent on to Soul Society or Hell, depending on the actions taken in life. But when a Togabito dies, it simply returns to Hell endlessly. There is no return to the normal cycle of reincarnation.

"With the Quincy sending every soul they slew to Hell directly, the Hell dimension grew larger and heavier compared to the other dimensions. If it had continued, Hell would have consumed the living world entirely before moving on to Soul Society and Hueco Mundo.

"In addition, with every soul that was sent straight to Hell, the chances of Hell finding a being with sufficient power to resurrect even a fragment of its former self increased. As you are aware, knowledge of the true nature of Hell was strictly forbidden, even to the taicho. So it could not be revealed to mortals that they were potentially recreating an apocalypse by that method.

The decision was made to exaggerate the problem slightly. It was thought that the Quincy would be more inclined to cease their activities if they believed that they were destroying souls entirely. After all, the sanctity of human life was one of the most used arguments the Quincy had used to argue for their powers. Surely, we thought, that would extend to the human soul. The rest, you are already aware of," Yamamoto finished.

Ishida's glasses flashed. "Do you know _why _our powers send souls to Hell, then?"

"Actually, Haken mentioned some sort of spiritual contract," Ichigo offered. "He said something about only a Quincy being able to get to it, and that it would explain everything."

"Fine. Looks like I know what I'll be doing for the foreseeable future," Ishida replied bitterly, storming out.

"Uryū!" the quiet-until-now Inoue called out, following him outside.

Ichigo sighed. _That could have gone better. _"How about from your end?" he asked. "I understand that you're creating a team to capture a Togabito for study. How's that going?"

The taicho that Ichigo didn't recognize stepped forward. "You must be Kurosaki Ichigo. I am Amagai Shūsuke, the new taicho of the 5th Division, and the leader of the team you mentioned. The training has only just begun, and I anticipate it being another week or so of training before they are ready to go the living world."

Ichigo nodded. "Thanks for the update. Byakuya, any news on that thing we discussed?"

All eyes turned to the 6th Division taicho. "I have arranged a meeting, Kurosaki. I assure you, you will be alerted as soon as I have pertinent information."

"Everyone up to date then?" Urahara asked after a moment of silence. "Excellent. Then allow me to explain what Mayuri and I have accomplished. While it is more or less impossible to completely prevent Hell from invading, we have managed to make great progress on hindering Togabito from crossing into the living world."

"As everyone here is already well aware, the Dangai exists between Soul Society and the living world," Mayuri picked up where his predecessor left off. "The Kōryū and Kōtotsu serve nicely as an active defense against unwanted intruders."

Urahara sat at a nearby console and typed quickly, creating an illustration for everyone to see. "See, here is the current layout of dimensions. Hell, the living world, the Dangai, and Soul Society." He quickly created labels for each world as he called them out.

"Where is Hueco Mundo on this?" Ichigo asked, curious. He'd never gotten such a concise, clear display of where everything stood before.

Urahara clacked a few more keys, and a model for Hueco Mundo appeared slightly adjacent to the Dangai. "There we are."

"Huh. Hueco Mundo is closer to Hell than Soul Society is," Ichigo observed. "In fact, it's about as close as the living world is."

"Of course it is, idiot," Mayuri insulted. "Only freshly dead souls and Hollows have the capacity of being sent to Hell upon purification. It's obvious that Hell would remain relatively close to the dimensions that retain large quantities of each."

"Not my point," Ichigo argued. "Hell is closer than usual to the living world, right? So did Hell move closer to Hueco Mundo as well? Because it looks to me like even if we manage to make it difficult for Hell to come straight to the living world, there's nothing preventing Hell from taking over Hueco Mundo and coming in through that route."

Startled, Urahara typed furiously at his computer before whirling around to face the Vizard. "Have you ever considered a career in the military? You've got a good eye for on-the-spot analysis of defensive weaknesses."

"Wait, the fool is correct?" Mayuri demanded disbelievingly.

"Apparently," Urahara replied carelessly. "But if the fool is correct, then who was truly the fool?"

"Enough!" Yamamoto declared. "It would seem that Hueco Mundo will need to be protected as well. We will address that shortly. Urahara, Kurotsuchi-taicho, continue."

"Right then," the shopkeeper began with a cheerful smile, "the whole idea is to shift and stretch the Dangai a bit. Sort of wedge it in between the living world and Hell, so to speak. With any luck, the Dangai's defenses – the Kōryū and Kōtotsu – will hinder the Togabito. At the very least, it will prove more difficult for Togabito to simply rip holes from Hell to the living world."

"What are the downsides?" Chad asked, speaking up for the first time this meeting.

"There are a few big ones," Urahara admitted. "It's difficult to move a dimension – it will take time and effort. It will also render the living world mostly cut off from Soul Society until the dimension stabilizes enough to work through. Even then, it would be extremely unsafe, as the Kōtotsu must be almost constantly active."

"It's not perfect," Mayuri admitted reluctantly, "but there are tactical advantages as well. Using the Dangai in this way will allow Soul Society easier access to Hell directly, by taking advantage of our Jigokuchō. We will, of course, need to shield the Dangai similarly to the living world in order to maximize its defensive capabilities."

Yamamoto's frown grew slightly darker. "This would create a connection, albeit indirect, to Soul Society from Hell, correct?"

"Yes," Urahara conceded. "However, between the Dangai's natural defenses, plus the shielding against Hell, it would make it very difficult to get through. And even if they did, they'd have the Gotei 13 to fight against on their own turf. And, recent incidents notwithstanding, that's quite a formidable force."

Everyone was silent, watching the sōtaicho come to a decision. Finally, he nodded. "Make it so."

"Hai," Urahara and Mayuri accepted in unison, before the latter glared at the former. Urahara merely smiled.

Ignoring their antics, Yamamoto turned his attention back to Ichigo. "As you pointed out, Hueco Mundo is a point of weakness against Hell. We do not currently know whether Hell has begun his invasion there; however, the fact remains that the Hollows and Arrancar that reside there must be made ready. You have made allies of them before. Are you prepared to do so again?"

Ichigo gave a sharp nod. "Of course. I'll go tonight."

"Do not go alone," Yamamoto half-warned, half-commanded. "Allies or not, they are Hollow by nature, and you are a very strong soul. Take a contingent of your Vizard allies with you."

The transcendent merely nodded, carefully keeping his status as king of Hueco Mundo quiet. It was a good idea to bring some of the Vizard with him regardless – Hueco Mundo provided a nice empty landscape for practicing some of the more destructive Hollow techniques – Cero, for instance – or for Shinigami and Hollow to battle for control of their body.

_King… _That reminded him… "Hey, were you able to arrange that meeting with the Reiō?" Ichigo asked.

Yamamoto shook his head in the negative. "Not yet. The request has been made, but it may be a few more days before I hear word back."

The transcendent frowned. "Do you think he'll help?"

The sōtaicho eyed the Kurosaki boy appraisingly. "… No. Not directly, in any case."

Before Ichigo could react to this, Urahara jumped in. "The Reiō may or may not provide the method that was used to defeat Hell originally, but remember that he and the Zero Division are largely separated from Soul Society and its affairs. They typically only step in when the Gotei 13 has proven itself unable to handle a situation that affects the Reiō in some manner."

"That very reason is why the Zero Division is also called the Royal Guard," Yamamoto agreed. "They purpose is to protect the Reiō, and the Reiō has specialty duties that he must attend to, or Soul Society would be rent asunder. The Gotei 13 and Central 46 exist to handle the affairs of Soul Society, and by extension, the other worlds."

Ichigo scowled, but accepted the reason with a nod.

After a few moments where nothing was said, Yamamoto struck the floor with his cane again. "Very well. We shall speak again soon. Keep me updated on any further developments."

And with that, the view screen turned off. Ichigo turned on his heel and began heading to the basement. He had a dimension to get to, and some Vizard-turned-Arrancar to drag with him.

* * *

So, off we go to Hueco Mundo. Guess Ichigo is gonna make good use of his status of king there.

God, I love to write Urahara. Every so often he just spits out something that's hilarious.

On another note, damn. Ichigo not only failed to save his mother, but he just _rejected_ his Togabito side. Wonder how that's gonna work out?

That's all I have to say about this one for now. Now for the spoiler rant!

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Huh. That's interesting. The Royal Guards are those who have contributed something to Soul Society. Hyper-advanced healing methods, the Gikongan, and the freaking ZANPAKUTO? They probably are going to justify that he was the one who created the asauchi, the nameless swords that beginning Shinigami use. After all, the Zanpakuto spirits within Shinigami eventually inhabit that sword and make it their own. I imagine that before the asauchi, the only ones with true Zanpakuto would have had to create them the way Ichigo did - with sheer power. And that would leave the majority of Shinigami reliant on Kido.

I am amused by how Kirio used the same theory to use Gikon, to feed Ichigo and Renji. I get this impression of them eating of her flesh, which is essentially what happened. After all, they're taking of her power. I suppose this was her method to make them stronger, giving them stronger power.

Kenpachi is going to be taught by Unohana, and UNOHANA WAS THE FIRST KENPACHI? Holy shit! I never would have guessed that, but there have been hints the whole damn time, where everyone is subtly terrified of her, especially when she smiles!

Anyway, that's it for now. Until next time!

NeoRyu777


	58. Assessment

OK, so I know it's late. Life got in the way. It happens.

The chapter also fought me a lot. That also happens.

I had a lot of inspiration for where I'm leading up to, so I've written a lot for future chapters. Gotta go where the inspiration takes me.

In any case, since you're not going to see those scenes I've pre-written, I think you'd all like to move on. So, let's do just that! First up as always are review replies.

To the many people who were just as freaked as I was about Unohana, I reference the latest several Bleach chapters. Holy crap, she is SCARY.

Shikyo no Kyoufu - Not sure I agree. It does sound like the Reio is playing God Chess, but at the same time you'd think that divine chess wouldn't involve so much by way of chance. Ichigo didn't HAVE to learn Fullbring. Urahara might NOT have given him Hollow powers if Ichigo had finished quicker.

UNTensaZangetsu - Ichigo doesn't normally think about the Hogyoku, as it's a painful subject. It was for the Hogyoku that Aizen almost killed Rukia. It was with the Hogyoku that Aizen almost sacrificed all of Karakura. And it was Aizen's death that gave Ichigo the Hogyoku. But the Hogyoku will be playing a part.

Mila-Rose, Sun-Sun, and Apache may or may not reappear. I haven't decided, but I'm leaning towards yes.

Ichigo will likely not discover his Quincy heritage in this story. Unless I have Masaki bring it up... but I don't anticipate it.

Yes, I've thought about using the Quincy powers to power up Yuzu and Karin. I decided against it, for the time being. I have my own plans for Karin revolving around her own power, and Yuzu probably won't be generating any powers.

Now, regarding how far I'm going with this story... that's a secret. But I'm not going to include any video game arcs, that's for sure. The novels sound good, but I have a definitive plot and I just don't see how I'm going to fit them in. That could change.

Dagdamor1 - Thanks for the compliment! The restraints will probably be brought up in another chapter or two, but it's a good question. One I'm not going to answer right now, though.

Thunderstorm101 - Good call, you'll be seeing yourself proven right at the end of the chapter.

AoMythology - Yes, the Quincies have entered a contract with Hell.

JustSmile x3 - Thank you for your review. I know the first several chapters need to be redone. It's on my to-do list. I agree that Rukia and Ichigo do have a bond that should be explored, but at the same time they both have bonds with others that need equal exploration. I hated it when Chad just seemed to have been left by the wayside, and that the friendship between Rukia and Renji was so underplayed and undervalued, especially after they reconciled.

Good question about Isshin! I have no idea either, but I'm also leaning towards the 10th. Open to canon revelations though.

That's it for review replies, so let's get on with the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 58: Assessment

"Who are ya gonna take with ya?" Hollow Shinji asked curiously. Ichigo had just explained the situation to them all, and almost all of the Arrancar were eager to go to Hueco Mundo, curious what effect the dimension would have on their powers.

Ichigo sighed. "To be honest, I don't know. On the one hand, I want to leave the strongest Vizard here in case things go pear-shaped while I'm gone. But at the same time, I need people strong enough and smart enough to be able to take charge of groups of Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde Hollows and Arrancar, which means that I would prefer to take one of the ex-taicho just because of their experience and the ability to use Bankai if needed."

"But we can't use Bankai and Resurrección together until either we or our Inner Shinigami manages to wrest it from the other," Kensei pointed out.

"That's kind of the point," Ichigo retorted. "The desert in Hueco Mundo would be empty enough for you to have your fight. No matter what Yamamoto says, whoever I take with me is primarily going to be training to be able to use their Zanpakutō and Resurrección simultaneously. I can take care of myself, and there are plenty of powerful Hollows, so I'm thinking no more than three people should come along for the training. Any volunteers?"

"You've got a good point," Love agreed. "But like you said, you've a need for at least one ex-taicho, I think I should go." He hefted Tengumaru pointedly. Seeing as it was a gigantic spiked kanabō, Ichigo quickly assented.

"I'm coming," Hiyori asserted, glaring at Ichigo as if daring him to disagree. Rolling his eyes, Ichigo merely nodded. _Doesn't matter if it's Hollow her or Shinigami her, they're exactly the same. _

"I would come along, if you'll have me," Lisa spoke up unexpectedly.

"Of course," the Vizard agreed, though he was slightly confused. Lisa as a Vizard had been extremely distant from Ichigo the entire time he'd known her. Hollow Lisa was even worse, and almost seemed to prefer being alone despite the company of those like her.

"Well then!" Shinji said loudly, clapping his hands together as he grinned. "Sounds like you have your three. Get outta here."

Ichigo nodded. Not bothering to summon his mask, he called the traces of Hollow power that existed in his base form and opened a Garganta. He and his team stepped inside without hesitation. A short trip later, they stepped out into the vast desert expanse of Hueco Mundo, right in front of the doors to Las Noches. The doors themselves were enormous, and white just like the rest of the palace exterior. Despite that, the doors had an intricate design that must have taken a while to craft.

"Stay close," Ichigo ordered calmly as he felt a wave of Hollow reiatsu wash over him. With a single hand, he pushed open an enormous door and walked in.

"Hello, and welcome to Las Noches," a very familiar voice greeted. "Is there anything I can help you with… Ichigo-sama?"

"Pesche? Dondochakka?" Ichigo asked disbelievingly.

"Ichigo-sama!" The pair of the Fracción immediately bowed deeply in front of him. "My liege, what I can I do for you and your guests?" Pesche asked deferentially.

Ichigo grimaced and pointedly ignored the questioning looks from his comrades. "I need to see Nel and Ulquiorra immediately."

"At once, sir. Dondochakka?"

"Right!" the heavyset Arrancar ran off, presumably to fetch the ex-Espada in question.

"Ichigo-sama, please follow me to the meeting room," Pesche requested.

Nodding, Ichigo began to follow the strangely-formal Arrancar. "You don't have to treat me like I'm some visiting royalty or anything." Immediately after saying this, Ichigo regretted it, because he knew what was coming.

"But you are!" Pesche protested. "You're Kurosaki Ichigo, king of Hueco Mundo!"

"King?!" Ichigo's companions chorused.

"When did this happen?" Hiyori demanded.

"It was a very recent development," Pesche answered easily. "But after Aizen died, Ichigo-sama came back to Hueco Mundo and proved that he was stronger than everyone else, even the other Vasto Lorde-class Hollows! So he became king."

Lisa looked up at Ichigo. "… You didn't need us," she observed.

"No," Ichigo admitted. "I brought you along so you all could get stronger. And to keep Yamamoto off my back. I don't need to tell you that I'd prefer to keep this a secret."

Ichigo received a chorus of nods in return. That much was self-evident to the Vizard-turned-Arrancar, in a more literal sense than most – the Vizard were such because Soul Society had attempted to execute them for having Hollow powers thrust upon them. If Ichigo were to be revealed as the ruler of all Hollows…

"Ichigo!"

The transcendent turned to the sound and allowed a half-smile to cross his face. "Nel."

The gentle Arrancar smiled back. Starrk was a few feet behind her, along with Lilynette. They nodded at him, and he nodded back in acknowledgment. Then Starrk frowned. "Kurosaki-sama… what has happened? Your soul feels… incomplete. Something is missing."

Lilynette frowned and peered at him critically. "Hey, yeah, that's right. What'd you do?"

Ichigo blinked. "How can you tell?"

The former Primera gestured at himself and his Fracción. "Lilynette and I are two parts of the same soul, and one of our Resurrección powers is splitting our soul further. It's easy for us to tell when someone else has done the same."

Ichigo frowned. He hadn't been quite sure if his Togabito reflection had been part of him, or was an invasive soul fragment of Hell. _Guess this answers that. _But that meant very disturbing things for his own psyche that he'd have to meditate on later. "I'll explain in a minute, when Ulquiorra is here."

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Speak of the devil," Starrk commented lightly. "And guest, it would seem."

Ulquiorra had indeed entered the room, Tia Harribel walking slightly behind. "Harribel!" Nel greeted. "It's good to see you."

"Ulquiorra. Harribel," Ichigo acknowledged.

"What brings you back to Hueco Mundo?" Harribel asked quietly. "And who have you brought with you?"

"Let's sit down – this is a bit of a long story."

Pesche fetched some tea for everyone, and Ichigo filled in the former Espada as best he could. Silence ruled for several moments, before Starrk groaned. "We're going to war _again_?"

"Shut up!" Harribel barked out, her eyes intensely focusing on Ichigo's own. "You're sure? Quincy arrows send souls to Hell?"

"Positive," Ichigo confirmed.

"Then the next time you go, I'm coming with you," she asserted. "My Fracción are there somewhere."

"Fine by me." The Vizard turned to Ulquiorra. "Have any Togabito come here to Hueco Mundo?"

"I cannot say; there has been some strange reiatsu signatures appearing sporadically in Hueco Mundo, but it is gone quickly. I would normally assume that they are newborn Adjuchas who are swiftly eaten by other, more experienced Hollows, but I cannot be sure."

Nodding, Ichigo stood. The Arrancar stood as well in deference to their king. "We need to prepare for war. The Shinigami and my human friends are handling the living world, so it's up to us to protect Hueco Mundo. Ulquiorra, Starrk, Harribel, I need you to spread the word amongst the other Vasto Lorde and Adjuchas-class Hollows to keep an eye out for the Togabito. Las Noches is to be a safe haven, and any who wish to join us are welcome as long as they don't eat anyone else residing here."

He turned to Nelliel, who gazed upon him resolutely. "Nel, I need you to stay here with your Fracción. Have them ready some rooms for us, as we'll probably be in Hueco Mundo for a while. While they're doing that, I need you to train these three." He gestured at Hiyori, Love and Lisa. "They're new to the Arrancar thing, and would no doubt benefit from your experience."

"Sure, but what about you, Ichigo?" Nel asked quietly.

"Me? I'm going to find Grimmjow."

* * *

Ishida Uryū set down on the roof of his father's hospital with a sigh. It was the only place he could think of quiet enough for him to gather his thoughts. Spotting a simple folding chair nearby, Ishida raised an eyebrow. _Apparently I'm not the only one who comes up here to think. _Unfolding the chair, the Quincy sat and rubbed his temples.

_Quincies don't destroy souls, after all. They send them to Hell. There's some sort of spiritual contract involved. Grandfather Sōken… did you know? Why did no one ever tell me? _Shaking his head, Ishida struggled to set his feelings aside and analyze the data he'd been given. But there was so little to work from. In the end, it came down to two questions. _Is there a physical contract somewhere? If so, where is the contract now? _If Ishida could have a copy of the contract, that would be a place to start.

_If Ryūken knew about the true nature of our powers, then he would have told me. It would have been one of his weapons to convince me to cease my spiritual activities, _he reasoned. _So, it follows that he probably does not know the whereabouts of the contract either. As we are the last of the living Quincy, that means I must do as Chad did. _

Ishida stood, now having a plan. He needed to go to Soul Society and seek out his ancestors. And then he remembered – he couldn't do that. Kurotsuchi Mayuri had dissected a rather large number of Quincy, including Ishida's grandfather. Even if there were any Quincy remaining in Soul Society, then they would not respond to any requests for meetings.

Vaguely remembering the history lessons Sōken had given him when he was much younger, Ishida knew that the Quincy had originated in Germany. As a result, it seemed very likely that the contract had taken place there. But Germany was too wide an area for him to search, and it was entirely possible that the contract had been moved since then – he needed to narrow down the location.

Sitting again, Ishida grimaced. Much as he hated to admit it, it appeared that he would need to work with Mayuri. The man was a scientist, and he would no doubt have records of everything his prisoners had communicated. Among those records were bound to be mentions of the contract, and with any luck, clues to its location.

Working with the man who'd orchestrated his grandfather's demise was galling to the extreme, but Ishida saw no other choice. Gritting his teeth, he stood up to go see him.

"Uryū?"

Ishida turned to the side, where he saw Inoue step down off her Santen Kesshun, dissolving it back into her hairpins. "Orihime."

"Are you ok?"

"No." Ishida shook his head. "No, I'm not. My powers send souls, innocent souls, to Hell eternally. When I thought they destroyed the souls, I could live with it. 'It's only painful for a moment,' I would tell myself. 'Wouldn't any decent soul rather die than be forced to commit atrocities, than have to kill their loved ones and eat other souls?' I could justify it to myself, and I could deal with the consequences.

"But they don't cease to exist!" Ishida spat out. "They're sent to Hell! They suffer, and they suffer, and they never, ever get release! All these years, I've been condemning those souls to a fate worse than death!"

"But you couldn't have known," Inoue pointed out, coming closer. "If you'd have known, you would have stopped, Uryū-kun. I'm sure of it."

"Would I?" Ishida retorted disbelievingly. "Let's say for a moment that I had. Then I wouldn't have dared to go to Soul Society to help rescue Kuchiki Rukia. I would never have found out that Kurotsuchi Mayuri was responsible for the death of my grandfather. He would have gone after another, perhaps even you, Orihime!

"Or let's assume that it would have ended alright even without me. Kuchiki is saved, and events continue to play out. I wouldn't have gone to Hueco Mundo to help rescue you! Kurosaki would have gone after Zommari, who would have caught him in his technique and forced Kurosaki to slit his own throat! You would have been Aizen's plaything again!

"Or how about after that?" Ishida continued his rant, growing louder with every sentence. "Without me, Kuchiki and Abarai would have died! Kuchiki wouldn't have been alive to help you reject Baraggan, and he would have rotted everything! More would have perished! YOU would have died!"

Ishida took a deep, steadying breath. "The truly damning thing about me, Orihime, is that even knowing now that my powers condemn souls to Hell, I don't regret _any of it._ I know that if I hadn't acted, Aizen may have won, and then everyone would likely be dead anyway, sacrificed for the Ōken. But more than that, I would have done it all over again, if it meant that you and the rest of my friends stayed alive."

Inoue's eyes were wide. "But… but you're going to find that contract, right? And make it so your arrows don't do that?"

"Of course I am." The Quincy sighed, suddenly tired. "I don't want any more souls to suffer unnecessarily."

"Then I'll get stronger too," Inoue promised. "Strong enough to reject Hell's hold over all those souls. We'll make it right, together."

Ishida nodded sharply and turned away. "Come on, Orihime. We should head back." He leapt into the air and used his Hirenkyaku to dash away, glad she could no longer see his face. He did not want her to see the effect her words had had on him.

Inoue followed on her Santen Kesshun, never noticing how the air occasionally glistened. But the sharp-eyed man who stepped out of the shadows on the roof saw, and watched the wind ferry his son's silent tears to the ground.

* * *

Yamamoto sat alone in his office, contemplating the events that had led to this point. While he was confident that Hell would, eventually, be neutralized, he knew that there was every chance he might not survive long enough to see it. So, he needed to correct what he could, and do his best to prepare Shunsui for his future role as sōtaicho.

But in order to determine the future, he needed to understand the mistakes of the past. _Where did it all go wrong?_ Yamamoto pondered the question for a time. Such a question could have a myriad of answers, all equally correct depending on the perspective of he who answered.

The Central 46 would likely condemn Kurosaki Ichigo for awakening Hell, and indeed he had. However, he had done so accidentally, while trying to save his family. Only a man without a heart could fail to understand, and despite Kurosaki's recent accusations, even Yamamoto's heart could ache in sympathetic pain.

Those who saw a bit more of the bigger picture, perhaps, would blame the Gotei 13 for not promptly assassinating Kurosaki after Aizen was finished. Surely, they would think, the Gotei had enough power to take down one human being, no matter how strong. And that too was true. If the Gotei 13 had followed protocol, killing or binding Kurosaki was the prudent and natural course of action. The living should never have the powers of the dead. But not only would that be difficult – how would it not be, after Kurosaki had gained such power? – but it flew in the face of morality. Kurosaki had sacrificed much in order to gain the strength he needed, and if not for him then Aizen would have won. Soul Society owed him a debt, and it was possible his strength would be needed in the future. Besides, humans led such short lives; by allowing Kurosaki to keep his powers, he would grow up with the Gotei 13 and naturally join them upon his inevitable death.

Either of those answers were true in their own way, but it was clear they were not analyzing deeply enough. In Yamamoto's opinion, the problems had begun the minute they believed the word of a single, charismatic fukutaicho whose powers were not fully known, over that of not only one, but two taicho. If the Central 46 had simply allowed Urahara and Tessai to defend and explain their actions, perhaps even alongside the Hollowified Shinigami that now called themselves the Vizard, then Aizen's treachery would have been revealed early. They would have been able to defeat him, and the Gotei would have recovered long before Kurosaki Ichigo had been born. If they had been able to retain the Vizard, then the Gotei 13 would have been even stronger for it.

But those decisions had been purely those of the Central 46. There had been nothing Yamamoto could do about that. A new Central 46 had been determined, and with any luck they would learn from the mistakes of their predecessors. So far, they seemed a reasonable sort, if their decision regarding allowing Zangetsu and Kuchiki-taicho access to their library were any marker to go by.

Yamamoto furrowed his brow. The next events of significance had been orchestrated by Aizen himself – Kurosaki Masaki had been eaten by the Grand Fisher, Kuchiki Rukia had been sentenced to execution via Sōkyoku, and Kurosaki Ichigo had invaded with his band of Ryoka. The latter events had been made possible purely because the Central 46 were so secretive that no one was permitted to see them unless summoned or if it was an emergency. _That_, he could do something about.

He would talk to the Central 46 and make a suggestion that they rotate guards, using high-ranking members of the Gotei 13. In doing so, Soul Society might avoid having a traitor speak with the voice of the Central 46 again. That decision made, Yamamoto renewed his focus on evaluating the past.

The next event was the decision to allow Kurosaki Ichigo to live. At the time, it had seemed wise to do so. Kurosaki was extremely strong, a taicho-class Shinigami who had never seen Aizen's Shikai. He was to be the final trump card. In the end, that decision was vindicated in that Kurosaki succeeded in killing Aizen. However, in the process of doing so, Kurosaki had grown strong enough that some wondered who was stronger – Yamamoto or Kurosaki.

_And that, _Yamamoto told himself with a heavy sigh, _is where it all started to go wrong. _While he still felt he was right to take precautionary measures in case Kurosaki went mad with power as far too many did, Yamamoto had made the same mistake that Hirako Shinji had made when he was Aizen's taicho. He'd distanced himself, and never came to actually know the person. If Hirako had grown closer, he would have detected Aizen's treachery sooner. If Yamamoto had allowed himself to get to know Kurosaki, then he would have been relieved to find that Kurosaki was still quite sane and merely wanted peace. Yamamoto would have been in a far better position to explain about Hell, and they could, perhaps, have sent a team who would not have accidentally awakened Hell.

_Perhaps_, Yamamoto had to admit, _Shunsui had the right of it. _To his prodigal student, the point of critical failure had been Yamamoto himself, by not treating Kurosaki Ichigo as an equal and underestimating how far the boy would go for his family. Kurosaki was _not_ a member of the Gotei 13, and treating him like one of Yamamoto's soldiers was not only useless, but counterproductive.

Failing to see that was a mistake whose blame lay squarely on the ancient shoulders of Yamamoto. Kurosaki had always valued his nakama more than rules, more than law, more than tradition. It would of course follow that he would always rebel against anything that restricted his ability to protect them. But by the same token, he would always aid those who helped him in turn.

Yamamoto had seen Kurosaki's eyes when they had been speaking over the trans-dimensional communications monitor. He could see that Kurosaki only tolerated him now because he was needed, and would much prefer they never had anything to do with one another again. While it was not hate, it was certainly an intense dislike combined with wariness. _Just another reason for me to retire soon – he seems to have better relations with Shunsui as it stands._

But, perhaps there was something he could do to mend the relationship between Kurosaki Ichigo and Soul Society. He made a mental note to remind himself to contact Kurosaki when he returned from Hueco Mundo, and then Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, sōtaicho of the Gotei 13, slowly rose to his feet. The time for reflection had passed. Now, he needed to work towards the future.

* * *

"Let's review." Urahara, Yoruichi, Hitsugaya, Rukia, Renji and Chad were sitting at the table in Urahara's shop, while Tessai brought out some tea for everyone. "We need to decide what to do now to best protect the living world," Hitsugaya continued, "so we need to understand our own situation."

Renji snorted. "We're about to be cut off from Soul Society, Ichigo's gone to Hueco Mundo, Ishida's having a breakdown from revelations about his power, and the strawberry's keeping secrets with Kuchiki-taicho. That about cover it?"

"Mostly," Urahara agreed. "Uryū-kun will likely be largely unavailable, as he'll be searching for that contract. I took the liberty of downloading all of Mayuri's notes about the Quincy, so with any luck we can avoid any unfortunate skirmishes between them."

Rukia nodded, looking somewhat relieved. She'd never liked the taicho of the 12th Division, and she'd heard the story of what had happened with Ishida's grandfather. "That leaves us with two of our heaviest hitters – Ichigo and Ishida – out of the picture for the time being. Kurosaki Isshin will probably help when he can, but has his two daughters to take care of. Likewise, Ishida Ryūken will protect the Karakura hospital. Speaking from experience, asking him to do more is useless."

Hitsugaya nodded, remembering when he'd sent Rukia and Rangiku to request Ryūken's services while Cazador de la Luna had been in control and in Hueco Mundo. "Sado-san, it's likely we're going to need your help more often."

The giant merely nodded. "Ichigo is counting on us to protect Karakura while he's gone. I'll do my best."

The ice-wielding taicho turned to Renji. "Abarai-fukutaicho, how is Kuchiki-san progressing?"

"She's getting stronger," Renji replied calmly. "Sode no Shirayuki has begun to use her Shikai attacks against Rukia. Rukia's Kidō is also growing stronger as a result."

"Excellent. Kuchiki-san, how is Abarai's Kidō?"

"Much better," Rukia admitted. "He's got a good grasp of the fire element spells up to Hadō 54: Haien. We'll be going over electric spells next."

"Impressive progress, given the short time you've had to work with," Urahara complimented. "Especially considering Abarai-kun's previously poor control."

"Very impressive." Rukia jumped, startled, not expecting Tessai's voice from right behind her. "When Ichigo returns, I may have you join in our sessions. I am interested to see your method of teaching Kidō."

Swallowing and calming her racing heart, Rukia slowly nodded. Apparently that was enough to satisfy the former taicho of the Kidō Corps, as he politely refilled everyone's tea before moving back into the kitchen.

"Going back to our discussion, I'll be quite busy assisting in manipulating the Dangai, in addition to maintaining and upgrading the barrier that limits Hell's attacks," Urahara began where they had left off. "The amount of power needed to rip open a path through closely-tied dimensions is actually quite little, as you all should know. Even the lowest grade Shinigami can open Senkaimon, and Hollows can instinctually open Garganta easily enough.

"My job is to make it as near to impossible as I can, at least for Hell" the exile continued. "Between Tessai, Mayuri and myself, we've set up a dimensional barrier, basically reinforcing our dimension's borders against Hell to the point where it takes someone powerful to open the path. Unfortunately for us, Hell has a, pardon the term, ungodly amount of power that can be utilized to a limited extent by the Togabito. It's analogous to the Reiō, essentially – so tremendously strong that even the air carries his spiritual energy throughout his realm, helping Shinigami grow stronger.

"This is why we're working with the Dangai – by the time we're done, it should take a combination of a Hell becoming personally involved, and a lot of luck, to be able to send Togabito to the living world. Hell _should, _and I do mean 'should', only be able to send a limited number of his forces at a time before having to recover." Urahara shrugged. "But, I have no idea how long that recovery time is. The only person I could compare against would be Ichigo, and ever since he killed Aizen, I haven't seen him brought low enough to need rest to regenerate his energy."

"But until you've got everything set up, you'll need us to run interference," Renji acknowledged, understanding.

Urahara nodded. "Exactly. So I have some equipment to give out." He handed everyone present one of the devices that he'd given Ichigo previously. "These are single-dimensional radios all bound to the same channel. They go in your ear," he continued, demonstrating, "and will allow us to communicate instantly regardless of distance. Please keep them in at all times – I will remotely activate them when Togabito are detected in the living world."

"Why do we need these?" Rukia asked curiously.

"They are a precautionary measure," the shopkeeper replied gravely. "We must be prepared for tactics that involve Hell sending waves of Togabito to different areas of Karakura. By having instant communication like this, we are able to better respond and coordinate to counter threats.

"They also serve as emergency beacons, so if you fall in combat someone can quickly locate and treat you," Urahara added.

Accepting the explanation, Rukia gently pushed the device into her left ear. The others did the same. "Wait," Hitsugaya suddenly said. "Yoruichi-san, you were head of the Onmitsukidō, and taicho of the 2nd Division once. Can you give us some insight into Hell? Why isn't Hell continuing the assault? Why didn't he send more Togabito?"

There was silence for a minute. "I cannot be certain," Yoruichi began slowly. "There are a number of factors at play. First, Hell was resurrected extremely recently. He may not be at full power, or he may be searching out his remaining soul fragments.

"Second, he showed an interest in Ichigo. He may have kept the numbers low so Ichigo would have felt there to be an opportunity to return to Hell, as he did. It would then follow that as Ichigo separated his Inner Togabito from himself, Hell is preoccupied with that Togabito Ichigo.

"Third, this was a test run, to examine our defenses and determine the best approach. He may be analyzing the data, or perhaps doing the same to Hueco Mundo as we speak.

"In the end, there is no way to know," Yoruichi concluded. "We must make the best use of the time we have. Get some rest, and don't bother with shifts. If Togabito arrive, Kisuke's machines will alarm quite loudly. If you're not woken by that, I'll have Tessai do it. Kisuke and I will take care of any Hollows."

* * *

Togabito Ichigo awoke once again, held up by several chains. Once again, he tested his strength against the chains, and as always, the chains held steady. _Damn it. _

Hell had quickly and effortlessly captured the Togabito shortly after he'd kicked Ichigo out of his dimension. Ever since, he'd been bound by the chains against some ultra-smooth wall. There was no escape from it – he couldn't even bite his tongue and bleed to death in the hopes of being resurrected sooner or later within the Hell dimension. He'd tried it the last time he had awoken here, and the only thing that had happened was that he'd spat out a lot of blood before passing out.

Togabito Ichigo did a quick check – yes, his tongue was entirely there. Either it had regenerated, or he'd actually died and Hell had promptly resurrected him and stuck him back on the wall. _Well, that's frustrating. _

"Awake, I see."

Togabito Ichigo focused his attention towards the bastard who'd locked him up there. "Hell."

"You have me at a disadvantage," Hell remarked with a smile. "You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"I have no name," Togabito Ichigo spat. "I wasn't in Ichigo's soul long enough to be given one, not when he didn't trust me."

"I see." Hell came closer, inspecting him. "But you were borne from more than the soil of Kurosaki Ichigo's soul. My reiatsu gave the seed."

"So what?"

"So, you have been cast out of Ichigo. Now you are reliant on my power to even exist." Hell reached out and gently lifted a few links of the chain that protruded from Togabito Ichigo's chest. "If I were to cut this chain… your power would dwindle to nothing, merely from the exertion of maintaining your own form. And if you die, there'll be no one to protect Kurosaki Masaki from the Togabito who would so dearly love to sample such pure spirit." Hell smiled. "Or from me deciding she's not worth keeping around and crushing to join the sands of the desert."

Togabito Ichigo grit his teeth – Hell was right, on all counts. "What do you want?"

"Why, I want you to protect Kurosaki-san," Hell answered easily. "And if I have need of you on occasion, then I will want you to be pliant, and do as you're told."

"… Fine. Let me out."

Hell's smile grew a little wider. "Now, now, is that any way to address your master?"

Biting back the urge to spit in his face, Togabito Ichigo swallowed his pride and bowed his head. "Please loose me from your chains, Hell-sama."

"Much better." Without even a gesture from Hell, the chains loosened, and then vanished.

Togabito Ichigo landed on his feet and refrained from lunging at Hell – it would serve no purpose at this time. _Besides, I need to know what I'm capable of. I'm separated from Ichigo now, so I have no idea if I have Zangetsu or Cazador de la Luna. _

"Now then, we need a proper name for you. I can't just call you Ichigo, now can I?" Hell mused aloud. "You're a reflection, of sorts, but with my influence. Oh, what is that phrase that humans coined? Ah, yes." Turning back to face Togabito Ichigo, Hell smiled. "'The road to Hell is paved with good intentions,' isn't it? Then I shall call you Zen'i, for you will pave the road for me, all in the name of saving your mother."

* * *

And that's a wrap. So, some of the Vizard-Arrancar now know Ichigo's the king of Hueco Mundo, and Ichigo finds out that Togabito him really was a fragment of his own soul. Ishida has a minor breakdown, and those stranded in the living world are struggling to make plans.

And finally, Togabito Ichigo now has a name - Zen'i, a word meaning Good Intentions. Suits him, doesn't it?

Anyway, it's time for the spoiler rant!

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So... Kenpachi used to be MUCH more badass than he is now. Makes sense. And god DAMN Unohana is scary! I hope they both make it out alive, but I suspect that Unohana will either die or be so gravely wounded she'll be unable to participate in the fight later.

I wish we could see what was happening to Renji and Ichigo. I'm basically twitching in my seat trying to imagine what they're going to do. Nimaiya said that they failed to see it from the Zanpakuto point of view... I wonder how my Ichigo would fare...

Not much else lately going on besides those subplots, so I'm gonna call it here. Until next time!

NeoRyu777


	59. Troubled Thoughts

Sorry for the two-month period between posts. This one fought me pretty hard. Plus, life has been really picking up.

Anyway, first up as usual are review responses:

Slightly Phycotic: You make good points regarding Ichigo's character. You should look forward to my future chapters where that's explored. You'll see Masaki's reaction later this chapter.

Katie-hime: Orihime can be pushed very far before she snaps. The problem is that she's still a pacifist by nature, and she will try to find any other option besides violence. Baraggan still haunts her, and I'm not sure that will leave her anytime soon. Thanks again for reviewing, and I do like knowing my grammar efforts are appreciated.

AnimeGoodBookFan: Suspense is kinda my forte... along with conversations. I still struggle with fight scenes and getting the plot moving sometimes.

UNTensaZangetsu: Zen'i is actually Japanese. Go figure. If I am remembering my Japanese right - I don't know very much, and rely heavily on translators - Zen has an alternate translation as intention. Zen'i therefore means good intentions.

It is in fact possible for Zen'i to rejoin Ichigo, but Ichigo has to be the one to accept him back.

Regarding the Vandenreich - that's a secret! As for Karin's powers, well, that's a major plot point for what's coming up. But I'm not telling!

I'm also curious about Zangetsu's origins in canon... I look forward to it.

Anyway, no new terms this week, so let's move on to the story!

* * *

Chapter 59: Troubled Thoughts

Kuchiki Byakuya silently walked the streets of Seireitei by the faint light of the moon, contemplating what was, and what was yet to come. He was on his way to the Kasumiōji mansion to converse with Kumoi regarding the Kasumiōji heiress situation, and if it was possible, to subtly make it known that Byakuya knew about the Bakkōtō manufacturing. The key was not to accuse – no, there was not enough evidence for blackmail to succeed – but instead, to remind him that there would be consequences… of the potentially lethal variety.

The thought crossed his mind that he might have more success by feigning support for Kumoi, but Byakuya dismissed it. Kumoi was hardly stupid, if he was in a high enough position of power to be able to attempt a coup. He would be extremely suspicious of sudden support. No, it was best to put him in his place, with both personal and political power.

_Power… _The 6th Division taicho's mind wandered back to Kurosaki. The man appeared to be a catalyst for change, and impossibly quick in attaining power under pressure. He couldn't help but wonder how powerful Kurosaki would be when the crisis was over, but no sooner had Byakuya thought it had he realized the real question. What would Kurosaki do with his power when Hell was defeated?

After killing Aizen, Kurosaki had merely expressed a wish for peace. But members of Soul Society had betrayed him by attacking his family, and that was something that could never be forgiven. In that respect, Byakuya and Kurosaki were like-minded. So Kurosaki would likely seek out some measure of justice, Byakuya reasoned, unless he chose to allow Soul Society to punish the Berean internally, and trust in their judgment.

The Kuchiki Head's expression changed minutely, a small, pensive furrowing of his eyebrows as he attempted to put himself in Kurosaki's position. No. Law or not, Byakuya would not, could not let another decide the fate of those who had wronged him so deeply, so personally. He would need to ensure that the ones responsible were never allowed to be in a position where they could make another attempt on his family. Byakuya himself would prefer swift, public execution by Senbonzakura, so as to make an example to those who would dare follow in the perpetrators' footsteps.

It was partly for this reason, after all, that Byakuya had fought so intensely against Kurosaki Ichigo that day on Sōkyoku Hill, scant minutes after the boy had saved Rukia. He had felt that Kurosaki was largely responsible for Rukia's complete loss of power, and through that, her eventual sentencing to execution. On top of that, the fool had had the nerve to taunt and criticize him for not defending his adopted sister while Byakuya had already been caught between two contrasting vows! How could he not bring out his ultimate techniques, Senkei and Shūkei: Hakuteiken?

Of course, now Byakuya knew the truth, and he was grateful that Kurosaki had succeeded. He had been given another chance to reconnect with Rukia, and now he could see beyond duty and into morality. Ironically, it seemed likely that he would once again enter a situation where his honor and pride were split in two paths. If Kurosaki were to invade with the intent to personally end the Berean who had sent his mother to Hell, and the Kasumiōji who had delayed Urahara from enacting their escape plan, what was the correct course of action? Should he act upon his duties as taicho of the 6th Division and defend the members of Soul Society that he knew, he _knew _did not deserve it? Or should he allow Kurosaki, the man to whom he owed so much, to pass unhindered?

_Of course, the point would be largely moot if it actually came to blows between us once more, _Byakuya mused dryly. _Much as I am ashamed to admit it, I am not strong enough. _

_My lord, defeating the wielder of Zangetsu may be difficult, but it can hardly be impossible. Every being has a weakness. _

Byakuya nodded absently to himself. That was true – everything had a weak point. Before, Kurosaki's weak point was as obvious as his inability to control his own power: Kidō. But he was evidently fixing that glaring failure, which left… what?

_Speed? No. Physical might? No. Spiritual power? No. Time limit? No._ As jarring as it was to consider, it seemed that Kurosaki had grown to the point where no single taicho could defeat him – it would take Yamamoto-sōtaicho, or a team of well-prepared taicho, to defeat him. Of course, that only made sense, considering that the might of the Gotei 13 had been incapable of defeating Aizen after he'd… evolved…

Were he a lesser man, Byakuya's eyes would have shot wide open. _The Hogyōku! Could that be the key to defeating Hell? _

_And if so… is it wise to allow Kurosaki Ichigo to evolve to such a point where not even Ryūjin Jakka can burn him?_

To that, Byakuya had no answer.

* * *

Zen'i quietly followed his new master through the sandy desert that comprised one of the levels of Hell's dimension, trying and failing to sense Masaki. There was simply too much interference, with Hell's reiatsu permeating everything. Even the sand, the decomposed corpses of countless Togabito, had a dull power to them.

"Hell-sama? The sands…"

"Yes?"

Hell sounded amused, which Zen'i took as a good sign. "They're made of dead Togabito, right? Can you resurrect them, if you were ever so inclined?"

"Of course. It is my world, after all. And unlike the lava pool, no one has ever been able to bring another back from that fate." Hell turned his face slightly to look at Zen'i out of the corner of his eye. "Why? Thinking of bringing back Shūren?"

The Togabito snorted. "Hardly. If I ever were to have the power to resurrect anyone, it'd be for an ally who I could trust not to stab me in the back as soon as it suits him. Or at least someone whose goals are aligned with my own."

Hell's laugh resounded in the desert air. "You'll have a hard time finding such a person here, Zen'i. After all, this is Hell. Alliances here are borne of necessity, and dropped as soon as they don't need each other anymore. Trust is a commodity that none can afford."

Zen'i silently conceded the point. He was alone, unique in Hell in that he was merely a soul fragment, not a full soul. Cutting off his chain would do nothing but leave him too weak to sustain his own existence. On top of that, he had a very obvious weak point: Masaki. And Hell would no doubt mercilessly use that, as would any Togabito who discovered her existence.

No, it would be foolhardy to trust, to rely on anyone in Hell.

"Here we are." Hell suddenly came to an abrupt stop.

Zen'i barely avoided walking into him, but took a moment to look around. "Here? We're in the middle of nowhere. You can't even see the cliffs from the next level up."

"Exactly." Hell stomped his right foot once, and there was a sudden rumbling underneath their feet. Not more than two feet in front of Hell, Zen'i watched the sand depress, then sink, and then form steps down. Shortly following, the sand trickling down the sudden hole whirled about and made a smooth, polished-looking banister that followed the spiraling steps as far down as Zen'i could see.

"Another level?"

"Naturally. Hidden, of course – this is my little secret. A place for me and my lieutenants to rest, recover, and strategize. Masaki is there as well, as… an honored guest. Shall we go see her?"

Without waiting for a response, Hell began to descend down the staircase. Zen'i followed. A few minutes later, they had reached the bottom, and stepped through the door.

It took Zen'i a minute to process the sudden change in lighting, but when he did, he quickly looked around. They had apparently emerged into a grand hall of some sort, dozens of meters wide and at least twice as long. Tapestries and rugs the colors of fire decorated the stone walls and floor, while at the center was an enormous table of some expensive-looking wood. The table was currently bare but it appeared capable of hosting perhaps twenty people.

On either side of the hall there was a single door, and directly opposite Zen'i was much larger, decorated door. _Probably Hell's quarters, or his throne room or something. _

"Enjoying the view?"

"Am I supposed to?"

Hell smirked. "Then let's move on to the main attraction. This way."

They moved on through the largest door that Zen'i had noted earlier, and the former aspect of Ichigo immediately spotted the unconscious form of Kurosaki Masaki, whose feet had been chained to the wall on the right side of the room. Instantly abandoning Hell, Zen'i rushed to her side. "Mom?"

Masaki stirred, blearily opening her eyes. "Ichigo?"

"Not exactly." Zen'i helped her to her feet, where she was able to get a good look at him.

"You're… Ichigo but not," Masaki observed critically, her eyes sharpening as the remnants of sleep fled her mind. "You're what Ichigo expelled. Who and what are you?"

"His name is Zen'i, and he is the reason you still exist," Hell interrupted, answering easily. "I suggest you become accustomed to his presence, as he is now your protector. Now that that's settled, I would like to propose an offer to you, Kurosaki Masaki. Swear not to try to return to the living world, or to Soul Society. Do so, and I will unshackle you from this wall. You could go where you please, do anything you like, enjoy whatever food and drink you care for. You don't even have to fight for me if you don't wish to. I will swear to such myself if you desire it. A fairer trade you will never hear."

"Is that so? I have a better offer," Masaki challenged. "Let me out of this dimension, free me from any bindings towards you, and I promise I'll keep my son from destroying you when he comes back."

Hell paused, appearing to actually consider the proposition. "A tempting offer, truly," he finally replied, "considering that your son, Kurosaki Ichigo, is possibly the only man with a shred of a chance to defeat me… short of the Reiō himself deigning to come after me that is. However, I think I shall have to decline. I'm afraid my plans will require your presence here in my dimension, at least for the moment." He cocked his head to the side, his eyes losing focus briefly. "It would seem that I have other business to attend to. Let us revisit the issue later, hmm?"

With that, Hell strode from the room. The instant he was gone, Masaki slumped in her chains, letting herself fall into a sitting position against the wall. After a moment, she turned to look at Hell's companion. "So, you're my protector?"

"Yeah." Zen'i sat cross-legged in front of her. "Don't worry. I'll do my best to get you out."

"Why? Aren't you Hell's slave?"

"Not by choice. I rely on his reiryoku to exist after Ichigo cast me out of his soul."

"Again, why? Why would you try to save me?"

Zen'i was silent for several moments. Just when Masaki was about to give up on receiving an answer, the Togabito opened his mouth to respond. "I have not forgotten where I came from. I have my pride."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Masaki asked, unsure as to her protector's meaning.

But Zen'i refused to say anything more on the subject.

* * *

Ishida and Inoue reentered the Urahara shop, the Quincy leading the way. "Urahara-san?"

The shopkeeper in question poked his head out of a nearby door, smiling underneath his bucket hat. "Ah, Ishida-kun, Inoue-chan. I've been expecting you. Come in, come in."

"You've been expecting us?" Inoue asked as they followed the eccentric ex-taicho.

"Of course. You need information on where to look for that Quincy contract, correct?" Without waiting for an answer, Urahara quickly typed out a few commands into his computer, and a map of Europe and Asia appeared. "I took the liberty of hijacking Mayuri's records of the Quincy. It would seem that very few Quincy had any knowledge that a contract existed, and none of them knew the contents. Many of them, however, did speak of an ancient box that was never to be opened. Of the many Quincy artifacts that Mayuri managed to locate for study, that box was not among them. I think that's your best bet for locating the contract."

Clacking a few more keys, Urahara zoomed in in Germany. "Supposedly, the box was held in a sacred tomb made for the first Quincy. This tomb lies in a graveyard close to a town called Lichtenstein."

"Fitting, I suppose, considering the name's translation."

Urahara tipped his hat slightly in Ishida's direction, before clacking a few more keys and pulling up some written records. "The box was moved at some point. One of the accounts indicate that it was decided that the artifact was to be protected by the strongest Quincy families."

"Assuming that tradition continued, the Ishida family should have inherited it within the last century or so," Uryū completed. "Unless it was forgotten, or presumed destroyed of course. I'll have to go back through the family records. Are there any records indicating who had it last?"

"Let me sort the records referring to the artifact by date and get the last one." Urahara nodded to himself, and with a few more keystrokes, a singular record appeared. "This record appears approximately a decade ago. It's… it's your grandfather, Ishida-kun. He was the last caretaker."

"Did he say where it was?"

"No." Urahara smiled grimly. "The record states that he laughed and spat in Mayuri's face. He didn't live long after."

"What… what were his last words?" Inoue began to step away, to try to give her friend some privacy, but Ishida took her arm firmly. "No… stay, please."

"Are you sure, Uryū?"

"Yes."

Orihime nodded and made no further motion to leave.

Urahara cleared his throat. "Ishida Sōken's last words were thus: 'Ryūken, Uryū… my pride, my spirit, lives on in you. I pray I have made a difference.'"

Ishida stood in silence for almost a minute, bringing his emotions under control. A single tear strayed from his right eye, trailing its way down his cheek and chin before falling to the floor as if in slow motion. _Grandfather… of course you made a difference! I wish I could show you all that your words, your teachings, have wrought! _

Ishida's free hand clenched. _I will find the contract. I will find a way to nullify it. But before I rid the world of the contract, before I potentially condemn myself to a powerless existence… I will send Mayuri straight to the Hell he deserves. _

Uryū shook his head, clearing it from the thoughts that had spawned from the raw, unfettered hate he held for that inhumane scientist. _No. If I kill Mayuri, other captains will come after me. It's not worth it. Yet. _

"Uryū?"

"Come, Orihime. We need to see my father."

"I don't mind, but why do you need me to come with you?"

"Firstly, I doubt Hell would have made the contract destructible to those with Quincy powers. Therefore, your rejection abilities will prove useful. Secondly… I need you to distract me from conjuring ways to invade Soul Society and reduce Kurotsuchi Mayuri to a gibbering, tortured wreck beyond all form of human recognition before killing him."

Inoue looked a little troubled, but nodded. "Alright, Uryū."

* * *

Ichigo sat atop a tower on the roof of Las Noches, meditating on the countless spiritual ribbons that floated past. The number of Hollows that lived in this dimension were staggering – it truly made him wonder about the efficiency of Shinigami to purify all the Plus souls of the living world.

But that was irrelevant to the task. Ichigo needed to find Grimmjow.

**Flashback**

"_You want to find Grimmjow?" Nel asked incredulously. "Why?"_

"_He's strong, but after I beat him he'll be looking for ways to improve his power. I could tell that he was that kind of guy, at least. If he's succeeded, then he'll make a powerful ally. Besides…" Ichigo sighed. "Too many people that have issues with me have gone after my family. Grimmjow seems like someone who would hold a grudge. I don't know if he'd go that far, but I can't take that risk. It's nothing personal, I just want to know where everyone who is pissed at me is." _

**End Flashback**

Yet Ichigo was having a very hard time locating Grimmjow's reiraku, despite having looked for close to half an hour. Normally he didn't require much time at all to locate someone – the only other time he'd had this much trouble was when his mother was being held inside a Seki-Seki prison. Since to his knowledge, Seki-Seki did not exist in Hueco Mundo, that left only three options.

_Either Grimmjow was killed and eaten, he's learned to hide his presence very well, or he's not in this dimension. _None of those options were particularly pleasant thoughts.

_**Ya know, I don't remember seeing him while we were becoming King of Hueco Mundo either. **_

Ichigo frowned. That _was _strange. He would have thought that Grimmjow would be particularly interested in seeing whom he had to surpass to be the strongest. Straining his memory, Ichigo vaguely recalled that Grimmjow had something against Ulquiorra… _But if Ulquiorra had done anything, he would have spoken up at the meeting. I suppose I'll just have to send some scouts. Maybe Nel will know a few people?_

_**Can't do that forever, King. You will need to get to know your subjects at some point, **_Cazador snarked.

_It's on the to-do list. _Standing and stretching for a moment, Ichigo pondered what to do next. _I suppose I should continue training my Kidō. Maybe Lisa will know something? I doubt Hiyori bothers much with Kidō. _

_Perhaps. But you should rest. It has been a long day, and a tired ruler does not give the appropriate impression to Hollows. _

Silently acknowledging the point, Ichigo flickered back to the entrance of Las Noches and reentered.

Without a word, Pesche bowed and led Ichigo to the quarters that Aizen had once resided in. The room was relatively simple – there was a comfortable-looking bed, and an ornate writing desk. There was a simple dresser with a few other sets of clothes, and atop it was a sturdy-appearing sword mount. On closer inspection, the mount was decorated with what looked like ripples flowing from a full moon.

_Aizen must've really loved Kyoka Suigetsu… Hey, Zangetsu, do you mind if I put you up there while I'm asleep? _

_I do not mind, but remember that it does not matter where I am physically – I am always with you. _

Nodding at the reminder, Ichigo gingerly put his Zanpakutō on the sword mount. That done, he stripped out of his Shinigami garments and paused at his Hollow vest. After a moment, he decided to leave it on; it was certainly comfortable enough he often forgot he wore it.

Falling onto the bed, Ichigo closed his eyes and fell away from reality…

Ichigo was staring at man with slick-backed dark hair, whose eyes were wide, pleading with him to see reason.

"You don't understand! There is a _reason_ why it is this way!" the man cried out.

"And what reason is that?" Ichigo spat. "The evil in life remain evil in death, Akio! Don't the good in life deserve a paradise free of those who abused their chance at life?"

Ichigo's eyes shot open. _What the fuck was that?_

* * *

"It's no good," Kenryū muttered. "It's too late. Kurosaki Ichigo is no longer in this world."

Enryū made frantic miming movements.

"No, I don't know where he went. I know we took longer than expected to make our decision, but now he's not even here." The barrier surrounding the house let out a gong, and Kenryū frowned. "I wonder who that is. Enryū, guard Rurichiyo-sama."

Enryū nodded sharply, and Kenryū stepped outside to see… a Shinigami captain? "Hello?"

"Hi! I'm your neighbor, Kurosaki Isshin. My son told me about you, and asked me to bring you this note." He gestured with it.

Kenryū took the paper quickly and scanned it.

_Hey, sorry for having to up and leave. Things are worse than you know regarding Hell. But about your situation: I had a talk with Kuchiki Byakuya. He's going to talk-slash-intimidate Kumoi into leaving you alone, using my history for saving noble girls to make him back off. _

_Kumoi shouldn't give you any problems for a while, but that still leaves the Hell situation. It's not safe to go back to Soul Society yet, so my dad – the man who's bringing you the note – is going to offer his assistance in protecting the heiress. _

_But that assistance comes with a price: you need to use your Kidō to set up barriers around our house too. If we're to combine forces, it needs to be both ways. We'll expect you to help guard my sisters too. If you take our help and don't help out in turn… well, you won't like my response. _

_Make your choice. Stand alone or stand together. _

_Kurosaki Ichigo. _

Kenryū nodded. The choice was easy, and while it would normally be beyond his authority to make such decisions, for Rurichiyo's protection he would happily accept any punishment she doled out. "We accept. We stand together."

Isshin smiled. "Then let's get started."

Next door, a certain Modsoul was sitting in Ichigo's room, staring at nothing. The Kurosaki home felt a lot lighter, Kon reflected, now that Yuzu had been rescued. Ichigo had brought her home just like he'd promised. But that had been hours and hours ago, and while he'd stolen a few quick looks to confirm that she was alright, Kon hadn't mustered the nerve to talk to Yuzu and express… express what? That he was so incredibly relieved that she was safe and unharmed? That he loved her just as much as the rest of her family?

_But that's just it, _Kon thought bitterly. _I'm not part of her family. She's never known me. She always thought that I was a mere toy, never knowing that I'm just as alive as she is. _Kon clenched his fists, angry at himself for feeling the way he did. Was it so wrong that he considered her family? That he considered himself a big brother to her, just like Ichigo did?

Not for the first time, Kon began to curse the circumstances of his birth – no, creation. He was a Mod-Soul. Why couldn't he have been born like a normal human, or even as a spirit in the Rukongai? Why was he denied the chance for a childhood, the chance to truly live? Damn it, he wanted to live! He wanted to run, and jump for joy, and hug his family, and weep in relief that Ichigo had saved their sister! And then he wanted to enjoy everything life had to offer, from food to beauty to sex to anything else that could make him feel alive!

But it was impossible. Kon sighed, uncurling his fists and bringing his – no, Ichigo's – hands up to look at them. _I have no body of my own, except that lion plush. And even if I were to convince Urahara to make me a gigai and some forged records, then… then Soul Society would find me. _Kon collapsed onto Ichigo's bed. _If I had a body of my own, then I would eventually slip up. _

It was true – Kon didn't think he could go without utilizing his incredible leg-power for the rest of his life. Not when he could run as fast as he wanted into the wind, not if it would save a life by getting someone to the hospital in time. _And when I do, Soul Society will detect it and realize that I'm a Mod-Soul. And then… _

Kon was under no illusions of just how ruthless Soul Society could be. They considered him subhuman, theirs to create or destroy at their leisure. How many Mod-Souls had been mercilessly destroyed when the project that created them was canceled? It would only be a matter of time if they detected him. They would wait until Ichigo and Isshin were otherwise occupied, and snatch him.

The Mod-Soul was barely aware of how his – no, Ichigo's – cheeks felt the slow trickle of tears sliding down Ichigo's face. It wasn't fair. He had just as much right to live as anyone else. Why was it that he could only survive?

"Kon…?"

Startled, Kon sat up straight. There, in the doorway, was the girl he had prayed for Ichigo to rescue. "Yuzu…"

Yuzu walked over to him without hesitation and climbed up on the bed before giving him a hug. "Are you alright?"

Kon choked out a laugh. "Me? I'm fine."

"Then why didn't you come down to join us?" she asked curiously, pulling away. "Or hug me back?"

Oh, how he had wanted to return her embrace – it was warm, and caring, and… Kon cut that thought short. "It doesn't freak you out?" Kon retorted. "I'm in your brother's body. I'm obviously not human."

"Karin told me that you cried for me," Yuzu said softly, which silenced Kon instantly. "When I was… that way… Karin overheard Ichi-nii talking to you, and heard you crying and asking how you could help. Ichi-nii trusts you to protect our family. And you protected Karin and Dad." She gave him another hug, this time not letting go. "If you can think and feel and cry, then I think you're human. Thank you, Kon-nii."

Heart in his throat, Kon couldn't help himself – he clutched his sister close and wept.

* * *

And that's it for now.

Ishida is pretty murderous right now, not that I can blame him. What Mayuri did is unforgivable. If it was ever convenient... I'm sure Ishida would kill him.

Ichigo's having visions now. That can't be good.

You didn't really think I'd forget about the Kasumioji conspiracy? Kenryu and Enryu were just busy trying to decide what to do. It's beyond their normal jurisdiction, after all, and they don't have many options.

Awww... poor Kon. No one ever really looks at Kon. He leads a very lonely existence, even in canon.

Now for the canon rant!

S

P

O

I

L

E

R

S

P

A

C

E

...

That's interesting. A lot of fan theories were confirmed. Ichigo's dad is Shiba Isshin, making him a cousin to Ganju and Kaien. Explains their similarities.

What really threw me for a loop was that Hollow that Masaki helped Isshin with. That was Ichigo's Hollow form, a bit more distilled. The mask, the horns! THAT WAS HIM!

My best bet is that when Masaki killed it, she accidentally took it or part of it into her body. This explains the Hollow hole in the most recent chapter. Assuming that the Hollow power remains in her, it also explains how Ichigo is a Fullbringer - she had Hollow reiatsu within her while she was pregnant.

It may even explain why Masaki died against Grand Fisher - perhaps the Hollow power is having more negative side effects on her body, maybe even up to making her unable to use her Quincy powers.

Urgh, I just wanna see the next chapter!

That's it for now,

NeoRyu777


	60. Progress

Hey all, this one flowed a little better, so no 2-month wait this time!

As always, review replies first.

hp1piececraziness - People should leave Ichigo alone, but then we'd be without a story, now wouldn't we? Or not, because Ichigo would make himself involved.

fresh prince1 - Zen'i may or may not represent Ichigo's pride. I'm not saying just yet; you'll find out when Ichigo does. Good thought, though.

K. A. Raith - Thanks for the correction! Like I said, my Japanese isn't the best, so I appreciate the clarification.

A Fan1204 - I do not have a pairing planned for this story. If one occurs, it's because the characters themselves demanded it in my head. Let me check with them - nope. I don't think it's going to happen.

To all the people who commented on my handling of Kon - I'm glad that I was able to communicate my vision of Kon so well. I don't feel he was handled well in canon, either. He deserved better than just comic relief.

UNTensaZangetsu - Your review was quite long, and there's no way I can touch on all of it right now. But in short... Hell has not absorbed all the Kushanada yet. I haven't decided on Masaki regaining her powers. Hell's backstory will be explained in later chapters. Ichigo became a transcendent from more thoroughly knowing himself, understanding his own soul and the different aspects of himself. Understanding Cazador and Zangetsu, true understanding and acceptance, is what allowed him to transcend. He didn't need to merge with them, because they were already a part of him. He just needed to know and accept how deeply intertwined with his being they are.

I probably am not going to do the Second Movie or the Muramasa arc. I suppose this is a good time to tell everyone.

To all my readers... I am ending this story this year. It's grown to enormous size, and I've found incredible improvement in my writing and plot-making. But all stories have to come to an end, and so too will A Protector's Pride.

I have a definitive plot to get to the end, and I have the ending almost completely written. This will be the first time I've ever actually finished a story. I don't count my Worldly series, as I never finished the actual series, only the individual segments.

Don't worry, I will tie everything together in what will hopefully be a satisfying conclusion. I know my first several chapters need to be fixed, and I hope to get that done shortly after I finish the final chapter.

Thanks for reading. In the meantime, let's get a move on to the actual chapter, shall we?

Term Definitions:

Hado 11: Tsuzuri Raiden (Bound Lightning) - The wielder can channel electricity through whatever they're touching, resulting in a nasty shock.

Hado 54: Haien (Abolishing Flames) - A compressed purple blast of fire, usually flung from a hand, that incinerates whatever it hits.

Hado 63: Raikoho (Thunder Roar Sear) - Massive blast of lightning cast from the hands. Very explosive.

Bakudo 9: Horin (Disintegrating Circle) - A binding much like Hainawa, but it's designed to let the wielder maintain constant control and move it - and whomever is captured - as needed.

Bakudo 63: Sajo Sabaku (Locking Bondage Stripes) - Much like Hainawa, but using chains instead of ropes. Incredibly strong - only a Hollowified Kensei has ever broken free with brute strength in canon.

* * *

Chapter 60: Progress

Chad sat in class, though only a small portion of his attention was spent on the class itself. It was the next day following the incredible revelations that everyone had seemed determined to drop on him at Urahara's shop. Ichigo had manifested an Inner Togabito? His dad was a Shinigami? Quincy arrows sent souls to Hell? The Reiō was probably not going to help?

And now everyone had their missions. Ishida and Inoue were tracking down and handling the Quincy contract. Ichigo had volunteered with several Vizard-turned-Arrancar – and how had that happened anyway? – to safeguard Hueco Mundo. Urahara was moving the Dangai – _an entire dimension, _Chad thought incredulously – with Mayuri. Everyone else was training to be able to handle Togabito. Everyone was busy.

_Except me. _Chad might have been bothered by the thought, had he not made the decision by himself. He could have been training with everyone else; Chad knew his strength would have been welcomed in the group. But he had chosen to go to class instead. Someone had to be there to safeguard the school, one of the locations with the largest concentrations of reishi in Karakura. As Ishida and Inoue were both busy, and Ichigo wasn't even in the dimension, it fell to him.

Chad didn't begrudge them the choice. Fixing Ishida's powers was important as well, possibly more important in the grand scheme of things. Ending the contract, removing it from existence, could have far-reaching effects. The souls slain by Quincies might be released from Hell, weakening him. But there was no way to know until they located the contract.

So for now, Chad knew what he needed to do. He would defend those unable to defend themselves, and use his arms to protect, just as his Abuelo had taught him, just as Ichigo had done for him. For that was the universal price of gaining power: once you had the power, you were obligated to use it, for good or for ill. And Chad refused to dishonor his grandfather and his best friend.

It was a duty Chad would gladly accept. Even so, he wondered how everyone else was faring.

At that moment, Ishida and Inoue were underneath the hospital, looking through the Quincy archives for any clues to where Ishida Sōken had hidden the Quincy Contract. Although Ishida Ryūken had known nothing of any contract, he had granted them access to the hall of records the night before. The pair of teens had been there all night, researching, but thus far had found nothing.

Ishida let out a quiet sigh of tired frustration and set down the book he was paging through. Again, he had found nothing useful. Despite having narrowed the search to within Sōken's lifetime, there was an enormous amount of material to search through. Removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes, he looked over to Inoue with the intention to ask her how her search was going. But upon seeing her, he kept his mouth shut.

Inoue had fallen asleep, her chin on her chest. Ishida felt a tug at the corners of his mouth as he watched her for a few moments, reflecting on her dedication to help him. It was nice to have such a wonderful friend who would aid him however she could without complaint. Ishida just wished that it hadn't been necessary. Silently rising from the bench and wincing at his legs' protest from not having moved in hours, Ishida removed his coat and gently draped it over Inoue's sleeping form. _Rest well. _

Glancing curiously at the book she'd barely started on, Ishida made a quick note of the title: _Life and Death – A History of Relations by Ishida Sōken. _The young Quincy blinked. He hadn't been aware that his grandfather had written a book. Curiosity peaked, exhaustion forgotten, he took it from the table and sat back down to read it.

The book started at the beginning of the Quincy, lending detail to Urahara's brief summary and Ishida's own half-remembered memories. It talked of the first Quincy, and how eventually the Shinigami had become aware of their existence. The book went into extreme detail on every interaction between Shinigami and Quincy, with proposed motivations and supporting conclusions for each side.

Though Sōken had known nothing about Hell, he had suspected that there was more to their arrows than removal of existence. He indicated as much in his analysis of the meetings, and believed that the leaders of the time had shared his skepticism, which had led to further distrust of Soul Society and ultimately, the war that had all but annihilated the Quincy.

There had been a few other occasions of interaction between the Shinigami and the Quincy after that, but they were few and far between. The Quincy clans had gone into hiding in an act of self-preservation, leading to secularization, division between the clans. This division, Sōken believed, was ultimately the death knell for the Quincy – only together had they thrived, and the increasing distrust was causing their numbers to grow smaller and smaller. It was then that Sōken explained his own attempts to reach out, so the Quincy would not be ended completely. However, as Uryū already knew, that had ended in failure.

Sōken concluded with a hope that the Quincy not be forgotten, and that Shinigami and Quincy could work together in peace in the future.

Sighing, Ishida turned the last page, preparing to close the book. Suddenly, a spark of blue caught his eye. On the back of the final page, there was a glowing message, apparently addressed to him.

_Uryū,_

_If you have received this message, then I am gone. I hope the training I have given you has helped you and will continue to do so in the future. _

_However, there is a grave task I must entrust to you. There is a sacred contract of our people. You will never have heard of it, and for good reason. It is the origin of our power. It must be protected, but it must never be read, without dire consequence to your soul. _

_As for why I am giving you the contract… your father is a strong Quincy, but I know him too well. He would read it, if only to know exactly what to spare you and any further descendants. I have been tempted many times to read it over the years, but you must not! You see, the contract is not of this world, nor that of Soul Society. The contract has its origins in Hell itself. _

_When I was given the contract to protect, I was told of Ishida Haken, who lived during the time of the war between us and Shinigami. He read the contract, and when he was cut down in battle, the Gates of Hell opened and swallowed him whole. So you must not read it! _

_The contract can be found at our old training ground, underneath the stump that we used to sit on as we ate lunch together. Be careful, my grandson, and never speak of it to anyone. _

_Grandpa Sōken_

Ishida rocketed out of his chair, eyes wide. "Of course," he whispered hoarsely. "Of course he would have a contingency plan. Of course he would pass it on to me, when his own son didn't want to continue the Quincy traditions! Of course he'd hide it in a place special to the two of us! And if something were to happen to me, the Last Quincy, then the contract would die with me! The contract was there the whole time! Why didn't I see it before? Orihime! Wake up!"

Startled by the sudden yelling, Inoue toppled out of her chair. "Ow…" she muttered, getting to her feet. "Uryū?"

"The contract! I know where it is!"

* * *

"Less power!" Lisa rebuked. "Have you no control at all?"

Ichigo scowled, but refused to rise to the taunt. Lisa had little skill in Bakudō, but while she preferred Zanjutsu and Hakuda, she was decently proficient in Hadō. Even so, Ichigo had been lucky that Holow Lisa had been willing to relinquish control back to Vizard so she could teach him in turn.

Currently, they were going over Hadō 54: Haien, in a continuation of Ichigo's practice of fire spells. However, it was slow going, as Haien required both power and control, and control was something that Ichigo distinctly struggled with.

Ichigo grit his teeth as he forced his will onto his reiryoku, willing the purple fire of Haien around his hand to take less of his power and stabilize. It shrunk minutely, and the ripples along the edge of it faded. Lisa came closer to inspect it, frowning critically. "Adequate. Still too much power, but now at least the spell isn't going to blow up your hand when you try to cast it. Now hold it as long as you can."

"Damn it…" Ichigo muttered mutinously, his eyes never leaving the violent aura that he was working so hard to maintain. "How long did it take you to get this?"

"A few weeks, but I had my fukutaicho duties to attend to," Lisa answered swiftly and unmercifully. Then her face softened slightly. "I know it's frustrating. Kidō has never come naturally to me either. Kyōraku-taicho tutored me in it every now and then when I was his fukutaicho."

"I didn't know that. Why did you want to learn Kidō in the first place?"

"A passing dream…" Lisa replied softly. "Shihoin Yoruichi successfully blended Kidō with Hakuda to create Shunko. I wanted to create a blend between Kidō and Zanjutsu, a technique that would increase a Zanpakutō's durability and power incredibly, perhaps even enable a Shinigami to cast Kidō through a Zanpakutō to create a limitless variety of attacks. So that Shinigami whose Zanpakutō don't have special energy attacks or whatnot can keep up with those who do."

She gestured towards Zangetsu. "I've seen you cover Zangetsu with its special technique, Getsuga Tenshō, and it increased its cutting power by a great deal. But very few Zanpakutō have abilities like that."

Ichigo blinked. He'd never thought of that, before. "But, isn't a Zanpakutō's durability and power tied to the determination and strength of the Shinigami who wields it?"

"Yes," Lisa conceded. "But those without enormous spiritual energy cannot hope to stand against those who do, as you well know. Blending Kidō and Zanjutsu would be an equalizer."

Ichigo nodded, beads of sweat running down his forehead as he felt his control over Haien waver. Taking a breath, he reasserted his will. "It's… a good dream," he managed to get out, gritting his teeth and forcefully stabilizing the spell. "Did you make… any progress on it after you became a Vizard?"

"No." Lisa's face fell. "After I suppressed my Hollow, it took me a long time to get my Kidō back to where it was before I Hollowified. I can only imagine how much trouble Hachi had. Speaking of troubles with Kidō…" She leaned down to inspect Ichigo's Haien again, then glanced at Ichigo's face. "Alright. Cast it at the target."

Without hesitation, Ichigo flung the spell at the target that Lisa had set up earlier. It erupted in purple flames, almost instantly incinerating it. He took deep, steadying breaths as he relaxed for a few moments.

"Good aim," Lisa complimented. "I expected you to miss a time or two first. Haien isn't like Shakkahō or Sōkatsui where you just point and shoot."

"It's just like aiming a Getsuga," Ichigo replied. "It's just a matter of knowing when to fire. My trouble isn't with the power or the aim, it's just the control."

Hearing that, Lisa paused and looked at him appraisingly. "Did you ever think it might be like when you were training to use your Hollow mask?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well, you remember having trouble keeping the mask up, until you were forced to focus on something else?"

Ichigo's mind flashed back to how Lisa had distracted him, asking about Inoue. "Yeah… I jumped from twenty seconds to more than a minute."

"Right. It was because you were anticipating the mask's destruction, which simply made it happen faster," Lisa reminded him. "Do you think your Kidō difficulty could be similar? You're thinking it's difficult, so it is?"

"That might have something to do with it," Ichigo reluctantly admitted. "But if Kidō is easy, then why aren't there more Kidō masters?"

"True." Lisa tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps it's a mixture of true difficulty and your own expectations, then."

"Could be. What next?"

Lisa sat down on a nearby chair. "Bakudō 9: Hōrin. Sit, Ichigo, and I'll explain the theory."

Ichigo seated himself across from her. "So, Hōrin. That sounds like a Hadō, though."

"It does, doesn't it? Despite the name, Hōrin is a Bakudō meant for capture. It's basically an extension to Hainawa, if you know it." Ichigo nodded an affirmative. "Good, that makes this easier. The thing to be aware of is that Hainawa is stronger and more versatile, but is single-target only. Hainawa can't split and capture more than one person. You'd need separate spells for each target.

"Hōrin, on the other hand, is exclusively a capture spell. It's weaker, but it can be split to more than one person at a time, making it very useful for immobilizing and capturing groups."

Ichigo frowned pensively. "You say it's weaker, but its strength depends on the skill of the user, right? How does that make sense?"

Lisa nodded, acknowledging the question. "Hainawa is purely binding an opponent, while Hōrin allows binds the opponent and allows the user continuous control over the length and direction of the spell. To give an example, if you use Hainawa on me, then I can't move, but you can't shorten the rope or tighten it or lead me anywhere else without picking me up and moving me. You can think of it as a fire-and-forget spell. Hōrin, on the other hand, allows for your direct control, including the ability to fling the prisoner with your spell. Since the focus is fragmented, the strength of the spell is as well."

After a moment, Ichigo hesitantly nodded in understanding. "Alright…"

"As with all Bakudō, you need to have a clear visualization of the effect you want. You'll want to make a sharp hand motion towards the target to fire the spell, which will be attached to you through your index and middle fingers," Lisa lectured, before standing up. "I'll be your test subject."

Grimacing, Ichigo stood up and walked a little ways away. "I don't suppose there's an incantation?"

"There is, but Hōrin is low enough level that you shouldn't need it. Besides, incantations are a pain to remember."

Nodding in agreement with the latter statement, Ichigo made a hand sign with his left hand and visualized his power quickly wrapping around and binding Lisa, while remaining connected to him for him to shape and move as he wished. "Bakudō 9: Hōrin!" he snapped, jabbing his hand at her.

Much to both their surprise, a chain made of orange light shot out and wrapped Lisa up tight for a few seconds before vanishing. "Alright, I wasn't expecting you to get it on the first try," Lisa grumbled, rubbing her arms. "But two things. First, this Bakudō requires a constant feeding of reiryoku to be maintained. Second… that spell isn't supposed to create chains, and it was a damn sight stronger than it should have been. That spell looked more like Sajō Sabaku than Hōrin! Were you visualizing chains?"

"Not really," Ichigo admitted. "I was thinking more abstractly, just wanting my power to bind you."

Lisa looked at him seriously. "Does your Hainawa make chains as well?"

"Come to think of it… yeah, actually. It made chains when I was fighting this Quincy in Hell. I don't know why it worked so well then, anyway. I was struggling to make anything when I was learning the spell to begin with…"

Lisa stared at her fellow Vizard disbelievingly. "Ichigo, that spell is only meant to make a simple rope. Chains are far more complex, and a lot stronger! Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"Um… no?"

"Ichigo, you've accidentally recreated Bakudō 63: Sajō Sabaku, which should be well beyond your ability! The only explanation I have for this is that your soul must have a predisposition, no, an outright affinity for chains!"

Ichigo blinked, then rubbed his neck and looked up, deep in thought. "Well, Tensa Zangetsu _does _have those chains on the end… And I've been able to change their length and make them move ever since I trained in the Dangai… Maybe it's part of Zangetsu's power?"

_No, Ichigo. My power, and my younger form's power, has always been the Getsuga Tenshō, a compression of your power. _

_**Well, it certainly ain't my power. **_

_Which means it must be one innately Ichigo's. _

_**Whoa. Badass, Ichigo! Knew I made a good decision agreeing to team up with you. I'm gonna have to see if I can do anything with chains. **_

Ichigo looked at Lisa with wide eyes. "Zangetsu says that he's got nothing to do with it, and Cazador de la Luna is denying involvement as well. They agree with you that it's probably an affinity of mine."

Lisa ran up and grabbed Ichigo's hands in her own. "Ichigo! You can't let this go to waste! With a chain affinity that lends itself so well to Bakudō, you could make a personalized seal for Hell, binding him for good!"

Relief, sweet, glorious relief rushed through Ichigo's veins. Finally! Finally, he didn't feel overwhelmed with the prospect of learning enough Bakudō to finish Hell. Finally, he knew how to keep moving forward. He found himself smiling, and for once didn't bother to crush it with his usual scowl. "Alright! Let's get started!"

* * *

"Hadō 63: Raikōhō!" Rukia roared, rushing at Sode no Shirayuki, unleashing a massive lightning blast with one hand while readying her blade with the other.

"Tsugi no mai: Hakuren," Sode no Shirayuki retorted, pointing her own sword at Rukia. Ice met lightning with explosive results, where both Shinigami and Zanpakutō had to dodge to avoid being caught up in it.

Flickering behind her opponent with Shunpo, Rukia quickly slashed at her beloved Zanpakutō with a blade empowered with San no mai: Shirafune. In her left hand, she had prepared Hadō 54: Haien, just in case.

Sode no Shirayuki barely managed to spin and block, her eyes narrowed as she clashed with her wielder. "Some no mai, Tsukishiro!"

Jumping backwards to avoid being caught in a pillar of ice, Rukia flickered into Shunpo again and flung Haien at her Zanpakutō from the side, only for it to be effortlessly batted away. _Fine. If I need more piercing power, better be… _Once more, she Shunpo-ed, but this time appeared right in front of Sode no Shirayuki and clashed her sword against that of her sword spirit. Imitating her brother, she jabbed her free hand's index and middle fingers into Sode no Shirayuki's shoulder and incanted "Hado 4: Byakurai!"

The piercing lightning lanced through Sode no Shirayuki's shoulder, taking her by complete surprise. She jumped backwards, grimacing in pain, but Rukia knew better than to wait for her to recover – Sode no Shirayuki could very easily temporarily repair the damage with some self-generated ice. She'd learned that the hard way earlier in this very fight.

Rukia quickly pierced the ground a few times. "Tsugi no mai: Hakuren!"

Hidden behind the avalanche of cold, Sode no Shirayuki smiled, and held her sword up in front of her face. "Shi no mai: Shirayuki."

As soon as the Hakuren vanished, Rukia looked around frantically for her Zanpakutō. She could feel that Sode no Shirayuki had not returned to her heart, but she couldn't see or hear her anywhere. She kept on her guard, unsure of where the attack would come from. So she was completely surprised when she felt a blade at her throat.

"Well done, Rukia," Sode no Shirayuki congratulated, backing away. "You have forced me to use Shi no mai: Shirayuki, and so you have earned it."

Rukia turned around, an excited smile gracing her face. "I did?"

"You did. Now, watch me use it, and tell me what you see. Shi no mai: Shirayuki."

Rukia watched her sword spirit dissolve into many, many snowflakes that floated in midair before coalescing back into Sode no Shirayuki's form. "You… converted yourself into snow and cold air? And then back?"

"Yes. Shirayuki is a double-edged technique, Rukia. It grants you intangibility, invisibility to an extent, and freedom of movement… if your will is strong enough. This technique will endanger your life, Rukia. If you lose yourself to the call of the cold, then you will die." Sode no Shirayuki cupped her wielder's cheek as her feet and legs began to dissipate. "Be careful, Rukia."

"I will." And with that promise, Sode no Shirayuki vanished, returning to Rukia's Inner World.

"Congratulations, Rukia." Renji stepped into the clearing, having watched from a distance. "You have your fourth dance. You've made fantastic progress. Hell, I'm a little jealous. My desperation technique leaves me without a Shikai, yours makes you a freaking ghost!"

"That's what you get for being all brawn and little brain," Rukia teased with a smirk.

"Oi! This is the thanks I get for getting you started on Bankai?"

"Like you've been training me at all since I manifested her! I've been doing your work AND mine, casting those Kidō for you!"

"Oh, as if you didn't enjoy showing off!"

"Says the man with giant freaking snake for a Bankai! Compensating much?"

They stared at each other for a minute, then broke down laughing. After a few moments, Renji managed to get his chuckles under control. "Seriously, Rukia. Well done. I'm proud of you."

Rukia smiled, accepting the compliment. "Thanks. How're you doing on Hadō 11: Tsuzuri Raiden?"

Renji beamed. "Very well, actually. Thanks for showing me that one, Zabimaru and I are excited to try it next time we fight."

"Show me."

Renji nodded. "Howl, Zabimaru!" Once his Zanpakutō emerged in Shikai, he swung it at a tree a dozen meters away. "Hadō 11: Tsuzuri Raiden!" Zabimaru crackled with electricity as it extended, and it cut through the tree easily before it shortened again, at the ready in Renji's hand. "I feel like I could keep this spell up all day!" he exclaimed happily.

Rukia inspected Zabimaru carefully. "The spell looks good. Looks like all that time we spent on your control is paying off. Does using this technique hurt him?"

"No. He says it tickles a little, but it doesn't bother him," Renji relayed. Then he cocked his head, obviously in mental conversation with his Zanpakutō. Nodding quickly, he released the spell, making the electricity dissipate from Zabimaru. "But apparently I shouldn't try to hold it for too long. Something about electricity heating up the metal thread that holds all the segments together, and if it overheats too much then it _would _hurt Zabimaru, and possibly break the sword."

Rukia nodded in understanding. "Let's get some lunch. I used a lot of reiryoku training, so I'm hungry."

"Sounds good. Lead the way!"

* * *

"Tear the sky asunder, Zangetsu," Zen'i incanted, and was gratified to feel the familiar weight of his Zanpakutō materialize in his hands. He could tell without trying that Bankai was beyond him without Zangetsu's spirit, but at least he wasn't completely defenseless.

"Very good," Hell commented from the door of the room that Zen'i had chosen to test his powers in. "And the mask?"

Nodding, Zen'I raised his left hand to his face and _pulled_, and successfully manifested a mask. Taking it off to look at the face, Zen'i frowned to see that it was the Gillian variety. "Hmph. I was trying for the Adjuchas mask. It seems that without their spirits, I'm left with only the basic forms," he commented. "It's better than nothing, though."

"True. However, it's not enough if you're to do battle against Kurosaki Ichigo."

Zen'i looked sharply at his boss. That hadn't been part of the deal, but he knew better than to argue. "Yeah. Do you have something in mind?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. My power flows through you. It may be enough, especially here. I wonder if she'll accept you…" With merely a gesture, Hell conjured his sword and then held it out to Zen'i. "Go on. Take her."

_It's a Zanpakutō. Why would giving me a Zanpakutō help, if I already have Zangetsu? Hold on, how does Hell have a Zanpakutō? _Nevertheless, he did as he was told, taking the sword with his left hand. _Hello?_

…

Zen'i had the distinct impression that she was not impressed. It was definitely female, from the feel of it. "I don't think she likes me very much."

"Well, at least she hasn't cut off your hand," Hell comforted him offhandedly. "That's what she did to the last couple of people I tried to lend her to. Well, good luck. I'm locking you in until you know her name. For Masaki's sake, you shouldn't take too long."

"Wait, stop!" But Hell was already gone, and the lock activated a moment later. Grumbling, Zen'i sat down and stared at the Zanpakutō in his hand. _Listen, I'm sure you don't like this any more than I do. I know damn well that Zangetsu would have my head if I ever tried to just give him to someone else. He's a part of my soul. _

… _Liar. Zangetsu's influence is here, yes, but he is not within your soul._

_Surely you've noticed by now, I'm not exactly a whole soul. _

_No. No, you are not. You are a fragment of Kurosaki Ichigo. Zangetsu lies with him. But that serves my purposes well enough. _

The frown on said fragment's face deepened. _'Your purposes'? _

_None of your concern. Suffice to say that I am not happy with my master, and that our goals are aligned, for the moment. _

_Then may I know your name so I may wield you in battle? _

_No. I do not know you. I do not trust you. What I do know is not promising. Tell me, would you trust a discarded fragment of a powerful soul being kept alive by my master for his own plans? _

Silently, Zen'i had to admit that she had a point. _Even so, I thought our goals were aligned? And that I serve your oh-so-mysterious purposes? Surely it'd be in your best interest for me to stay alive, and you know that Hell is going to send me into battle against Ichigo. After all, if I die, then who knows when the next sucker will come along who you'll be able to tolerate?_

_You twist my words against me. Clever. _Zen'i nearly dropped the Zanpakutō as it suddenly burned his hand. _But cleverness alone is not enough to raise yourself above me. You will not command me. But we may work together, nonetheless. Very well. My name is…_

* * *

And that's it for this chapter.

Everyone's training and finally yielding positive results. I particularly like Shi no mai: Shirayuki. I don't really have much to say about this chapter...

So it's on the spoiler rant!

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Oh that son of a bitch! Masaki died because freaking Juhabach took her powers at exactly the wrong moment? AAAAARGH! But I'm glad that Ichigo looks determined once again. But now Ishida has apparently joined the Vandenreich? COME ON!

I find it a little interesting that Isshin's reishi binding didn't snap until Ichigo's Inner Hollow manifested against Byakuya. This means one of two things: either the Hollow within Masaki had jumped to Ichigo at some point, or having the Hollow while pregnant with Ichigo spawned a mini-Hollow that was also impacted by Isshin's reishi binding. I'm thinking more like the first one... So when did it move? Maybe during gestation? Or maybe a last-ditch thing from Masaki when she realized she was going to die and didn't want the Grand Fisher to have that sort of power?

Anyway, that's all for now. Ciao for now!

NeoRyu777


	61. Preparation

It's been one hell of a month, manga- or otherwise. First up as always are review replies:

The Sinful - yep, you've got it right about the contract.

The Dark Eccentric - Zen'i has a very similar Inner World to Ichigo, just like Cazador. However, I don't think I'll be describing it.

And to those people who thought that Ichigo with chains is kinky/BDSM/masochist whatever: while amusing to think about, that wasn't the point. He's got an unusually large talent for generating and manipulating chains. Hence, an affinity. The reason for this affinity? Not telling!

But let's just say that the chains will be playing a very, very large part in the final conflict.

Time to move on. Let's get to the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 61: Preparation

Ichigo tiredly dragged himself back to his room after the long day of training. Quietly setting Zangetsu up on the sword mount and stripping down, he collapsed onto the bed, exhausted but satisfied with the day's work.

Kidō-wise, Ichigo was pretty happy with his progress. After some experimentation, Ichigo and Lisa had discovered that he could generate and manipulate chains on his own with some concentration. The downside was that without a preexisting Bakudō acting as a guide, Ichigo had a harder time directing his intent, making them move more slowly. In comparison to using Hainawa, the chains moved at a snail's pace.

Lisa thought, and Ichigo agreed, that it was probably just a matter of practice. It was an ability Ichigo had never used before, after all, so it was only natural that he needed to train himself in using it. In between training the chains, Lisa had lectured Ichigo on the difference between standard Bakudō and true seals.

**Flashback**

"_Alright, Ichigo. Sit down and I'll explain it like it was explained to me," Lisa ordered. Seeing her student take a seat, she nodded. "Bakudō, as you probably already know, are supplementary spells. They don't usually do any direct damage, but the key thing to remember is that they are temporary. Let me give you an example. If a seated officer in the Gotei 13 used a Bakudō on someone who didn't try to break it, the spell would dissolve within minutes. If a fukutaicho cast, then it could last a few hours, maybe. If a taicho skilled at Kidō, like Kuchiki Byakuya, cast, perhaps a day or two if they really tried. _

"_The reason for this is that anything with reiryoku resists being bound by foreign reiryoku. For this reason, seals were invented. Seals are designed to completely subjugate the item or person being sealed, for as close to eternity as we can manage. They are not something used lightly, and only the very best can ever use them with any degree of effectiveness. To be sealed and thrown into prison is one of the harshest punishments that can be handed down by the Central 46."_

_Ichigo nodded. "But how do seals work for so much longer than normal Bakudō?"_

"_As I understand it… seals work by being empowered by the sealed," Lisa intoned gravely. "Think for a moment on your own seal. Your power is bound, kept at bay and unable to be utilized until you break the seal. And it is powered by the very energy it seals. This is the truth about seals."_

_Ichigo's eyes widened in sudden comprehension. "Oh! So that's why Urahara's seal against Aizen needed him to be weakened first! So that Urahara's power would be temporarily greater than Aizen's, so the seal could overpower Aizen's resistance! Once it was there, then it wouldn't matter if Aizen got any stronger, because the seal would grow stronger with him!" _

"_Exactly," Lisa confirmed, pleased. "However, that's all I know about seals. My control and power never even got close to enough to be able to try one out. You'll be better off talking to Hachi."_

_**_End Flashback**

Nodding to himself, Ichigo mentally shifted gears to think about Hiyori and Love. They were doing well, and both could now use Cero consistently. Thankfully, as Nelliel was teaching them, there had been no danger since she could just eat their Cero and fire it in a safe direction. They were just getting started on Sonido when Lisa had willingly given control of her body back to her Inner Hollow and joined them.

_**They're starting to understand what it means to work together, **_Cazador mused. _**How long until we have them fight for each other's sword? **_

Ichigo shrugged. _I was thinking about getting that started either tomorrow or the next day, really. I'd like to visit Hachi and get some tips about seals before we start though. It'd be nice if I could practice on their berserk forms. _

_**Aww… I wanted to fight them. **_

_We don't want to maim any of them, Cazador, _Ichigo reminded. _Tell you what, if any of them turn out to have regeneration, I'll let you fight them. _

_**Works for me!**_

Silence fell for a minute, and Ichigo's eyes begin to flutter shut when he heard something too quiet to make out. _Eh? Zangetsu, Cazador you guys say something?_

_No. _

_**Nope. Why?**_

_Forget it. Probably just my imagination. _That decided, Ichigo closed his eyes and began to drift away…

The red and orange hues of sunset were soothing, relaxing to look at. They always had been. But the troubles of the world intruded even on this peaceful moment. "This world is imperfect," Ichigo said softly, leaning on the railing as he took in the view. "Why can't we all just live together in peace? Why must people always start conflict over stupid things?"

"Well," his friend thought aloud, "conflict shows people who they really are, and gives people a chance to grow, to change. Maybe that's the point. If all that exists is peace, then is there any reason to grow beyond what is already there? Maybe people know that, somewhere inside, and subconsciously want that chance?"

"A chance… to show who you really are… who you can become…" Ichigo took a minute to process that. It made sense, but at the same time… "But if all that exists is war, then only hate and prejudice and pain remain. What sort of existence is that?"

"I think the key, as with all things, is balance, Ayumu," his friend responded heavily. "Conflict inspires growth and makes people appreciate the calm of peace. Peace soothes the pain of conflict but fails to encourage change. In excess, neither is desirable. This balance is what people need and search for, even if they struggle to find it."

"Balance, huh?" Ichigo – no, Ayumu – murmured quietly, watching the sky paint mosaics upon the clouds that would never repeat themselves exactly. "Where does power fall into that balance, Akio? There are good people who suffer from evil men with power, without any means of fighting back. Where is the balance of conflict and peace there?"

Akio took a few moments to gather his thoughts before answering. "I believe that evil is always toppled, eventually. Even if there is a dynasty that rules cruelly for ten thousand years, the people ruled have the chance to grow, and the chance to overthrow their oppression. Then peace will reign for a while before conflict returns once more."

"Maybe. But no matter who they are, what they've done, they all come here to the afterlife, where they have the chance to do it all again."

Akio glanced at his friend with a sigh. "We've had this argument over and over for the last hundred years. You've made your point that there is no real punishment for being wicked and cruel in life."

Ayumu sighed as well. "And you've made yours that without contact with good people who can show a better way of living, there is little hope of them ever truly reforming."

They stood in silence for a time, watching as the sun finished setting.

"Perhaps the answer lies in segregation and rehabilitation. The men down there do it all the time – incarceration and punishment to fit the crime. They separate their evil from the masses, and some manage to make redeem themselves."

"Their law is frequently flawed and sometimes sends innocent men into punishment they do not deserve," Akio observed. "Also, very few of those they do imprison are truly evil."

"Yes, but they don't have access to the tools we do. They have to judge by evidence of their surroundings and testimony. We can examine their souls and memories, and sort them that way!" Ayumu's voice grew stronger, more excited as he thought more on the idea.

"For the sake of argument, who would do the judging? There are so very, very many people, after all, and even you and I are imperfect. Morality and the definitions of good and evil change and evolve so frequently. What is evil in one culture is encouraged in another. What being could objectively judge all spirits?"

Ayumu slumped, recognizing the truth of those words. "… perhaps you're right."

Ichigo opened his eyes, not sure at all what to think about what he'd just witnessed. Had that conversation really happened, or was it a product of his imagination and own feelings about the afterlife? If it _had _happened, who were Ayumu and Akio? And why was he dreaming about them? What possible connection could he have with them? Despite his admitted lack of memory for names, he was almost positive he knew no one with those particular names, especially anyone who theorized about the balance of conflict and peace.

_It doesn't make sense. _Ichigo rubbed his temples, trying to stave off a headache. _And I felt like I WAS Ayumu… Who are they?_

* * *

Ishida and Inoue stood in the secluded training grounds that were well within the Ishida property, silently paying their respects. Uryū bowed his head and prayed that his grandfather's soul was safe and happy wherever it was now. With any luck, he had already been born and was living as a happy child. _I'm sorry, Grandpa Sōken. I know you told me to protect it. But I must destroy this contract. _

Inoue was quiet, appreciating the serenity of the area. It was calm, undisturbed, almost detached from the world. She couldn't hear anything but the quiet sounds of nature. It was quite peaceful and relaxing, now that she thought about it. _It's strange… how can a contract with Hell be in such a heavenly place like this? _

Finally, Ishida raised his head. There was no use waiting any longer. Slowly, he walked over to the stump and set down his bag, pulling out a pair of spades. Taking one up, he began to dig.

Inoue opened her mouth to ask why Ishida wasn't just using his powers to blast the earth away from the stump, but shut it upon realizing that it wasn't her place to decide. This was Ishida Sōken's legacy to his grandson. It was up to Uryū on how to unearth it. Picking up the other spade and ignoring how tired she was, she got to work.

Half an hour later, Ishida held a simple wooden box with a single Quincy cross carved into the top. Hesitantly, Ishida opened it. Inside was a roll of parchment, not having yellowed at all despite its obvious age.

"Should I try to reject it now?"

Ishida bit his lip, then closed the lid. "No. We don't know if my powers will vanish when the contract does. We'll destroy it after Hell's put down for good. That way I can still send Togabito back to Hell."

Inoue nodded, accepting the decision. "Then let's go back to Urahara. He can keep it with the Hōgyoku, protected from Hell until it's time."

Ishida nodded in agreement. "And then let's get some rest. We've earned it."

A sudden spark of power made both of them whirl around, seeing a portal to Hell open. Outside came Hana, the Togabito that Ishida and Inoue had spoken with before the invasion. "Give me the contract, Quincy."

"Not a chance." Without warning, Ishida shoved it at Inoue, who took it reflexively. "Go, now! I'll keep her occupied!"

Nodding, Inoue instantly summoned her Santen Kesshun as a platform and leapt atop it. Grabbing onto an edge with one hand and the box with the other, she took off.

"Don't think I'm gonna let you get away!" Hana cried out, leaping to intercept before Ishida flashed in front of her with a burst of Hirenkyaku, already firing a burst of arrow from his bow. Hana brought her arms in front of her face, materializing her chains to block the shots. A quick flicker behind her, and Ishida shot a powerful arrow into and through her right shoulder.

Hana screamed, clutching her shoulder with her left hand. "Damn it," she gasped out. "Fine then, Quincy. You're faster and stronger than I expected, but I know when I've lost. Finish me and send me back to Hell."

"Not before I get some questions answered. How did you know the location of the contract?" he asked coldly.

"Did you really think that Hell doesn't keep track of his obligations?"

Ishida glowered at Hana. "Why does Hell want it back all of a sudden?"

"All of a sudden?" Hana did something unexpected then: she laughed. "He's wanted the contract within his own realm for as long as the contract has existed! The Quincy tricked him! The pact was made between a man and a small collection of Hell's soul fragments that had over the course of millennia managed to regain a humanoid form. He had every intention of hiding the contract in Hell!"

"Let me guess," Ishida interrupted dryly. "The first Quincy stole the contract and sealed it in that box, which hides its spiritual signature and keeps Hell from finding and reclaiming it. Then he somehow shattered the collection of fragments again to prevent the Quincy from being hunted down."

Hana sobered quickly, giving the archer a piercing look. "You're smarter than you look."

"No, it was only common sense," Ishida shot back. "The thing to remember when dealing with devils is that you should expect to be double-crossed. The only way to come out ahead then is to be the double-crosser. This also explains why you only just came after the contract – you couldn't find it until I opened the box and revealed its spiritual presence. Finally, I have the answer on why the contract even existed to begin with; I surmise that Hell wanted powerful spirits to be damned upon their death, so he could consume them and regain his former power."

"… You're a lot scarier than I thought you'd be. I'll remember that when we meet again."

"See that you do." And with that, Ishida shot her in the head, making her collapse, blood and brain matter leaking onto the grass below. As soon as the portal to Hell opened to reclaim the corpse, he turned on his heel and used Hirenkyaku to join up with Inoue. He had a contract to deal with.

* * *

"Shi no mai: Shirayuki," Rukia intoned, holding the hilt of her sword up to her face and allowing a cold wind to carry her Zanpakutō's ribbon around her. She felt her feet and legs transform into mere cold air and snowflakes, she felt the cold flow up her body and dissolve more and more of her. It felt good, refreshing even, like an icy-cold shower after a hot summer day. Finally, the technique reached her head, and it felt _right,_ it felt _easy, _as though she were finally returning home. She began to relax, content with –

_Rukia! _

Startled, Rukia remembered Sode no Shirayuki's warning; she couldn't lose herself to the call of the cold, or she would never be able to rematerialize. Nor would she ever want to. Mentally slapping herself, Rukia focused and ended the technique, rematerializing exactly where she'd started.

Breath! Oh, sweet lungs, beating heart, blessed warmth that ran through her veins as her blood once more flowed hotly through her body. Rukia fell to her knees, overwhelmed with the sensation. How had she not been constantly aware of her own body before? She could feel every muscle in her body, tensing and relaxing as she simply breathed. She took another breath, delighting in how it was pulled into her lungs for her blood to take to the rest of her body. _You definitely weren't kidding when you said this would endanger my life, _she thought wearily.

_There is a reason why you had to earn it, Rukia. You had to prove you had the mental strength to retain yourself while joining with nature._

_And that's why I need to practice. If my first time trying that had been in the midst of battle…_

_Yes. _Shirayuki's tone was concerned, but accepting. _Please be careful. _

_You know I will. _Deciding to give herself a few more minutes before trying the technique again, she glanced at Renji, who had unleashed his Bankai and was quietly meditating, communing with Hihiō Zabimaru. She wasn't sure why – all he had said was that he had an idea but needed to consult with the Bankai spirit to make sure. At the moment, Hihiō Zabimaru was coiled loosely around Renji, protecting him during their communion.

Frowning, Rukia returned her attentions back to the situation at hand. She had to master the Shi no mai. She wanted to prove that Sode no Shirayuki had not made a mistake in sharing the technique, that she was capable of using it effectively. Resolve filled her, and she once again held her Zanpakutō up to her face. "Shi no mai: Shirayuki."

* * *

Byakuya barely repressed a frown, hiding his frustration. His request for a meeting with Kumoi the previous day had been politely refused. He had been informed that Kumoi had been too busy at the time, already in a meeting with some buyers for the Kasumiōji weapons. As the heiress was not present, it had fallen to Kumoi to handle the matter. As meetings with buyers could take many hours as they negotiated an acceptable trade, Byakuya had decided to return the next day.

However, now he had been given a different excuse. "Could you repeat that?"

The servant of the Kasumiōji practically shook as he addressed the head of the Kuchiki directly. "I apologize, Kuchiki-sama, but Kumoi-sama is not here. He is currently in a meeting with Kannogi Shū-sama."

"I see." Byakuya took a moment to recall what he knew about the Kannogi. To his consternation, he knew very little, only that they were a family associated with the Kasumiōji. He vaguely remembered seeing a notice about an engagement, which he normally cared little for, but in this case the betrothed were obvious.

"Kannogi Shū is engaged to the Kasumiōji heiress, correct?" Byakuya half-questioned.

"Yes, Kuchiki-sama."

Nodding absently, Byakuya reevaluated his opinion of Kumoi. Not only was he intelligent, but also quite sly. By interacting with Kasumiōji Rurichiyo's fiancé, Kumoi was able to play both sides. Rurichiyo would be afraid for her fiancé's life. On the other hand, as the Kannogi boy was young, it would almost certainly be easy for Kumoi to install him as a puppet ruler. All in all, it was a very good move. Rurichiyo would have to return in order to retain control over her clan, and that was when Kumoi would strike.

But Kumoi was not the only fish in this political pond. Byakuya's mind was already calculating how to turn the new circumstance to his advantage. "Their meeting is fortuitous for me, then," Byakuya commented, "as I would speak with them both. The matter is somewhat time-sensitive, so I truly must meet with them."

The servant looked torn, before apparently coming to a decision. "Please wait here. I shall return shortly." He bowed deeply, then vanished through the door that had been behind him.

Byakuya did not have to wait long, as the same servant came back and guided him into a meeting room. Inside was only an old man with long grey hair and large reflective glasses. _This must be Kumoi._ Kannogi Shū was not present. Byakuya had expected no less, however, and as he sat at the table for tea he began the standard pleasantries. "Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. You have been quite busy of late."

Kumoi smiled. "It is of course my pleasure to host the Head of the Kuchiki. But yes, I am afraid that my time has become something of a precious commodity in the clan recently."

Hardly one to leave an opening such as that, Byakuya switched gears momentarily. "Ah, yes. I heard from one of the servants yesterday that the heiress has gone missing."

To Kumoi's credit, his eyes only briefly reflected malice as his smile gave way to a just-somber-enough expression. Hardly anyone would have noticed, but Byakuya's eyes were accustomed to high speed movement and he'd been looking for such a reaction. "Yes, that is indeed the case. I had thought that she understood the responsibilities of her position, but she is young yet. There is time to learn, and I am capable of running the day-to-day clan matters until she can be found."

_Smooth,_ Byakuya noted. _Minimizing the problem, explaining it as follies of youth, and an implied promise that he'll help her grow into her position without overstepping his authority. _It was no wonder that Kumoi had grown to such an influential position in the clan.

A servant came in then and served them both some tea. Byakuya sipped his tea lightly, using the brief silence to formulate how to continue. Coming to a decision, he set his tea down. "I have come regarding some particularly interesting rumors," he finally told the man.

"Oh? What rumors would these be?"

"Rumors about weapons with special abilities, not unlike a Zanpakutō in some ways."

"Creating such a thing would almost certainly be forbidden," Kumoi answered calmly, his pleasant expression cooling slightly.

Byakuya met his gaze evenly. "Naturally, it also follows that if such a thing were to be encountered by _any _member of the Gotei 13, then we would have to act upon it in accordance with Soul Society law. However, if such a thing were to be encountered by Kurosaki Ichigo or his affiliates…"

"Yes?"

"Aizen Sōsuke took his mother hostage after gaining the power of the Hōgyoku. The Berean banished his mother to Hell with forbidden knowledge. The Togabito kidnapped his sisters by taking advantage of the Chains of Hell. It is only natural that Kurosaki Ichigo is now paranoid about the wellbeing of his family. At this point, I believe it likely he would lash out at anyone who attempted to harm a woman of any age, or at anyone displaying strange new powers. Once the immediate threat was eliminated, he would almost certainly follow it to the top to ensure it would not happen again, and then… " Byakuya sighed. "Well, he is young, and does not yet understand that sometimes we must make allowances for nobility. I only just succeeded in curbing him from eradicating the Berean for the conspiracy of a few, and that was when we needed their knowledge. I have my doubts I could do it again so soon."

Judging from the slightly paler face Kumoi sported, Byakuya was certain he had made his point nicely. Rising to his feet, he inclined his head slightly towards the man who'd been convinced he held all the strings. "Have a pleasant day." With that, he turned on his heel and departed.

A few moments later, Kumoi angrily seized the teapot and made to throw it, but stopped himself at the last moment. He had an image to maintain, and evidence of his temper would not be wise to display. Carefully, with hands shaking from mingled anger and fear, he set the teapot back down.

_They know. They know they know they know they know…! _Kumoi shook his head. Of course they knew. As soon as Kurosaki Ichigo had made contact with the heiress and her two damnable bodyguards it was inevitable that word would make its way back to Soul Society. Thankfully, there was no proof of the Bakkōtō, which kept the Gotei 13 from accusing him of treason, but that could change if one of the assassins were killed, or worse yet, captured.

Sipping his tea, Kumoi tried to think of a solution. Kurosaki Ichigo had to be removed from the equation somehow. He hadn't thought the man had a capacity for vengeance, but now that it had been pointed out, it was quite obvious. Going after him or his family was apparently suicidal, as was directly going after the heiress. So instead of assassins, the death of the heiress needed to look like an accident, enough so to fool a suspicious mind. That would be difficult to arrange… very difficult, but not impossible.

Kumoi smiled. He had time. The Gotei 13 had begun some operation regarding the Dangai, making interdimensional travel risky at best. That meant that the heiress would not be able to stop him from ruling through her fiancé, Shū. With time and the clan's resources behind him, plus the Bakkōtō… yes, it could be done.

* * *

Hitsugaya panted heavily, his Bankai reverting back to Shikai as he recovered from the fight he'd just had with the Arrancar version of Shinji. He'd nearly died several times – it was only lucky that Shinji did not have his Zanpakutō in his Resurrección. If the ability to reverse his perceptions had been present, then he would have been crushed even more decisively than he had been.

To Hitsugaya's mild satisfaction, Shinji had not come out of the conflict unscathed. His robes had taken several hits, and although the ice-wielder had originally had difficulty cutting through Shinji's Hierro, he had eventually managed it.

However, Shinji had overwhelmed Hitsugaya completely with only the use of Cero and Hakuda after he had unleashed his Resurrección. Hitsugaya's ice dragons had been obliterated by Cero, and he'd been made aware of an important weakness. Namely, that he took too long gathering the power to _do _anything! Long enough that Shinji could tell with near-100% certainty exactly what Hitsugaya was about to do, and counter it.

"Hey, Tōshirō. Good fight. You're getting better. Might wanna focus some on your Shunpo, though." Shinji nodded, sealing his Resurrección and snagging Sakanade out of the air as it reappeared.

Finally managing to regain control of his own breathing, Hitsugaya straightened and nodded to the Arrancar. "Thanks." He decided not to bother with his standard correction about how he preferred to be addressed – Shinji had been a taicho long before he had, and frankly he felt that anyone who had proven they could kick his ass could call him what they liked.

Hitsugaya sat and leaned against a boulder. Once he felt up to it, he'd train on his Shunpo and the quickness of his techniques. _How is it that I even became a taicho, if a taicho who can't use his Zanpakutō can beat me even with mine?_

"You're feelin' pretty down about yourself now, aren't ya?" Shinji asked. Without waiting for an answer, he plopped down and sat next to his opponent. "Don't worry too much about it. You specialize in your Zanpakutō abiltiies, which ain't necessarily a bad thing. Most taicho-class Shinigami are specialists in some way or another, especially when they're somewhat new to the position."

"And you? What did you specialize in as a Shinigami?"

"Well, when Shinji didn't have me, he specialized in Kidō, believe it or not. He could even spot and break some of Aizen's illusions… when they weren't made with Kyoka Suigetsu, that is. Besides Kidō, he favored Zanjutsu. He was alright at Hakuda, mostly from sparring with Hiyori," Hollow Shinji scratched at his chin for a moment. "Didn't care much for Shunpo, though he got better at it when he became a taicho."

That made Hitsugaya feel a bit better. "And now?"

"Well, now Shinji's decent with the Kidō – harder now, with Hollow powers messing with the control needed – but he prefers using our mask and Zanjutsu with Shunpo. He worked pretty hard to bring his Shunpo up to snuff, just in case the Shinigami found us. As for me, though…" Hollow Shinji grinned. "Me, I like screwing with people's heads before I get up close, so I'm working on my Sonido. I'm looking forward to being able to use Sakanade in Resurrección."

Hitsugaya grimaced at the thought. "So, I need to round myself out a bit?"

"Something like that. Shinji says that you should work on your Zanjutsu so you can swing faster and harder. Hyōrinmaru's abilities are great but if they get in close you have to be able to handle that too. Oh, and Shunpo – speed up your movements a bit more."

Nodding in understanding, the 10th Division leader stood. "Alright. Thanks again."

"No problem." Hollow Shinji waved him off. As the diminutive taicho left to go train some more, he leaned back against the boulder. The fight with the kid had tired him, but he had to push Tōshirō to greater heights. The kid had potential, and with some effort he could even make it to Yamamoto's level… in a few centuries of course, but everyone had to start somewhere.

_And of course, it doesn't hurt that training him also trains us, _Shinji pointed out. _And you're making an ally out of him. _

_**What can I say? We've gotta be strong enough to survive, and we don't trust Yamamoto. Having Tōshirō on our side can only help.**_

_I'm not criticizing. You're doing a good job._

_**You sound surprised. I am a part of you, after all. **_

_Well… yeah, I'm surprised. I never thought that we could get along so well. I wonder if this is how Ichigo and Cazador work together?_

Suddenly, alarms sounded, signaling that another Togabito or group thereof had entered the living world. Hollow Shinji tensed, waiting for Urahara's instructions. If the numbers were too many for Ichigo's human friends and the Shinigami allies to handle, Urahara would order them to help out. Was now the time?

The speaker crackled with static before Urahara's voice came through. "There are three Togabito this time. Kurosaki Isshin has already dispatched one of them. Abarai Renji, Kuchiki Rukia and Sado Yasutora are fighting the remaining two. Patching them in now." More static, then it cleared up. "Sado, report."

"Togabito at the school grounds. I punched him in the face to get his attention. Now he's following me to the forest."

"Difficulty level on a scale of 1 to 10?"

"4. Slightly slower than me, and he's pissed off. Should be easy to surprise him once I have some cover."

"Good. Abarai?"

"Ours just went down. I distracted it while Rukia used her new technique to sneak up on and assassinate it."

"It?"

"Ambiguous gender."

"Fair enough. Isshin?"

"After what happened last time, I took no chances. As soon as she appeared I Shunpo-ed behind her and Getsuga-ed her head off. Yuzu's going to kill me for upending the table, though. She'd just set down dinner, too…"

"I'll send Rukia to pick up the corpse." Urahara sounded vaguely amused. "Sado, how are you doing?"

"La Muerte!" There was a pause. "He's dead."

"Got him by surprise, then?"

"Yes."

"Well done. Sensors confirm that all Togabito presence has vanished from the living world. Excellent work, everyone."

The speaker crackled then shut down. Hollow Shinji scowled. _**Something ain't right. I can feel it. **_

_I agree. _Hollow Shinji could feel the Inner Shinigami frown pensively. _Why send so few people? And so easily killed? There's another agenda here. The attack feels like a distraction. _

_**Yeah. But a distraction from what? **_

_I wish I knew. But if it's not in the living world, it's gotta be in Hueco Mundo or inside the Hell dimension itself._

_**Then let's get back to work. We've gotta be strong enough for when the time comes.**_

_You got it._

* * *

And that's it for this chapter. I know, I know, it's another lead-up chapter. But things are in fact moving along nicely.

Ichigo's having visions about Ayumu and Akio, and I'm sure most of you have guessed who they are by now. If you haven't I'm not spoiling it for another few chapters.

Ishida's pretty cold, isn't he? And dangerously intelligent. He read between the lines and figured out the truth behind the contract, right before killing Hana without hesitation. He is not an enemy I would ever want to make.

Rukia's practicing with her no technique, and it looks like she was able to use it nicely to take down the ambiguously-gendered Togabito. Good for her.

But yeah, that force was too light to be anything but a distraction. For what? I'm not saying yet. So let's move on to the spoiler rant.

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... Sigh. I'm not sure what to say about the recent manga. The person we all thought was Zangetsu, the origin of Ichigo's Shinigami powers... was instead the manifestation of his Quincy powers, and both was and was not Yhwach the whole time? I mean, I knew Yhwach looked like Zangetsu since we first saw him on the throne, but I thought that was just coincidence or something. Apparently not.

And 'Zangetsu' did everything he could to hold Ichigo back from becoming a Shinigami, including becoming the primary source of his powers? So he should have been incredibly predisposed to developing Quincy powers, then... Might also help explain why Ichigo absorbed ALL of Rukia's powers at the beginning of the series. Quincies absorb reishi and reiryoku. Combined with the Hogyoku's sensing of Ichigo's and Rukia's hearts' desires... instead of the half that Rukia intended, Ichigo got it all. OK.

This also explains the whole scene where 'Zangetsu' reabsorbs Hollow Ichigo after the Zaraki fight. He was suppressing Ichigo's potential.

It was always Ichigo's Inner Hollow that helped him. Not 'Zangetsu'. Let's think on this for a moment. Who shielded Ichigo's vitals against Renji? Hollow Ichigo. Who showed Ichigo that he could use Zangetsu's ribbon to fight in a different way? Hollow Ichigo. Who showed Ichigo that he could use Getsuga Tensho in Bankai? Hollow Ichigo. As soon as he began losing to Byakuya in Soul Society, who helped out? Hollow Ichigo. As soon as he began losing to Grimmjow in the living world, who helped out? Hollow Ichigo. As soon as he began losing to Hollow Ichigo in his Inner World, who told Ichigo exactly what he was missing? Hollow Ichigo. As soon as Ichigo DIED AGAINST ULQUIORRA, who helped out? Hollow Ichigo.

... Exactly when has 'Zangetsu' helped Ichigo? The fight with Zaraki, and Ichigo ended up fighting Hollow Ichigo, who forced Ichigo to understand that he needed to learn more about his Zanpakuto. Um, 'Zangetsu' told Ichigo about the Getsuga? Ichigo was pretty much able to use it at will by the time he told it. The name just made it a bit more powerful and focused. 'Zangetsu' did Bankai training and taught Ichigo more swordplay? And that's about it. We don't hear from him since then. And now we know why.

But apparently 'Zangetsu' eventually had a change of heart and began helping Ichigo at some point. That could be the whole Bankai training onward...

I just... I liked Zangetsu as he was. And now he's gone. I feel... pretty sad about that. I'm sorry to see him go.

But now we're going to get to know the real Zangetsu. Looking forward to that for sure. Still, gonna miss 'Zangetsu'.


	62. Unity

Well, this chapter flowed nicely. Wasn't expecting to be finished for at least another week, but I'm feeling pretty good about this one.

So, let's get to the review replies, ne?

To the many people who expressed similar feelings about canon Zangetsu as I did - Well, I'm glad I'm not alone in that. He's always been one of my favorite characters, which is pretty obvious since the whole idea behind this fic was better communication between Ichigo and Zangetsu.

To everyone who's wondering whether the recent canon revelations will change my fic - extremely unlikely. I have the ending planned out, and frankly it'd be very tedious and frustrating to work it in without it feeling like a Deus ex Machina. Zangetsu will stay Zangetsu. Cazador de la Luna will stay Cazador de la Luna.

I'm not incorporating Yhwach or any of the 1000 Years Blood War arc (or whatever it's called). This story will end when we're done with the Hell arc. I may one day come back and do a sequel, but it will probably be a couple of years before that even begins. IF, and I do mean if, that happens then I'll reconsider the issue about Zangetsu and Hollow Ichigo.

Now, about Tensa Zangetsu. I still think that he's just a younger Zangetsu, with more power but less patience. Zangetsu made himself the primary source of Ichigo's powers. So when Ichigo goes Bankai, Zangetsu HAS to be impacted. Since Tensa Zangetsu is a compression of Ichigo's power, that means Zangetsu gets compressed, or in Ichigo's inner world, he becomes younger.

Regarding the fusion Tensa Zangetsu, that's just the source of all of Ichigo's powers - Quincy, Hollow, Shinigami. Same idea as before, just one additional power added in.

Tanequin - very nice observation! I hadn't thought of that, but you're absolutely right.

Anyway, let's move on to the actual chapter.

* * *

Chapter 62: Unity

Fire. There was fire everywhere, everywhere that Ichigo could see. But he couldn't pay attention to that, not now. There was too much on the line. He had to push Hell back into his own dimension, or the living world would be conquered entirely, fire or no fire. He dashed forward with the speed of Sonido, holding Tensa Zangetsu with both hands as he once again engaged in combat with Hell.

A black Getsuga writhed against Tensa Zangetsu, strengthening it, empowering it as Ichigo struck again and again, but Hell continued to simply dance out of the way of each attack. Buildings crumbled from the sheer reiatsu unleashed with every swing of Ichigo's blade, but to his fury he just… couldn't… HIT HIM!

"Does it feel good, to let loose like this? Do you even care about all the humans who die every time you try to hit me?" Hell taunted. "How many have you, personally, killed so far? I'd guess around two or three hundred so far, just from the people trapped in the last few buildings. And those were _by accident._" He laughed cruelly. "And you still think you don't deserve a place in my realm."

"**No, I know exactly where I'm going when I die,"** Ichigo spat. **"But that's fine, as long as you die first! Getsuga Tenshō!"**

Hell stood still that time, and the technique separated his torso from his legs… before his body shattered like a mirror, revealing Kurosaki Masaki. "Ichi… go…" she breathed, blood dribbling from her lips. "W-why…?"

Ichigo's Resurrección crumbled as sheer horror overwhelmed his senses, and he fell to his knees. "No! Mom, don't go! No! Stay with me! I'm sorry! I didn't know!"

"That's always your excuse," a voice behind him chided. "You didn't know. Cold comfort when the Grand Fisher killed her, wasn't it?"

Ichigo leapt to his feet and spun on his heel, Tensa Zangetsu at the ready despite the tears in his eyes. "AIZEN!"

"You didn't really think that I would die so easily, did you? With the power of the Hōgyoku, I cannot die. But… I can be enslaved, it seems. I apologize for the illusion. It was not my choice." And chains erupted from Aizen's chest, forming a collar around his neck, with the leash being held by Hell, who stood several meters away.

"You cannot win, Kurosaki Ichigo," Hell told him with a slight smile. "Not when you delivered such a wonderful power to me. If only you hadn't killed him, then maybe the two of you could have bound me… but we'll never know. Now come, Aizen. Let us finish what you started. Create the Ōken, and we will conquer the Reiō as well."

"Ichi… go…" Masaki whispered. "Wake… up…"

"What?"

"Ichigo! Ichigo, wake up!"

Ichigo's eyes flared open, lunging from the bed and pinning Nelliel to the wall by her neck with his left hand while Zangetsu leapt into his right. He blinked, awareness returning to him, and a moment later he let go of Nelliel and lowered Zangetsu. "Sorry," he mumbled.

The Arrancar rubbed her neck lightly. "We can talk about this later. There's no time. Hell has launched an invasion force. It's large – several hundred Togabito according to Pesche. Starrk and Harribel are already there, fighting. Ulquiorra is gathering some of the Vasto Lorde. We need you to lead the charge – all Hollows respect the King, but if the King won't fight, why should they?"

Ichigo's expression hardened as he nodded. "Take me there."

In response, Nelliel vanished in a burst of Sonido. Ichigo followed with Shunpo. Moments later, they emerged from Las Noches, and they made a sharp left. Several moments later, they leapt into the sky, and as they passed over one of the countless sand dunes of Hueco Mundo, Ichigo could suddenly see them. Dozens of Adjuchas were fighting, but they were losing ground quickly from the sheer numbers.

There was no time to think. There was only time to act. With a swipe of his hand, Ichigo materialized his Adjuchas mask and flared his power, thrusting his left hand forward. _**"Cero!" **_

"CHAINS!" someone called from the back, and suddenly every Togabito crouched down and materialized their Chains of Hell, forming a protective shield over the front of the army. Ichigo's Cero impacted, but failed to cut through.

"_**Hollows! To me!" **_Ichigo roared. Materializing the white Zangetsu in his left hand, he held both forward, ribbons wrapping around his arms as he assumed the familiar stance. Black and white fire erupted from each, enveloping his swords and his body, and when they faded, he was in his Resurrección with Tensa Zangetsu. **"I SAID! HOLLOWS! TO ME!" **

Barely a moment later, all the Adjuchas that had been fighting the army had vanished and appeared behind him. Ichigo could sense a few Vasto Lorde-class Hollows a small distance behind them. _Ulquiorra succeeded, then, _he thought in satisfaction.

Then Ulquiorra, Harribel, Nelliel, Starrk and Lilynette appeared in front of Ichigo, all kneeling respectfully. "My king, your orders?" Ulquiorra requested.

Ichigo took a precious moment to think and observe. The Chains of Hell were nigh-unbreakable, and having such an army so well-trained to utilize that to their advantage meant that they had an ultimate defense. He would have to think about how Hell had such a trained army so quickly later.

But they had materialized the chains in only one direction. Could they do it in all directions…? There was only way to find out. **"Surround them, and on my command, everyone use their most powerful Cero! Former Espada, each of you take a side and a legion of Hollows to attack with. I've got the front alone. Ulquiorra, I want you to use your Segunda Etapa and Lanza del Relámpago from above."**

"YES, SIRE!" came the overwhelmingly loud response, and the Hollows quickly began rushing to follow their orders.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Ulquiorra's eyes betrayed nothing, but Ichigo got the sense that he approved of the tactic. "My liege, please be aware that if you mix your blood with a Cero, it becomes far more powerful. We call it the Gran Rey Cero. It was one of the two things Aizen forbade his Espada from using within Las Noches. As the king of Hueco Mundo, you will be expected to use this."

Ichigo nodded, accepting the knowledge. With his message received, Ulquiorra vanished with Sonido to follow Ichigo's orders.

"They're surrounding us!" the same commanding Togabito as before bellowed. "Formation E!" The army of Togabito quickly shifted, forming four ranks in each of the four cardinal directions.

_Huh. They're accustomed to such tactics, eh…? Let's see if it'll protect them. _Ichigo began to charge a Cero between his horns, and watched in satisfaction as every other Hollow there began to do the same. There were a myriad of colors, everything from canary yellow to primrose pink to royal purple.

Heeding Ulquiorra's words, Ichigo brought his left hand up to his left horn and pierced his palm, letting blood drip into the Cero. He almost stumbled when the Cero grew both in size and raw power, changing from a bloody crimson to a swirling mix of pitch and azure. But a moment later, he was ready. **"Now! Gray Rey Cero!" **

"**CERO!" **came the answering scream from every Hollow there. The ensuing light was nearly blinding, and Ichigo resisted the urge to close his eyes as lights of almost every possible color erupted simultaneously before him. The dark color of his Gran Rey Cero helped, shielding his sight with the cool embrace of darkness.

"CHAINS!" the Togabito roared.

The damning chains materialized, protecting the Togabito from the onslaught of Hollow power… except Ichigo's blast carved right through them, obliterating the entire side that had attempted to stop him, as well as one of the ranks on the opposite side.

"What the…?" the commanding Togabito breathed, staring at the solitary Hollow who had wrought so much destruction with a single attack. Who was this Hollow, that could obliterate his master's chains so easily? His horrified brain memorized the mask, the horns, the simple black longsword, the black coat… this could only be Kurosaki Ichigo. And now he understood why Hell was so interested in him.

"**Lanza del Relámpago." **The words were quiet, but even so they echoed in the battlefield, making every being look up at Ulquiorra, his black wings almost invisible against the night sky of Hueco Mundo, just as he threw the glowing teal javelin straight down.

Sudden, desperate understanding filled the Togabito, and he began to panic. "CHAINS! GET THOSE CHAINS ABOVE US!" the Togabito in charge screamed, but it was too late. The javelin struck the desert sands, and promptly exploded. The explosion almost instantly expanded to encompass all the Togabito in the army, but was ironically held in by the Togabitos' own chains, preventing it from hitting the Hollows that had surrounded them.

However, Ichigo had destroyed the chains that would have protected him. The explosion rushed out at Ichigo, who merely drew Tensa Zangetsu and held it at the ready, charging it with a minor amount of power. Just as Ichigo was about to be engulfed, he swung his sword downwards. The silent Getsuga carved the explosion in half, sending it to either side of him. The waist-length hair that graced his Resurrección flew backwards wildly as the fiery air rushed past him, but Ichigo gave no visible reaction as he waited to see the results of Ulquiorra's attack.

Finally, the air cleared, and Ichigo could see that there was hardly any trace of Togabito remaining. Hundreds of bodies could be seen falling into miniature portals back to Hell, while chain fragments littered the landscape for mere moments more before they disappeared. However, there was something… _wrong_ about a spot in the air where Ichigo's Gran Rey Cero had impacted the chains of Hell. The air itself was twisted, somehow. It wasn't the air ripping open, like a Garganta or one of the Hell Portals. No, it was… like a spiral almost, and fading fast, curling in on itself. Frowning, he vanished and reappeared close to the aberration.

He reached forward with a single claw and reached out with his spiritual sense, but he couldn't make sense of it. **"Ulquiorra."**

As if his mere name were a summons, Ulquiorra Sonido-ed next to him, already back in his base form. "Sire?"

"**What am I looking at?" **Ichigo asked quietly.

"A small tear in the fabric of space-time. This is one of the reasons why Gran Rey Cero was forbidden – its power has the potential to warp and tear space. However, all such tears are inherently unstable. In another moment, the wound will heal."

"**I see." **Ichigo lowered his claw and turned away just as the wound to the air itself finished healing. He would have to be careful about using Gran Rey Cero in the future.

"I have news, my liege. It appears that my Lanza del Relámpago has a limited ability to cut through the chains. I was able to determine it was able to cut through four chains on any of the given sides before losing enough energy to be restrained by the others."

"**That's excellent news."**

"I highly suggest you address your subjects now. They will require confirmation of their achievement and this would be an excellent time to recruit them."

Looking at how the Hollows were now approaching him, he nodded. **"Agreed." **Taking a moment to figure out the general message he wanted to give to the Hollows, Ichigo raised his voice and spoke as loudly as could without screaming. **"Hollows! We have won this battle, but the war wages on! Too many of these Togabito have already returned to Hell, and Hell will know what we can do! The next time he attacks, he will send more at us, wanting to conquer us and our world! Or he may decide to pick us off one by one! We must stand together! **

_So far, so good, _Ichigo mused. It was impossible to tell if he was getting through so far, as the Hollow masks made it difficult to tell facial expressions. **"So I invite you now, to join me at Las Noches! Let that be our castle, our home!"**

"Isn't that cowardice, hiding while Hell takes over the rest of Hueco Mundo?" one of the Vasto Lorde Hollows demanded. Immediately, angry mutters began to make their way through the crowd.

"**We are NOT HIDING!" **Ichigo roared, angry at the accusation. **"We are grouping together, pooling our strength! By working together, we can find and destroy Hell's forces wherever they appear! But for us to do that, we must have a place of operations! Let Las Noches be that place!"**

"What guarantee do we have that we won't be eaten?" one of the more wary-sounding Adjuchas questioned. All talk was instantly silenced – it seemed that was the major question most of the Hollows had.

"**If anyone is eaten while in Las Noches, I will purify the offenders. Personally," **Ichigo promised, his voice lowering as it became clear that he would be heard. **"But I do not require an answer now. All Hollows are welcome in Las Noches as long as they follow my rules. Whether you accept my invitation or not, be ready for the next invasion."**

With that, Ichigo flashed away with Sonido. Reappearing at the entrance to Las Noches, he released his Bankai and Resurrección, sheathing Zangetsu and removing his mask. Feeling Nelliel appear next to him, he opened the doors. "How many do you think will join us?"

"A fair number, I think. One or two Vasto Lorde looked interested. Some of the Adjuchas and natural Arrancar. Nowhere near all of them, though," Nelliel assessed.

"That's fine," he muttered. "It's not like we have room for all of them just yet anyway…"

"Are you alright?" Nelliel asked, hearing a strange note in Ichigo's voice.

"I'm fine. Just… a little tired and overwhelmed, I guess," he admitted. "I know I'm the king of Hueco Mundo, but I don't really know how to rule. All these expectations… it's a bit much, on top of the whole Hell situation."

"You're doing well," Nelliel reassured him. "They are beginning to respect you. It was a good plan out there, and you prevented the loss of any more Hollow lives."

Ichigo paused and looked at her. "Yeah… I did, didn't I? Let's hope things keep going well."

They walked in silence through the halls of Las Noches for a few minutes. "… do you want to talk about your dream?" Nelliel queried quietly.

The Vizard glanced at her, or more specifically, her neck. Luckily, it seemed it hadn't bruised, but he could still feel her neck being slowly crushed underneath his grip. "It was just another nightmare." Ichigo laughed bitterly. "At least I can understand those."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been having strange dreams lately. Every time I close my eyes, I'm dreaming of a couple of guys called Ayumu and Akio, discussing philosophy of all things!" Ichigo growled in frustration. "It's just so confusing! Who are they? Why am I dreaming of them?"

Nelliel frowned, concerned. "I take it that this isn't normal for Shinigami?"

"No, not that I know of anyway. Is it normal for Hollows?"

"No. But if it's neither Shinigami nor Hollow…" The Arrancar trailed off, uncertain.

"I don't know either. But I can't focus too much on it. I need to train."

"No," Nelliel argued quietly. "You need a chance to relax."

Ichigo barked out a laugh. "And how exactly can I do that? There's too much on the line! Every day I delay is a day that Hell gets stronger! I need to figure out how to seal him!"

"Have you forgotten, Ichigo?" Nelliel whispered. "Your power responds to your emotions, and the more turbulent they are the harder it is to control your power. And without control over your own power, you can't hope to seal the power of others."

_She is correct,_ Zangetsu murmured. _You made good progress with your chains when you were calm and felt the stress lift. _

Ichigo's shoulders slumped as they approached the door to his quarters. He hadn't even known that was where his feet were taking him. "Yeah. You're right. I guess I can take a few hours off and try to get myself together."

Nelliel suddenly stepped in front of him and turned to meet his eyes. "Ichigo, I was once in a similar position to you," she told him, eyes soft with understanding. "When I was one of Aizen's Espada, I was forced to fight for something besides self-defense or protection of those I cared for. And I hated it, despite knowing of its necessity. And if I wasn't sent on a mission from Aizen, Nnoitra would try to fight me. And even if I managed to get out of that, I always had to act as everyone else expected: like the aloof, powerful Tercera Espada. I had to act my station, both to the lower-ranked Espada and to all the Fracción, every day. I constantly felt like I was under pressure to do this, don't do that. And I was afraid every single day that if I screwed up, my Fracción, Dondochakka and Pesche, my beloved friends, would be killed as an example."

Ichigo looked at her, eyes wide. He was speechless – did Nelliel truly understand?

"It was truly a blessing when Nnoitra and Szayel cracked my mask and reduced me to a child. I could live and be with Dondochakka and Pesche without any further obligation to Aizen. But while I served Aizen, I retreated every day to my quarters to spend time with my Fracción, some of the only people who knew me for me. With them, I could relax, I could express all my frustrations and anger and grief."

"But I can't go home to my family," Ichigo whispered.

"No, but you do have someone here who understands you, who you can let your guard down around," Nelliel whispered back, coming closer and pulling him into a hug. "You don't have to be the king of Hueco Mundo to me. You don't have to be the Substitute Shinigami or the transcendent Vizard. You don't have to be a hero or the only one with the power to fight Hell. You don't have to be anything you don't want to be. Not to me. Let me help you."

His throat closed up, but he jerkily nodded, hugging her back. As they parted, Ichigo opened the door to his quarters and led them both in, closing it behind them.

* * *

"Do you think we'll win?"

Zen'i was sitting quietly opposite her, meditating with the Zanpakutō that Hell had given him, when he heard the quiet question. "There's a good chance. It depends on Ichigo."

"But you still haven't told me what your plan is!"

"And I'm still not going to," he answered easily, still not opening his eyes.

Masaki looked at Zen'i searchingly. "Maybe you're Ichigo's smugness."

"Nope."

"Self-assured confidence?"

"Nope."

It was a game they had taken to playing. Ever since Zen'i had revealed that he had originally represented some aspect of Ichigo, Masaki had taken to trying to guess it in her free time. Zen'i humored her partly for something to do, and partly because he was curious what she'd think if she knew the truth.

"Ichigo's brilliant inner mastermind? I always knew he'd turn out to be pretty smart."

"Good guess, but no. Ichigo is pretty smart, though. He does well in school, but it doesn't challenge him much."

Masaki nodded pensively. "Hmm… sense of chivalry?"

"Nope. Do you really think that chivalry has the capacity to send someone to Hell?"

"Good point. I just have a really hard time imagining how Ichigo could ever go to Hell. I know I haven't been there much for him, and I know he got into trouble with bullies before he ever got his powers, but what could there be that would send him to Hell?"

"Many things." Zen'i opened his eyes and looked piercingly at Masaki. "If a man knowingly sends a legion of men to their doom, knowing that not one of them will survive, but does he deserve to go to Hell?"

"Sure."

"Even if he knew that it served a bigger purpose? What if their sacrifice will ensure peace for a hundred generations?"

"Ah… hmm."

"Exactly. He would have done great evil, in the name of greater good. Perhaps he would go to Hell, perhaps not." Zen'i shrugged. "Let's try again. There was someone that Ichigo met while trying to rescue you. Kokutō, a Togabito, was damned here because he took pleasure in killing the people who murdered her. It's understandable, sympathetic even. And he never regretted it. Who would? But he was damned regardless."

"Why?" Masaki asked, her face clearly showing a lack of understanding. "Did he go on to kill innocent people, or do anything else evil?"

"Not to my knowledge, but it doesn't matter. All Togabito know what sin damned them here. It's a quality of this dimension – those who are damned for their actions in life know what they did wrong, tormented with the knowledge that they could have avoided this fate if they had just avoided that action." Zen'i shook his head. "That one action damned him."

"But why?" Masaki repeated. "I mean, I don't approve of killing when it's not necessary, but I can hardly condemn someone for not being able to cope if a loved one is murdered."

The fragment of Ichigo sighed. "When his sister was murdered, Kokutō had a choice: vengeance or justice. He chose vengeance, out of hatred for those who had slain her, and never regretted that choice. He never looked back at that choice, was never sickened with himself for having made them suffer before death purely for his own satisfaction. He never acknowledged nor repented the sadistic pleasure he felt. Of course he was damned. Hell is home to thousands, millions of murderers who still feel completely justified in their actions but in reality did it simply for their own pleasure. What makes Kokutō any different?"

"How can you know such things?" Masaki whispered.

"Because I am tied to Hell," Zen'i replied coldly. "Because I was formed from both Ichigo's soul and Hell's power. I wield Hell's own Zanpakutō. Since Hell's power is the force of this realm, I have greater understanding than most on what can damn a man here."

"You are all the traits that Ichigo has that _could_ send him to Hell." Masaki's voice was barely audible in her horror. "You are his rage, his hate, his pride… You are the little evil thoughts that everyone has but good people don't act on!"

Zen'i nodded, a wry smile on his face. "All true, but you're missing the most important part."

"And what's that?"

"That would be telling." Zen'i closed his eyes once more, communing with the Zanpakutō and ignoring Masaki's frustrated demands for answers.

_That wasn't nice. _

_No, but she needs to understand that Ichigo is not perfect. And that Ichigo could in fact go to Hell, if he's not careful. And she has to learn that she can't always trust me, either. _

_Hmph. You are more interesting than I thought. _

Zen'i mentally rolled his eyes. _It is a PLEASURE to entertain you. _

_The sarcasm does not become you. _Despite the words, the Zanpakutō spirit sounded amused.

And suddenly, his communion was broken. "ANSWER ME!" Masaki screamed, tears of frustration forming in her eyes as she pulled against her chains, trying to break free.

"No!" Zen'i snapped in a tone that brooked no argument. "Only one being has the right to understand me in my entirety, and you are not that being!"

"I am your mother! I may not have been there to raise Ichigo and by proxy you, but I gave my life to protect you because I love you! Why can't you let me get to know more about my son? If you are truly more than just the sum of Ichigo's possibly damning traits, then who are you?"

Zen'i's face twisted with a swath of unrecognizable emotions, and for a moment Masaki had the wild thought that his eyes looked hurt before he turned away, hiding his expression. "You do have the right to some answers," he whispered heavily. "But I cannot give them. I am a fragment of Ichigo's soul. If he is to fully accept me back, he must come to the realization himself about who and what I am in my entirety. No one can know until he does."

Masaki's mouth dropped. "You want to be reaccepted into his soul," she breathed, "because then you won't have to rely on Hell to exist. You could cut all ties and save me then."

Zen'i said nothing.

"That's your plan, isn't it? You want salvation from Hell, the same as every Togabito." Masaki's voice was full of understanding, with just a hint of pity.

"It's more than that!" Zen'i suddenly snarled angrily, whirling on her. "You don't know what it's like, to be so intrinsically tied to the core of someone's being, and then ripped out! I was part of Ichigo, a part that he knew and accepted! He was me, and I him! WE WERE ONE!"

Zen'i visibly shook with fury, his voice lowering. "And then Hell separated us, but that was fine because I was still part of his soul, just more visible than before. And we fought, yeah, but we had come to an understanding. It wouldn't be the same as before, but maybe one day it could be. But NO!" he shouted, punching into and through a nearby wall. "Hell tried to use me to control Ichigo, so Ichigo cast me out! I understand why it was done, but I hate him for that! I want to forgive him, but I can't!" He twisted back to stare accusingly at Masaki. "He damned me to Hell, and didn't even manage to get you out in the process!"

Zen'i's eyes burned with hate and anger and desperation and something that Masaki couldn't immediately identify. "I want to go back to the way things were before Hell fucked everything up," he hissed. "If I can save you, then maybe he'll fully accept me and we can go back to being one."

Masaki was speechless. But before she could do anything more than begin to lift her arm in a comforting way, another voice rang out. "There's more than one way to go back to being one." Hell stepped into the room slowly, deliberately.

"What do you mean?" Zen'i demanded.

"Simple. If you kill Kurosaki Ichigo, then the fact that part of his soul is already tied to me will draw the rest to do the same. While you were under my power, I tore you apart. Once he's under my power, I can put you back together." Hell smiled, his eyes betraying only a spark of malicious intent. "Instead of relying on what-ifs and maybes, or on the fickle nature of a human soul, just trust me to keep to my word."

Slowly, to Masaki's horror, Zen'i began to smile. "Alright."

"Excellent. As it happens, the initial force sent to Hueco Mundo was completely decimated. But the commander did see Kurosaki Ichigo there, leading the Hollows. How about you lead the next charge tomorrow?" Hell sounded positively pleasant, as though offering to treat a friend to a meal.

"Sounds perfect." Zen'i bowed. "Thank you, Hell-sama."

"And of course, our special guest will be protected," Hell assured the fragment of Ichigo, turning to Masaki. "After all, I still have plans for you."

Ichigo's mother could not help the cold chill that ran up her spine at that smile.

* * *

Was not expecting to finish the chapter so quickly. But there you go, a deeper look at Zen'i and his motivations, while Ichigo is struggling to stay afloat with all the expectations put on him. He's so much more comfortable with just being a fighter.

As I updated so quickly from last time, I don't see the point of a spoiler rant. Suffice to say that it's a pleasant surprise that Zangetsu's still around.


	63. Self-Reflection

Wish I knew what was prompting the inspiration to write these chapters so quickly. I'd harness it, patent it, and live off the royalties forever.

In any case, let's start off with review replies.

Shikyo no Kyoufu - Yeah... let's try to avoid breaking ourselves down into differently-motivated aspects. We'd probably end up killing ourselves.

Sage of wind Dragons - Nelliel isn't going to turn back into a kid. With Inoue healed her mask, she turned into her normal adult form and hasn't since. She'd have to get another traumatic head injury to go back.

As for Arrancar being a race of beings or monster experiments, I reference the Bleach wikia. There exist naturally-occurring Arrancar, they simply tend to not be as powerful as those that were created with the Hogyoku. Can they have kids? Good question. There are two sides to this that I have to consider. Firstly, Arrancar have physiology extremely similar to that of a Shinigami, as Ishida proved in canon. You may recall him shooting Cirucci and annihilating her powers by destroying the same spot those powers would reside in a Shinigami. Canon also states that spirits in Soul Society can in fact have kids. So if they have similar physiology, then I would say that they could theoretically have children as long as the Hollow hole didn't go eliminate the necessary productive organs. On the other hand, an Arrancar's base nature is Hollow, and a Hollow's nature is to consume souls. It may be the case, then, that any child that could be conceived in a female Arrancar would be automatically consumed before the Arrancar even knew about it.

So, my final answer is a helpless shrug and "Maybe?" It's not a direction I was taking the story, though.

Savage Rain: You asked why they can't leave Hell without a Hell portal. Excellent question! In my universe, Hell has a barrier of sorts. Nothing can go in or out without a Hell portal. He didn't want souls that had become Hollows to be able to just up and leave with Garganta. It also came in handy during the first war. Remember the Hollow King and the Reio he was at war with? The barrier's set up to keep the Togabito in, and everyone else out.

I had a few people comment that Ichigo apparently pulled an inspirational speech out of his ass, and that it felt off. In my mind, he was drawing inspiration from the Shakespeare he's read and trying to think as a King would think, speak as a King would speak. Affirm their victory, but remind everyone that the war isn't over, then ask them to join him. I'll be sure to add a bit more struggling with words next time it happens.

I also had a few people mention a missing line regarding Zen'i referring to Kokuto's sister as "her" without any prior context. My bad. I'll go back and fix it at some point. Thanks for pointing it out!

I'm still not doing pairings, so don't read too far into the conversation between Ichigo and Nelliel. She's helping him as a friend. There's no romantic interest at present, and I still haven't planned any romance for the future. Also, I'm not revealing exactly what happened in there. It could've been sex. It could've been a nice, long massage. It could've even been them talking for hours to get Ichigo to confide in her. It could've been all and none of the above. Let your imaginations run wild.

That's it for review replies.

New/Reviewed Terms!

Shihakusho - the robes that Shinigami wear. It's made of white shitagi (undershirt that traditionally goes underneath armor), black kosode (shirt that works as both under- and outerwear, kind of a specialized kimono), black hakama (the loose pants, for lack of a better description. They're tied at the waist), white hakama-himo (this would be the white band around the hakama, literally "hakama-cord"), white tabi (the two-toed socks), and waraji (the sandals).

The Shihakusho is the official uniform of the Gotei 13. When Aizen was in power, the Arrancar had essentially an inverted-color setup. White jacket, white hakama, black sash, black tabi, and white zori (another kind of sandal).

Hado 61: Soren Sokatsui - Basically double of Hado 33: Sokatsui. Very powerful wave/beam of intense blue fire.

Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro - Six beams of light impact the opponent around the middle, trapping him. Theoretically, level 60 Bakudo and higher require more than pure strength to get out of, though a Hollowified Kensei did it 100 years ago.

Hado 1: Sho - A very simple technique, meant to push an opponent/object away.

Taimatsu - one of Yamamoto's techniques with Ryujin Jakka. It creates a firestorm. Enough said.

Ennetsu Jigoku - the failed technique that Yamamoto had used against Aizen in the fake Karakura town, meant to destroy everything inside it, even Yamamoto himself.

Now on with the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 63: Self-Reflection

Ichigo woke up alone in his bed, staring at a dull ceiling. For a moment, he had no idea where he was or who he was – a_m I Ayumu or Ichigo? – _but a brief look around told him everything he needed. He was Kurosaki Ichigo, in Las Noches. Perhaps more importantly, he felt… refreshed was a close word, but it didn't encompass everything. Well-rested? Recovered? Rejuvenated?

Whatever the word, Ichigo felt much better than he did yesterday. Physically, emotionally and spiritually, which led him to the strange thought that since he _was _in spirit form at the moment, was there any difference between physical and spiritual? On the one hand, spiritual experience in his own Inner World had impacted his Shinigami body and abilities. He'd grown stronger, faster, more powerful training with Tensa Zangetsu's fusion form.

But even that was merely an extension of the knowledge he'd had for some time now: physical appearances rarely mattered when it came to the strength of the soul. On the other hand, if his body was injured severely enough, he _would _eventually bleed out or fall unconscious, even if his will to fight was stronger than his opponent's, even if he had a great deal more power left. So there had to be _some _separation of spirit and physical form.

_But perhaps that barrier… is even thinner than that between Shinigami and Hollow. _Ichigo froze. There was something profound about what he'd just realized, something that called out to his soul in a way he didn't understand. The only comparison he had was from before he'd learned Zangetsu's name – that sense that he should know, that he was tantalizingly close to the knowledge. He would have to think about it later.

With a sigh, Ichigo left the bed and began getting ready for the day. Seeing his Shihakushō in the closet next to the white uniforms that Aizen had probably once worn, he paused. After a moment of indecision, he shrugged and pulled out both, ready to start mixing and matching. It was about time for a change anyway – a change to punctuate that he was more than a Shinigami, more than a Hollow. He was a transcendent Vizard, and if he ever wanted to be treated as such by either race, he had to be visibly different. That was something that he'd discussed with Nelliel the night before, after their…

Ichigo blushed as the memories returned to the forefront of his mind. They'd spent the day alternating between… relaxing… and just talking about anything on Ichigo's mind at Nelliel's insistence. With some prodding, Ichigo had shared his nightmares and all the reasons for the pressure he felt weighing him down, and to his relief Nelliel had completely understood. She hadn't blamed him in the slightest for accidentally unleashing Hell, and promised to help however she could to save his mother.

She'd also reassured him that if Hell _were _to take control of him – which she called unlikely, given Ichigo's sheer strength of will – that she, Starrk and Ulquiorra would ensure that his friends and family escaped unharmed. "And with Garganta," she pointed out, "no one would ever know where they went. Even if they found us, it's just a short Garganta to someplace else. We could probably even get them to Soul Society if we needed." That had been a weight off of Ichigo's chest. Why hadn't he thought of confiding his fears in someone else with the ability to jump dimensions whenever they wanted?

Nelliel had also shattered his illusion about being the only one who could stop Hell. With a reminder that Ulquiorra had managed to cut through some of the chains, she claimed that it would be difficult but not impossible for others to develop a strong-enough Bakudō.

"After all, Urahara developed a binding for Aizen, right?" she reminded him. "And Aizen was beyond Urahara's level of evolution. I'm sure he's working on it. Besides, no one should expect a Shinigami with a little skill at Kidō to suddenly be able to make specially-designed Bakudō. Aizen said that there's a whole division in Soul Society devoted towards Kidō – why wouldn't they be the ones working on an appropriate seal? You told me yourself that they can infuse objects with Kidō, which can then be used by practically anyone. Why can't they just make a seal, infuse it into an orb for you, and then you power it with your evolved reiatsu?"

Ichigo had merely blinked. That argument had made far too much sense. He opened his mouth to ask why Hitsugaya and his dad had told him to work on his Bakudō then, why Tessai had accepted his reasoning and begun his training accordingly, but his voice died in his throat. He was the backup plan. Just as he'd been against Aizen, he was the last hope, not the best one.

Even though the responsibility was still there, Ichigo felt a lot better regardless. The Gotei 13 and the Vizard weren't relying on him exclusively. Just in case the Kidō Corps _weren't _working on a seal right then, though, he had promptly dressed, called for and sent Ulquiorra to the living world to pass on the idea before returning to his quarters.

All in all, Ichigo's experience with Nelliel had left him feeling so much better by nightfall that for once he'd had a pleasant night's sleep after she'd left for her own bed. No nightmares of Hell, no strange dreams about Ayumu and Akio.

The blush faded as Ichigo curiously prodded at his reiryoku, wondering if his power would be more responsive to his chain training today. He had a pretty good feeling about it, so Nelliel seemed to be right about his need to unwind a little. The blush returned when his traitorous brain wondered if they'd be having a repeat performance in the near future. It was a good thing that Cazador didn't seem to have woken up yet – Ichigo did _not _need a pervy Inner Hollow distracting him with his own memories and lewd comments.

Shaking his head, Ichigo returned to the present, eyeing the two sets of clothes. There was the Shinigami Shihakushō, and the Arrancar uniform. Nelliel had made a couple of arguments about changing his appearance. The first was a simple declaration that he was different from Shinigami and from Hollow, so both races would be forced to acknowledge him for who and what he was – a transcendent Vizard, worthy of respect and no one's subordinate. That bit, Ichigo understood. But then she'd also claimed that a change of outfit could help with his confidence, which would make the Hollows respect him more and help with his training. Ichigo wasn't sure about that, but he had heard the phrase "the clothes make the man" in the living world, so he was willing to give it a shot. Who knows? Maybe she was right. It couldn't hurt anyway.

After several minutes of experimentation, Ichigo walked the halls, finally content with the final product. He wore the black hakama of Shinigami, but he'd shed their black kosode, revealing the comfortable white sleeveless vest that he'd acquired from accepting that part of his nature was Hollow. He'd tied a red sash around his waist to complete the look for now. It was simple, but simple was good while training.

Ichigo had taken the white jacket and hakama from the Arrancar outfit and taken them over to Pesche with some instructions, but Pesche had said that the changes would take a while to do. Ichigo still wasn't sure how they did alterations or even made the material, since they lived in a desert wasteland, but figured that it was one of those things he probably didn't want to know. The only reason he'd known it was possible was the sheer variety of outfits the Arrancar and traitorous Shinigami had worn while invading Karakura.

Entering the training area, Ichigo found that he was alone – that was nice. Deciding to take it slow, he materialized a small length of chain about as long as his arm. Holding one end in his right hand, he channeled his power down it to contort the chain into various shapes. First a circle, then a triangle, then a square. Narrowing his eyes in focus, he lengthened the chain a bit and focused on a pentagram, drawing it out in his mind.

The chain obediently formed the shape, and Ichigo smiled. Nelliel had been right – this was easier after he'd had a bit of time to relax, and when no one was watching there was hardly any pressure on his mind. That proven, Ichigo sat to think about what he wanted his specialized seal to do. The obvious answer was that he wanted to seal away Hell entirely, but when he thought about that, Ichigo realized that wasn't a good solution to the problem. Hell needed to exist to handle the evil souls, and since the person was tied to the dimension, sealing away Hell entirely was impractical and probably nearly impossible.

The next thought was sealing Hell's power, but that had its own complications. All Hell would have to do was bite his tongue and die in his own realm, and he'd be reborn without any restrictions. In that case, almost all of Hell's movement, including speech, would have to be sealed as well.

Ichigo briefly thought about the Bakudō that he'd seen and experienced that could fit the bill. By far, the best one had to have been Bakudō 99: Bankin that Hachi had used against Aizen. Perhaps, if he could make his chains act the same way as the sealing fabric…? He shook his head. That had to come later: first was actually getting the chains to fire at the opponent without using a preexisting spell, or even better, materialize around them.

Ichigo turned towards a nearby dummy and flared his power lightly, focusing his intent with determination. In his eyes, Hell's image was overlaid atop the dummy, with his knowing, mocking little smile. It was the same smile that he'd given right before kicking Ichigo out of his dimension. Ichigo _hated _that smile. Shoving his hand forward, palm open, Ichigo let out a wordless shout, demanding his power bend to his will.

A thick chain erupted from his palm, materializing and lengthening as it shot towards and wrapped around the dummy from head to toe. Ichigo blinked, then let out a bestial smile of mingled satisfaction and triumph. It had worked. Just to be sure, he walked over and tugged the chain experimentally – it was quite tightly wound, and he could feel his own power lingering in it.

"Nicely done, Ichigo!" Nelliel greeted, walking into the room. "I guess last night helped?"

Ichigo smiled at her. "Yeah, you were right. Again. I just needed to stop thinking that everything depended on me and the rest fell into place." He gestured at the chain. "I think that since I was stressed, my powers were too."

"Of course," Nelliel agreed with a smile of her own. "Your powers are based on your spirit. Your chains are a part of you, so of course they're dependent on your spiritual health."

Ichigo stiffened. There it was again, the same feeling from earlier, but much stronger! That sensation immersed him, and Ichigo knew that he was on the verge of something big, something important, something that would change his self-perception forever. His mouth opened without his guidance and began to utter the words that would change everything.

"_I am…" _and then the words disappeared before they could reach his tongue. "Oh come on!" he cried out as the feeling retreated.

"Ichigo?" Nelliel asked, confused as to why he was suddenly shouting at nothing. Ichigo quickly explained what was bothering him. "And this has happened twice now?"

"Yeah. I don't know what's going on!"

"Does Zangetsu know?" Nelliel queried. "If it's something that powerful, then maybe he knows something."

_The sensation you feel is accompanied by what can only be called an earthquake in your Inner World, Ichigo, _Zangetsu answered without prompting. _But I don't know what it is either. I suspect that it, like the chains, are unrelated to the powers of a Zanpakutō, or even that of an Inner Hollow. _

_**Yeah, he's right, **_Cazador confirmed, sending Ichigo an impression of a thoughtful nod.

The Vizard relayed their answers back to Nelliel, who sighed. "Well, I'm sure it'll come in time," she offered. "If powers are awakening within you, they'll push to be used. Maybe next time."

Ichigo nodded disappointedly, but decided to let it go. "You saw my chain technique. Do you have any suggestions?" he asked, changing the subject to something he could work at.

Nelliel approached the chain, eyeing them in a considering manner. Then she took out her sword and slashed down swiftly and surely, focusing her power and slicing through a single link in the chain, making the rest fall slack. "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link," she reminded Ichigo. "And in every link, the weakest point is the middle." She picked up a length of chain and indicated by pulling it in opposite directions. Sure enough, it was the middle of one of the links that stretched and then broke. "Hell has his lieutenants, who will surely try to free him. If your seal is to keep him bound eternally, then we can have no weak links. Perhaps after the chains have wrapped up your opponent, you should change it physically to something else?" she offered.

Ichigo frowned. Her words made sense, but he wasn't sure how to make that happen. He said as much to Nelliel, who promptly suggested he speak to Shinigami skilled with sealing. "In the meantime, why not try your chains on me?" she smiled in an almost-suggestive manner, and Ichigo had to fight down the blush that threatened to resurface.

Mentally slapping himself and focusing, Ichigo forced himself to look at Nelliel like he would an enemy. He couldn't have his emotions weakening the chains. With a breath, Ichigo summoned his power and fired a chain once again, which shot through the air like a spear at his friend.

Nelliel stood still, allowing the chain to impact her and wrap her up. She began trying to break free, starting with a low amount of strength and then progressively more. Finally, she gave up and sighed with a smile. "Alright, Ichigo. You've got me all tied up." She smiled again, her eyes darkened with something that until the previous day Ichigo had had no experience with outside Yoruichi's teasing. This time Ichigo knew there was no fighting the blush that burned brilliantly on his cheeks.

… which was exactly what Nelliel had been waiting for, it seemed, as she immediately redoubled her struggles. But even so, she still couldn't break free. Instead of frowning in frustration, Nelliel instead let her smile become a simple, genuinely pleased one. "Very nice, Ichigo. Once your chain is cast and your target bound, its strength isn't reliant on your continued focus. Now would you let me loose? I do have other things to do today."

"Sure. I should probably get going to get some sealing advice anyway." With a nod and a brief moment of concentration, Ichigo made the chains disintegrate. Then he frowned, sensing another presence. It took him a moment to identify it. As it happened, it was exactly who he needed. "Ulquiorra."

The Arrancar materialized next to him. "Yes, Kurosaki-sama?"

Ichigo scowled. He didn't like being referred to with such a respectful suffix, but it was one of the things that he and Nelliel had talked about. As the king of Hollows, he had to be shown respect by other visibly strong Hollows, or else he'd have to prove his strength over and over again. So he had to put up with it. _Still don't like it. _"I need to visit the living world, and possibly Soul Society. I'll be back later today. If anyone asks for me, tell them only that I am busy regarding the Hell crisis. If something critical that requires my immediate presence occurs, come get me immediately."

"Yes, Kurosaki-sama."

Nodding once again, Ichigo spun on his heel and gestured with hand to open a Garganta, stepping through and quickly making his way to the living world.

* * *

Yamamoto breathed deeply, letting the air heated by his rising power penetrate deep in his lungs, letting the familiar burn purify him. Here, deep beneath the 1st Division barracks, in Muken – the 8th and final level of the underground prison – Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni could relax his control and let his power flare out like it wished every second of every day. "Reduce all creation to ash, Ryūjin Jakka," he intoned, calling forth the fire of his Zanpakutō.

Flame erupted around him, a fiery blaze that licked at the walls and ceiling of Muken. Yamamoto swung in the direction of one of the walls, barking out a command. "Taimatsu!" From his sword an enormous inferno was spawned, a spiral of fire that nipped at Yamamoto himself as it consumed everything within it greedily.

The sōtaicho's eyes never wavered, never betrayed anything but determination and a will of iron, and the fire left him untouched. Yamamoto took another deep breath through his nose, and gave a wordless roar. The firestorm that raged around him leapt to even greater heights, hotter flames that had begun to take on a slight shade of electric blue at their core. With a slash of Ryūjin Jakka, the old man gathered all the fire to swirl around his blade, and then with a sharp flare of his power, quenched all the flames instantaneously. Ryūjin Jakka was still released, but Yamamoto had sealed its fire.

The air was hot, scorching hot, but it did not bother Yamamoto in the slightest. He had long since learned how to protect his body with his spiritual energy, especially from the power of flame that his Zanpakutō wielded. He was at home with the element of fire – centuries of using Ryūjin Jakka, of training with his Bankai, had left him unimpressed with anything less than the heat of the fires of the sun itself. The only reason he had been burned at all by Ennetsu Jigoku was that he had dedicated all of his power to destruction, and little to his own protection.

With a low sigh, Yamamoto released his grip over Ryūjin Jakka's fire, allowing it only to manifest as a flame-covered sword. Holding it in front of him, he reached into his soul.

A moment later, the sword disappeared, instead replaced by a humanoid figure made of fire. Two tiny blue flames burned where a human's eyes would be, but the rest of its face was nothing more than a constantly-shifting blaze. "Shigekuni," Ryūjin Jakka hissed slowly, its voice high and deliberate. "Why have you summoned me?" 

"I seek wisdom," Yamamoto answered quietly but strongly.

The Zanpakutō laughed, the sound crackling like hot embers. "You are old, Shigekuni. Your power wanes, slowly but surely. What use have you for wisdom now?"

"I am old," he admitted. "But I still have a duty."

Ryūjin Jakka moved inhumanly, his form contorting as it split and rejoined and writhed away and to itself. "We have been partners for so very long, Shigekuni. We have won countless battles. And still we have not ended that man. That Quincy. Are you hiding behind 'duty'? Are you afraid?"

"No. I have done all I can to prepare for him, and I have trained the two I love as sons to be powerful as well. However…"

"I know your every thought, Shigekuni," Ryūjin Jakka interrupted. "You have hidden our Bankai for a millennium, waiting to catch him by surprise. Yet Hell may be an even greater threat. And you are concerned that the boy, Kurosaki Ichigo, will destroy everything you have worked to achieve through the centuries because he refuses to accept that some sacrifices must be made for the greater good."

"Yes. While Kurosaki Ichigo does grow more mature every time I see him, I fear that he will not lend his sword to maintaining the fragile peace we have created. Nevertheless, I have a plan to mend the burnt bridge, as the saying goes." The thought crossed Yamamoto's mind that it was rather an apt expression in this case, as it was greatly his fault that relations were strained between Soul Society and Kurosaki's group. Blinking and returning his thoughts to the present, the sōtaicho continued. "Hell, however…"

"You know my advice."

"Yes." Now Yamamoto's voice had a hint of amusement. "As always, you suggest reducing all our enemies to ash."

"Of course." Shinigami and Zanpakutō chuckled at the long-standing joke before they grew serious once more. "Give all of yourself into every battle you intend to finish. Give all of yourself for those you have sworn to protect. Such is the way of fire. We burn our enemies as we consume everything in our path. Perhaps by burning Hell itself, that Quincy will hesitate, and give us opportunity to consume him as well."

Yamamoto paused. "Forcing Yhwach to take pause would be useful," he mused. "It would give everyone a chance to grow stronger, strong enough for his army."

Ryūjin Jakka turned the blue orbs of flame to stare directly into his wielder's eyes. "Our fires are hotter than they have ever been. If that Quincy sees your power, why does it matter? There must be a reason he has not yet attacked. Besides, Quincy abilities send souls to Hell, correct? If Hell is conquered, then what is there to fear?"

This too, Yamamoto considered for several moments before nodding affirmatively. "You are right. If Hell is defeated, and we have people capable of destroying his chains, then there is little to fear from the Quincy. Even less, should Ishida Uryū succeed in using or nullifying the contract in such a way that it removes all Quincy abilities. Thank you, Ryūjin Jakka."

"As always, my flames are yours to command. Burn bright, Shigekuni." And then the fire elemental swirled, compressing in on itself before vanishing.

Yamamoto felt his heart grow warm as the spirit of his Zanpakutō returned to his soul, and he let his lips curl into a rare smile. It was nice to have things going his way. And it would be nicer still to demonstrate exactly how strong he truly was.

* * *

"Again!" Amagai barked. The men before him groaned wearily before obediently getting to their feet and making their way back to their starting positions. Only one man, the one who had been captured mere moments before, grinned and bounced up and down, eager and willing to go again.

It was an exercise that Amagai and Hinamori had developed together. After having spent a day to assess the skills of the majority of his new division, Amagai had worked with Hinamori to pick the best four of them and began working with them exclusively. Strangely, only one of them had been a seated officer.

**Flashback**

"_This doesn't make sense," Amagai sighed, rubbing his temples as his headache grew in intensity. "How can it be that so many of the unseated officers are stronger than the seated ones?"_

_Hinamori smiled sadly. "We all believed in Aizen, Amagai-taicho. When he betrayed us all, while I was recovering under the care of the 4__th__ Division, several of the seated officers committed suicide, or transferred to other divisions so as not to be bothered by constant memories. By the time I returned to duty, the remaining officers had selected members who were capable of helping run the division. Rather than focusing on strength, they focused on administration skills – paperwork, division of responsibility and such." _

"_I see. They did what they had to do to keep the division running?"_

"_More or less." She shrugged. "Despite their efforts, there were problems due to a lack of perceived authority. When I was able to take on the responsibilities of fukutaicho once more, I became that authority, but I was still incapable of handling all of the responsibilities of the taicho as well, so I left the system as it stood. I just had the final say if there were conflicts."_

_Amagai nodded thoughtfully, his headache lessening as he rubbed his chin. "It's a good idea," he admitted. "And it's proven its usefulness when a division is missing a taicho. I'll leave it this way for a while, to give me to time to adapt to being a taicho."_

_**_End Flashback**

With four people chosen, the next task was to train them to be able to capture a Togabito. With the knowledge that they would simply resurrect back in Hell if they died, the logical thought was that they would fight without caring for their own wounds, instead only focusing on destroying their opponents. It was Hinamori who pointed out that there were a group of people in the Gotei 13 with a similar mindset, and more specifically, comparable strength.

So Amagai had approached Kenpachi and successfully persuaded him to lend Madarame Ikkaku to help out for the time being. The argument that Ikkaku would gain battle experience against several opponents at once had won the bloodthirsty taicho over immediately. Ikkaku had been slightly harder to convince – he believed in honorable one-on-one fights, but after Amagai had pointed out that Yamamoto planned to use Ikkaku to help face an army of Togabito that grossly outnumbered them, and that they likely wouldn't be honorable, the 3rd seat had listened to reason. Naturally, Amagai had then listened to Hinamori's fervent advice and gone to the 4th Division to borrow one of their healers.

So far, Ikkaku hadn't even been hurt yet, and he hadn't needed to use his Bankai at all, such were his skills with his Shikai, Hōzukimaru. But that healer had certainly proven his worth. After every battle, he had healed Amagai's team's wounds and restored their reiatsu, gaining a little more confidence every time. What was the kid's name? Yamada something? Whatever it was, Amagai was definitely appreciative of his efforts – without them, the exercise would have ended several hours ago.

Amagai watched his team try to force Ikkaku to submit with a blank expression. He'd formed the team with versatility in mind. Haku, a pale-skinned somewhat withdrawn young man who hardly looked older than 16, was skilled in Hadō. He was also good friends with a short but fiery-natured redheaded girl named Chinatsu, who had tested very well for Bakudō. They were the Kidō sub-team of the group of four.

Hayate, average in every visible way, was the 6th seat of the division. He looked in his late teens, with common brown eyes and short, straight black hair that was in no particular style. He was calm and dedicated according to Hinamori, but otherwise was utterly forgettable. That would be changing soon, as he had managed to unlock his Shikai recently. His Shikai, Kodoku no Kishi, had taken the form of a broadsword wider than his own head with two oval-shaped holes near the hilt. It was as tall as his own body, reminding Amagai vaguely of Kurosaki Ichigo.

So far, Kodoku no Kishi hadn't displayed any special techniques beyond being far more durable than standard asauchi, though that hadn't stopped Hayate from trying to fight Ikkaku up close. He was probably thinking that it was his job to keep Ikkaku – and later, a Togabito – occupied while the rest of the team weakened and set up the capture. To be fair, he was probably right.

Daiki, a broad-shouldered youth and the last member of the capture team, was surprisingly light on his feet and apparently specialized in Hohō, preferring to use Shunpo to land an attack and immediately move out of range of counterattacks. His Shunpo wasn't that good yet, but with every battle it was getting just a little faster, a little more efficient, to help him with his flagging stamina. The kid learned quickly, Amagai noted, and he was good at judging his own limits. It was a good strategy when working with Hayate, and likely would have worked, if Ikkaku wasn't so highly experienced and skilled enough with his Shikai to block them both at once.

Amagai watched as Chinatsu hurriedly muttered an incantation, reading her lips. She was trying for Bakudō 61: Rikujōkōrō, he observed. It was a good choice for the situation, seeing as Ikkaku specialized in brute strength, while a well-cast Rikujōkōrō was durable enough to handle all but the strongest of threats. But there was something not quite right – he frowned and focused his attention on her before realizing what the problem was. Judging from her expression and fluctuating reaitsu she hadn't quite mastered the spell yet. It wouldn't be strong enough to hold Ikkaku for long, but perhaps it would give her team a better opportunity.

Sure enough, when she cast the spell, Ikkaku was stopped in mid-motion but the spell was already fraying. "Now!" Chinatsu cried out. "It'll only last a second!"

Taking blatant advantage of the opportunity, Daiki flickered behind Ikkaku, leaning low to strike at Ikkaku's legs while Hayate swung at his chest. It was a good example of teamwork, Amagai mused as he watched carefully, ready to step in and save Ikkaku if needed. But it turned out there was no need. Ikkaku had broken free with a fierce shout and instantly avoided damage by jumping over Daiki's attack and using Hōzukimaru to block Kodoku no Kishi, allowing himself to be pushed away by the momentum of the blow. "Not bad, kids! What else you got?"

"…In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens," Haku finished the chant with a cold expression. "Hadō 61: Sōren Sōkatsui!"

He unleashed a powerful beam of blue fire that obscured his vision, but when the spell ended Ikkaku was nowhere in sight, leaving only a partially-destroyed wall that had been directly behind him.

Haku heard a low whistle behind him. "I don't use Kidō myself but it looks like you pack a punch. Little bit faster, little bit stronger and you might've gotten me."

The Hadō practicioner began to spin to see his opponent, the simple Hadō 1: Shō already on his lips to push the opponent away, but it was too late. Ikkaku kicked him hard enough to send him right through the hole in the wall he'd just made.

"Alright!" Ikkaku laughed. "What's next?"

Hayate, though tired, looked ready to continue, but Amagai stepped in and shook his head. "That's enough for now," he decided. "Thank you for your time, Madarame-san. We'll continue this tomorrow, first thing in the morning."

"Sure thing," Ikkaku agreed. "It was good exercise, keeping track of four opponents at once. Are you going to bring more tomorrow?"

"No, you'll see these four again," Amagai replied with a smile. "But they may have a few surprises for you then."

Ikkaku shrugged, then sealed Hōzukimaru and sheathed the blade. "Alright then. I'm gonna go see if anyone at the 11th is up for a spar. See ya tomorrow." He turned on his heel and began walking away.

"Ow…" Haku muttered, climbing through the hole in the wall. "He's really strong."

"Yes, he is," Amagai confirmed. "But you guys are getting there."

Hayate frowned and looked at his Shikai unsurely. "I thought for sure I could at least hold my own against him until everyone else could wear him down or bind him or something."

Amagai clapped a hand on his shoulder sympathetically. "I know the feeling, Hayate-kun. When I first gained my Shikai, I felt on top of the world. I thought for sure that it meant I was stronger than anyone who hadn't reached Shikai yet. I was quickly humbled, though, when I was defeated by someone who beat me without using their Zanpakutō at all."

"Ouch," Chinatsu said with a wince.

"Yeah," Amagai agreed. "Not a fun memory. So don't feel too bad. We all start off somewhere, and you're better than I was at your age. Besides, Madarame Ikkaku is the 3rd seat of the 11th Division, who specialize in not using Kidō of any sort," he reminded them. He'd expected them to doubt their power after that display, and so he'd been ready to tell them exactly who they were up against. His team had done well, and it wouldn't do for them to feel like their efforts were in vain. "All of his reiatsu is dedicated towards offense. Only someone whose defensive or offensive power exceeds his could stand a chance alone. Even then, you need experience."

"I heard Kurosaki Ichigo fought him and beat him while he was trying to save Kuchiki Rukia-sama," Chinatsu volunteered. "And he didn't have much experience at all then."

"That's true," Amagai conceded, closing his eyes rubbing the back of his neck, not having been prepared for that event to be brought up. After a moment to gather his thoughts, he nodded and continued. "But he had been trained by Urahara Kisuke, so he had some experience, and a lot of power to back it up. Also, Ikkaku's grown a lot stronger since then. None of you are weak; you're simply inexperienced and need some additional training before you can take down someone of his level."

Hayate nodded, reassured.

"Now then!" Amagai clapped his hands with a smile. "You've been fighting for several hours now, and I've no doubt that you're hungry. Let's get some lunch, and we'll get some training in this afternoon. You almost had him – with a bit more training, you might even be able to push him into Bankai."

"Hai, taicho!" his four students agreed enthusiastically.

Amagai led the way, not letting his face reflect his thoughts. _What am I supposed to do? What's the right thing to do? Once the threat of Hell is gone, how am I supposed to leave these kids alone again? They don't deserve to have two traitorous taicho in a row, let alone so quickly. _

_But I can't let Yamamoto get away with murdering my father! He has to pay! _

Suddenly, a Jigokuchō flew down from the sky, approaching him. Amagai extended his hand and let the little black butterfly land on his finger. Listening to the message, the 5th Division taicho frowned. "Kumoi…" That was rather coincidental. Channeling a bit of his own reiatsu, he whispered a reply to the Jigokuchō, stating that he would meet with Kumoi that night.

He smiled in a reassuring way to his team. "Sorry about that, just an inconvenient meeting later. Let's go."

* * *

Yes, I have lincluded Yamamoto's backstory with Yhwach. No, I am not going to continue this through fighting Yhwach. It's merely a part of Yamamoto's motivations. Sounds like he's decided to use his Bankai against Hell. That will be fun to write.

Ichigo's learning something new, but what could it be? He's got his Zanpakuto, he's got his Hollow, and this power has nothing to do with either. Hint: it's nothing to do with Zen'i either. Whatever it is, there's something about those two words: "I am..." I am what? You'll see.

Amagai's a pretty nice guy, and he's doing pretty well on training the team. Wonder what Kumoi wants with him?

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Well then, it's nice to see Rukia and Renji getting some good training in. An extremely dense concentration of reishi making it hard to breathe. Same principle as training in high altitude so your blood gets more efficient at carrying oxygen, I imagine. And Byakuya's back! And hilarity ensues for Renji. Wonder how that's gonna go for Ichigo and Byakuya?

Don't really have anything to say about the Vizard - classic Shinji/Hiyori interaction. Amusing, and nice setup. Onwards to the next chapter!

Until next time,

NeoRyu777


	64. Binding

Bet you weren't expecting such a fast update? Neither was I. But be warned, this will likely be the last update for a month or two. My wife and I are expecting another little girl in the next week, two weeks at most, and my time will be monopolized accordingly.

In any case, let's start off with the review replies.

There were so many guesses by what Ichigo was saying when he began with "I am". I'll say this, the right answer has been guessed. But I'm not saying what it was. Heh. I'm saving that for the finale.

Quathis: Yes, the problem could be solved easily if Amagai spoke to Yamamoto. But would YOU speak to someone who killed your father, especially if you're hiding your true identity and waiting for an opportune moment to get your vengeance? Amagai's dad has been erased from the registries, so anyone who knows him will almost certainly be involved with the Bakkoto thing.

00000000000000-Zero-00000: No worries, still planning on no pairings. Thanks for understanding exactly what I was trying to get across about Ichigo and Nel's interaction.

TTrunks - Ichigo doesn't eat Hell's soldiers because he knows firsthand that if you have a soul already bound to Hell within you, that can be used to control you.

There are no new terms for this chapter, so let's get this show on the road, shall we?

* * *

Chapter 64: Binding

Ichigo scowled in concentration, studying a strip of spiritual fabric. After a couple of hours of general practice and examining his student's new abilities with the chains, Tessai had performed the first part of Bakudō 99: Bankin so Ichigo could examine it and hopefully duplicate its ability to simultaneously seal both reiatsu and physical movement.

"I don't get it," Ichigo muttered. "I feel the power in the fabric… but I don't understand how it would seal reiatsu."

"It is not easy to understand," Tessai agreed. "Tell me, where does reiatsu come from?"

The Vizard blinked. "Our reiryoku?"

"To be more precise, reiatsu is the pressure that is exerted through reiryoku," Tessai corrected. "But if our reiryoku is inside us, then how does reiatsu exist?"

Ichigo furrowed his brow. He'd never had to think about that before. "Well, it leaks out of our bodies, or we can push it out more."

"Yes. But where does it come out from?"

The Substitute Shinigami blinked again, taken aback. "I… don't know," he admitted.

Tessai stepped closer and took Ichigo's right hand, holding it so his palm was facing up. "Reiatsu comes out through tiny vents all over our body, Ichigo. Even your eyes can release reiatsu. However, the largest vents are here, in the wrists. This is why Kidō spells are cast with your hands – it's the easiest place to gather energy. Urahara-dono used this fact to create a seal against Aizen, to seal Aizen's immense reiryoku inside his body and let it burn him from the inside out."

Not really remembering the event, Ichigo nodded nonetheless.

Seeing his student's understanding, Tessai continued his lecture. "The knowledge of where reiatsu leaves the body is one of the keys to true seals, Ichigo."

"Because true seals are powered by the sealed, right? So we have to tie the seal to those vents at the wrist?"

"Right." Tessai gave an approving nod. "The fabric from Bankin is meant to wrap you up entirely and feed on the reiatsu from your wrists to maintain itself. This is not to say that seals are infallible, however. They can still be overloaded by large enough quantities of reiatsu. You did just that when regaining your Shinigami powers in the Shattered Shaft, enough to break through the first two parts of Bankin."

Ichigo brought his hand to his chin, thinking deeply. "Well, how did you set up the fabric so it can connect to and use the victim's power?"

Tessai gave a wan smile. "That would be the second key to true seals, and it is only taught to the brightest and most powerful in the Kidō Corps. All others have discovered it independently. The answer is deceptively simple in concept, but very difficult to actually perform."

Ichigo nodded in acknowledgment, his face growing more serious.

"Recall how you sealed your own power away," the Kidō master instructed. "Walk me through the process."

Ichigo took a moment to compose his reply. "I had to trace the strands of reiatsu that naturally emanated off of me, then compress them into a single spot inside of me with an image of how I wanted it."

"Precisely. You had to prevent your power from leaking through your reiatsu vents and store it in a different form. So, for you to seal someone else's power…?"

"I would have to control their power?" Ichigo answered uncertainly.

Tessai shook his head negatively. "It's almost impossible to directly control the reiryoku of another being. But we can guide it with our own."

"So… I'd need to push my own reiryoku into the other person's reiryoku, and use that to guide their power in the way I want?" Ichigo tried again. "Either to bind the power away or to 'encourage' it to power the seal?"

Tessai smiled in an approving way and nodded. "Yes. Naturally, as the wrists are the largest vents, it's the best target for reiryoku insertion. The next largest vents are in your ankles, which is why Shunpo and the air-walk technique are relatively easy to learn. Some truly complex, and truly powerful, seals use both wrists and ankles as entry points."

"What prevents someone from pushing the sealer's reiryoku out before the seal is complete?" the Vizard asked with a grimace. He had a feeling that any seals he made would take a while to perform.

"That is an excellent question," the former taicho of the Kidō Corps acknowledged. "Nothing prevents it except the strength of the sealer. Frequently, seals are used as a final technique, only performed after Bakudō has been applied to prevent the sealer from being physically attacked. Since most mid-to-high level Bakudō also inhibits reiatsu use to some extent, it proves useful in giving the sealer an advantage."

Ichigo nodded thoughtfully. So far, everything made sense. "Okay, then… are there any situations where a seal _can't_ be applied?"

"Technically? No. Practically?" Tessai snorted. "Successful seals typically require the sealer to exert more reiatsu than his or her opponent. Note that the sealer could have less reiryoku, as long as they could match or exceed their opponent's reiatsu for the time needed to enact the seal. For example, Urahara-dono had set up a seal to be enacted when Aizen's reiatsu grew weaker than his own. If Aizen Sōsuke had not perished, you would have seen it in action."

Ichigo frowned pensively. "I can't say with any degree of certainty that I have more power than Hell," he admitted quietly. "I couldn't sense him at all. Guess that means I need to practice with my reiatsu."

"I think you'll find Hueco Mundo an appropriate place for that sort of practice," another voice cut in. Ichigo turned to see Urahara walking his way. "Did I hear correctly that you've made a breakthrough concerning Bakudō?"

In response, Ichigo smirked and whipped his arm up to aim his palm at Urahara. It was so nice to finally get him back for the pranks Urahara had played on him in the past. A long chain erupted from his palm, flying at Urahara at high speed. The shopkeeper unsheathed Benihime a split second later and cut through the chains as they flew towards him, only to be surprised as Ichigo directed the two chain fragments to wrap his arms to his body regardless, the broken links falling away as the chains rejoined.

Urahara fell backwards from the impact, Benihime falling to the ground. "Yare, yare," he muttered. "Question answered." Taking only a moment to gather his strength and reiryoku, he broke free and got to his feet, dusting himself off casually. "Not bad, Ichigo-kun. In fact, that was unexpectedly quite good."

Ichigo's jaw dropped, then he scowled and looked away in disappointment. "Damn. Nelliel wasn't able to break free of my chain at all, but you managed it so quickly. Looks like I need more work on it."

"Oh, your spell was well-cast," Urahara hastened to correct his colleague's pupil. "Especially for being cast with neither the spell name nor incantation, and working despite my damaging their physical form. But I've worked with Tessai for decades on Kidō, and don't forget that I was once the 12th Division taicho and founder of the R&D Institute. Do you really think I didn't know how to quickly identify weaknesses in spells and techniques?"

"That said, you will want to strengthen it before you fight Hell with it," Tessai added sternly. "Work on adding the number of chains you use, and their strength."

Ichigo nodded, still disappointed but resolute in his desire to improve. "How would you suggest?"

"Currently, your chains don't inhibit my reiatsu at all," Urahara replied. "Has Tessai-san told you about reiatsu vents yet?"

"Yeah."

Urahara nodded with a smile. "That's good. Work on using your chains as a way to connect to your opponent's vents."

Suddenly, alarms started blaring, and a Garganta opened right next to Ichigo. Turning, the Vizard saw Ulquiorra standing within the Garganta, making no move to step into the living world. "Ulquiorra?"

"Kurosaki-sama, your presence is needed in Hueco Mundo immediately. Another invasion force has arrived in Hueco Mundo."

Ichigo's expression hardened. "Understood. Let's go." He stepped into the Garganta without hesitation. Urahara opened his mouth to say something, but the Garganta closed before any words could be spoken.

Vizard and Arrancar hurried through the void between worlds, entering Hueco Mundo at the top of Las Noches. Sure enough, Ichigo could see in the distance an even larger force than the day before steadily approaching Las Noches, and he scowled. No Hollows were fighting them at the moment, it seemed. "Another test? The Hollows are waiting for me to respond?" Ichigo half-asked.

"Yes, sire. The king of Hueco Mundo is expected to be able to kill any force that conspires against him without assistance. The fight for the right to be king tested your strength in one-on-one combat. Yesterday's fight tested your leadership. Today you will prove your lack of fear. If you fail, the other Hollows will likely band together and try to kill you."

Ichigo blinked. "Abandon your fear," he murmured, so quiet he could barely hear himself. "Look forward. Always move forward. Retreat and you will age. Hesitate and you will die." It was strange… it was as though Zangetsu had always been preparing him for this role. Or perhaps it wasn't so strange – Ichigo had been part Hollow since his mother had died so many years ago, so of course those values would be imprinted onto his vision of true strength. "Alright then." Rolling his head from right to left sharply, he was gratified to hear his neck pop. "Let's give them a good show." With that, he flickered away.

He took his time getting behind the group, sealing Zangetsu on the way there; Ichigo wanted to catch them by surprise so they wouldn't have a chance to pull out their Chains of Hell. It hadn't mattered when there were a lot of Hollows firing Cero blasts at the last invasion force, as they had been forced to stay on the defensive, but Ichigo didn't know their offensive abilities.

Of course, Ichigo could go all-out and try to decimate them all in one blow of his Bankai-and-Resurrección-powered Gran Rey Cero, and he had to admit that the thought was tempting. But it was probably better to deprive Hell of his subjects as well. So Ichigo needed to break the chains _before_ killing them.

Ichigo paused, a new thought almost making him stop in his tracks. _But what if killing them just sends them back to Hell anyway? _The purifying process of a Zanpakutō could send souls either to Soul Society or to Hell, depending on how evil the soul was in life, but would it take into account any repenting the soul did in Hell? There was no way to know, especially when Ichigo had no idea the mechanics behind Konsō. He'd have to ask Urahara the next time he saw the man. But what alternatives did he have? He couldn't let them go, but he couldn't kill them. That left… what? Imprisoning them?

The Vizard blinked. That… actually wasn't a bad idea. Las Noches was a fortress, and as Inoue once been kidnapped and held by Aizen, there had to be places that prisoners could be kept. Ichigo frowned. _Probably should have done that with the last invasion force as well, _he mused. _Then again, the Hollow didn't really know me and complete annihilation makes a nice impression. Perhaps it was for the best. _

Regardless, the choice was made. Ichigo would bind them, cut away the Chains of Hell, and then imprison them until Hell was defeated to ensure he didn't get any of his foot soldiers back. Finally arriving at a decent position behind the invading force, Ichigo took another few moments to work out his battle plan.

_I don't really have any wide-scale binding techniques… or do I? _His lips quirked into a triumphant grin his Inner Hollow would have been proud of.

* * *

The troop of Togabito marched forward in relative silence. They'd all been briefed that Kurosaki Ichigo, someone that their master was very interested in, was in Hueco Mundo protecting the Hollows. They all knew that the chances of successfully capturing or killing the hybrid were tiny, especially as Kurosaki was able to cut through their master's chains. The biggest question on the mind of every Togabito there was a simple one. _Will I be set free? _

Most of the Togabito had long since lost hope that they would ever be free of Hell. Only the strongest had ever managed to fight the Kushināda, and even they were unable to set themselves free. Suicide was futile – they would either resurrect in Hell once more, or dissolve into sands to join the Desert of the Damned, as it had come to be known by the lesser Togabito. No one until Kurosaki Ichigo had ever even been rumored able to cut the chains.

Tsuki, who had long ago forgotten her last name, looked up at the moon of Hueco Mundo. If she ran away from the rest of the troop, could she make it to this mythical Kurosaki Ichigo? The human – and how unbelievable was that? – who had the power to cut her bonds? Even if she could, even if she dared, would he free her?

How long ago had she first woken in Hell? Months? Years? …Decades? Tsuki no longer knew. But it felt as though she'd lived lifetimes, constantly running for her life from the Kushināda, taking shelter where she could with the other Togabito, eyeing everyone distrustfully. And then Hell had been reborn. Tsuki still had a hard time understanding – Hell was both a man, and the dimension? Did he create the dimension? If so, how unreal was his power?

As soon as Hell had risen, he had begun building an army. She'd almost immediately been drafted, where she had a place to rest and enough food to fill her stomach. Tsuki had been so grateful that she put her everything into learning the techniques that Hell and his lieutenants had drilled into them on how to utilize Hell's chains.

But then she'd learned that the army was meant to invade the rest of reality. The living world, and two places called Hueco Mundo and Soul Society, home to Hollows and Shinigami. From what Tsuki had understood at the briefing, they were the other two possibilities that her soul could have taken after she'd died. But they were going to war? They were going to take over all of reality? It reminded her of half-forgotten memories of watching apocalyptic films with her children. But in those films, the good guys almost always won, or at least survived. It was very unsettling to know Tsuki was fighting for the demons instead of humanity. But was there even a choice? If she didn't obey, Hell would kill her.

Why oh why had she framed that poor man? Why had she ever thought that it was alright to let someone else take the fall for her own mistake? She'd killed that man's child! On accident, sure, but she knew better than to drive drunk. Tsuki had thought herself lucky that the man had had a history of being a violent drunk, and that he too had been driving drunk on the night of his son's death. Why not let him take responsibility for it?

Tsuki had had children of her own to take care of, and her family couldn't afford for her to go to jail, not when their own father had passed away years before. Surely it was alright to prioritize their welfare over some stranger's, especially someone who wasn't a particularly good father anyway? Surely it was alright to feel a sense of relief and satisfaction when her plan worked and the court sentenced the man to prison? Surely it was alright to let out a smile of relief and happiness after the man died in prison, knowing that her secret would go with her to the grave?

Tsuki snorted, the noise hidden in the sounds of countless feet marching on uneven sands. Her secret _had _gone with her to the grave, and now look where she'd ended up. She'd been a selfish fool, and she'd eventually come to realize that she truly did deserve Hell, where there were hundreds, thousands of stories just like her own. She hadn't understood the true value of life, she hadn't realized that every debt had to be paid. She'd owed that boy and his family penance. And she'd spat in their faces, going on to live her own life without paying the slightest of attentions to the family she'd utterly ruined. How could she have been such a terrible person?

But… Tsuki had prayed a lot since then. She'd prayed for the souls of the boy and his father. She'd prayed for the souls of her own children. She'd prayed for guidance, and for her own salvation. It had never come. Perhaps she didn't deserve it. Tsuki had begun to come to terms with that, begun to accept that she would spend the rest of her life repenting until her soul was scattered into the Desert of the Damned, but then Hell had risen, and whispers of the man who could cut the chains and free them all had sprung up as if out of nowhere.

But maybe, just maybe, this Kurosaki Ichigo was an answer to her prayers? Could he purify her of her sins, and send her on to the other afterlife, the place where Shinigami resided, Soul Society? Or even straight to her next life? Tsuki wanted to know, very badly in fact, but did she dare? What if Kurosaki laughed at her and cut her down, sending her back to Hell? And then, there was the more terrifying possibility.

What if he loosed her chains and purified her… and she woke up in Hell again? Tsuki didn't think she could bear it if that were the case. She'd spent so long regretting and repenting for the sins she'd made in life. If she were sent back to Hell, then… then it would be time to think about casting herself into the Desert of the Damned. Oblivion would be preferable to knowledge that her soul would never, ever be forgiven for a stupid mistake made by a foolish woman in life.

Tsuki was still trying to decide if it was worth begging for Kurosaki's mercy when they were attacked. It had come without warning, soundlessly and invisibly. The first she knew of it was when her arms were suddenly bound to her sides, held there by a yellow-orange chain that crackled with energy. A panicked gasp and a glance to either side showed everyone else in the same predicament. But then she noticed that all the chains were all linked. Tsuki looked around, then over her shoulder, visually tracing the glowing chain back… to a single man who held the end of it with his left hand.

_Orange hair. White vest, black hakama. And obviously very powerful. Could it be Kurosaki Ichigo? _They'd not been told about any abilities with chains, but this was likely what some of the other Togabito had called Kidō, some form of Shinigami magic. She hoped it was. Maybe, just maybe, her nightmare was finally over.

* * *

Ichigo smiled despite the strain. He'd cast his chain variant of Bakudō 9: Hōrin, since it had the capability of handling multiple prisoners at once. But there were several dozen people here, and it was draining him faster than he'd like, both in mind and in power. Regardless, he had them captured, and it was quite clear that none of his prisoners could move very much at all.

Using Shunpo to reappear in front of the troop, Ichigo took a deep breath, taking a few moments to decide what to say. He needed something powerful, but simple. "My name is Kurosaki Ichigo," he called out calmly. "And you have all been captured." With a sharp twist of his reiatsu, he channeled Bakudō 4: Hainawa down the existing chains and released the Hōrin spell, stabilizing the spell enough that it didn't require further feeding from his power. "Ulquiorra!"

The Arrancar materialized next to him. "Yes, Kurosaki-sama?"

"These are our prisoners. Take them to Las Noches and get them under confinement – under no circumstances are they to be killed or eaten. Destroy the chains that bind them to Hell after they've been situated."

"Yes sir." Ulquiorra took the chain from Ichigo's hands and began to lead the silent troop back to Las Noches.

After they'd left earshot, Ichigo sighed. He'd used more of his reiryoku than he'd wanted to capture them. He'd need some time and rest, and preferably food, before anything else happened.

"That was well done."

Ichigo almost jumped – he recognized that voice. He slowly turned to see his Togabito aspect standing across from him. _So much for time and rest. _"You." He said it quietly, without anger or hate, just a simple confirmation.

"Me," Zen'i agreed. "I go by Zen'i these days."

Ichigo nodded, making note of the name. "What do you want? Why are you here?"

"Hell sent me."

"I figured as much," the Vizard admitted calmly. "Did he send you here to fight me?"

"Yeah. He wants you dead." Zen'i smiled as if sharing a private joke.

"Figured that too." Ichigo assessed Zen'i carefully. "But you're not here to fight." It wasn't a question.

"No. No I'm not," the Togabito agreed. "Not if I don't have to."

"So I ask again. What do you want?"

Zen'i shifted. "I was part of you, you know."

"Yeah. I know now. Didn't back then, but I do now."

Zen'i sighed. "But you don't know what I am, do you?"

Ichigo knew that he wasn't asking about his form, or even his race. Zen'i was asking about the traits that he embodied. "I know a little. You're my anger, my hate, and my pride. You're the calculating part of me, the part that ignores my conscience and figures out the best move. I know you care about most of the things I care about."

Zen'i shook his head mournfully. "There's far more to me, Ichigo. And I can't tell you. And I can't be accepted back into your soul until you know me for who I am."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed only slightly. "You're still tied to Hell. I cast you out for a reason."

"A stupid reason!" Zen'i cried out, his voice suddenly raised, slicing through the calm of their previously quiet conversation. "Why didn't you just cut your own chains? We had the power! Instead of being stupid and cutting your soul apart, why didn't you free yourself of your bonds?"

"I wouldn't have been able to cut the bonds that Hell was focusing on! He knew our power, he knew how much power would be needed to maintain the chains!" Ichigo replied back heatedly.

"You could have done it if you had released your full power!" Zen'i argued with an ugly expression. "Our power was still bound by Gentei Reiin! If you'd released your own seal we could have escaped and gone unbound by Hell!"

"And then Mom either would have been disintegrated by our power, or she would have been killed by Hell again!" Ichigo snarled back. "Maybe permanently this time! Neither of us want that! As long as Hell believes that we're so weak we couldn't possibly stand a chance, he'll keep her alive just to torment us!"

"You cast me out because you couldn't accept that I was part of you!" Zen'i accused. "Are you scared by your own dark side, Ichigo? You saw an opportunity to be rid of me, and you took it, whether it was the right thing to do or not!"

"Is that what this is about?" the Vizard demanded incredulously. "Your hurt feelings? I cast you out because it made the most sense at the time! The chains were tied to you, I couldn't go full power, and if you possess even a scrap of my motivation you'd protect Mom! If you didn't, then I would know for sure that you were just a piece of Hell, which would have meant I was better off without you anyway, and casting you out was a good prelude to killing you! In either case I won!"

"In either case you won?" Zen'i whispered harshly. "You fool! By handing me over to Hell on a silver platter, you negated any advantage you had! He's going to send me against you over and over until you die! Even you can't fight yourself forever! All you have done is give him another weapon!"

"But Mom is still alive, is she not?" Ichigo pointed out with a hard expression. "I don't care if I have to fight you over and over for a thousand years, as long as she lives."

Silence fell. The two of them stood and stared at each other for several long moments. "And what happens if Hell is defeated?" Zen'i's voice had fallen to just above a whisper. "We can't trust Yamamoto or the rest of Soul Society to keep her safe. We can't keep her in the living world because it can't provide the reishi she needs to survive, and there's no way we'd keep a powerless soul in Hueco Mundo. The temptation would be too great; she'd be eaten sooner or later. Maybe Hell's our best bet for her."

"… I hear you," Ichigo said heavily, his posture sagging slightly. "But Mom wouldn't want her safety to be at the expense of every other soul in the living world."

The Togabito closed his eyes tightly, and his voice was tight when he managed to whisper, "Yeah, I know."

Once more, silence reigned between Ichigo and Zen'i as they just watched each other. A minute had passed before Zen'i opened his mouth to speak again.

"Ichigo, you damned me to Hell." The Vizard opened his mouth to reply, but Zen'i cut him off. "Let me finish! I understand the reasons why you did it. It was the best move, but it also cut away a part of you that you didn't understand, a part of you that honestly scared you. I hate you for that, and I don't know if I can forgive you. But I've always been a part of you, and I feel that one day we can go back to the way things were before Hell pulled me to the surface. If you feel the same way, then… then I'll help you. We share the same goals, after all."

Ichigo was suddenly reminded of his first fight with Zen'i, back before he had a name. He closed his eyes, quietly recalling the words…

_"I want the same things you do! I want to protect my family, I want to make sure they can't be hurt anymore!"_

"_Don't you want to prevent more Quincy Massacres? More Bount and Mod Soul exterminations?"_

"_Why do you fight your destiny to rule, to protect your family? Don't you want to keep them safe by any means necessary?"_

_"Work with me, Ichigo! Between us, we can keep them safe!"_

The only difference between them was that Zen'i had no resistance to murdering in cold blood and carving a bloody path to the top to ensure their desires came true. Ichigo didn't know if he could ever be pushed that far, but Kami help him he had been close when the Berean had banished his mother to Hell. He had been even closer when Yamamoto had refused to help him, and closer still when Yamamoto had tried to stop him. He'd even drawn Tensa Zangetsu on the Shinigami, and had been almost itching to crush the sōtaicho.

"Well, Ichigo?"

Ichigo took a deep breath and let it out slowly, opening his eyes to stare into Zen'i's blood red orbs. Did he feel that Zen'i could rejoin him someday? "Yeah. You're a part of me, Zen'i. I hope one day I can reabsorb you entirely into my soul."

Zen'i smiled, and reached out to Ichigo for a handshake. Ichigo glanced down at his Hell aspect's hand, where a short chain dangled from his wrist, and clasped it with his own hand. They shook firmly once and let go. Zen'I smiled, and drew his sword. "Alright then. Now we need to fight."

"Huh?" Ichigo blinked. They'd just agreed to work together, and now he wanted to fight?

"Hell sent me here to fight and try to kill you. It'll look suspicious if we don't create a titanic battle," Zen'i explained. "We gotta fight, and you've gotta kill me. And we need to do it now. I can explain the delay as me trying to find a way to sneak up on you, or waiting for you to recover a little power so I can crush you properly, but the clock's ticking."

Ichigo blinked. It was a bit of a mental shift, trying to go from soul-searching to battle-ready, but after a few moments, he shook his head and leapt back, drawing his blade. "Fine then. Let's get this over with."

"Get ready, Ichigo!" Zen'i warned, letting loose a burst of reiatsu.

Ichigo's face hardened and he began channeling his power to his blade. Across from him, he could sense Zen'i doing the same. "Don't complain when I kill you quickly."

"Tear the sky asunder, Zangetsu!" they roared together.

* * *

And that's it for the chapter.

Ichigo's learning more about sealing, and he's allied himself with Zen'i. None of you really thought that Zen'i was going to kill Ichigo, did you? He knows there's no way he can trust Hell to keep his word, or even if he does, he can't trust Hell to continue protecting her. Ichigo is the only one whose motivations Zen'i truly trusts.

But they're gonna have to fight anyway. I'm looking forward to writing that scene.

What did you think about Tsuki? She's meant to be a representative of the many, many Togabito who have truly repented for their sins and just want to be saved. I hope she makes it.

No spoiler space for today, as Bleach is on hiatus until September. Which sucks.


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